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Tall Tales of The James Boys Told In A Flood of Yellow-Back BooksOne of the Old Volumes, Reprinted by a Missouri Concern, Mixes Quotations From Shakespeare and Philosophical Comment With the Accounts of Robberyand Murder; The Unidentified Author Often Speaks Highly of the Outlaws.By Ethylene Ballard Thurston. In the Kansas City Times.After the death of Jesse James at the hands of his erstwhile friend. Bob Ford, no time was lost in getting out books on the lives of Frank and Jesse James. Many thousands of copies were sold, which no doubt helps to account for the fact that it’s almost impossible to find anyone in the United States who hasn’t heard of the brothers, or who can’t tell you a story about them himselfThe plates of one of the original “yellow-backs” came to light a few years ago in a Chicago bookdreadfully wounded. The Mexi- j there? Don’t you know that George cans had blockaded that door, but j Shepherd killed him? How could a I the boys of Missouri raised the | dead boy rob a train? I’m sur-1blockade.Much melodramatic language describes their get-away and other Mexican escapades.Having described the Big Springs robbery of 1877. the author closedprised at you!’ ”“The pitcher goes often to the I ' fountain, but it is broken at last.” I begins the next philosophical para- | graph, and ends, “The tabled Ne- -the chapter with the query, “Who ; mesis waits long patiently by thewas the mysterious unknown seventh man in this case—was it Jesse James! Possibly! Probably! But this deponent saveth not.” The scene s!lifts to Missouri:‘ ‘Have you heard ’ Tho ;e mor-wayside, but at last vengeance I r wakes, and doom comes swift as 1store, and 5.000 reprints were j ciless devils are hack ag iin, and made by Luhn’s Stamp and Book ! busy at their old work!’— com-Shop in St. Joseph. Mo. The mar- mon speech in the bright Octobeidays of 1879. Major James Liggett of Kansas City (Jackson County marshal) in setting out to discover these robbers had ‘sat himself a derned long row to hoe.’lightning, and awful as death— Jesse James had had his day and an awful day it had been.“ ‘At hast,” men said—and held I \ their breath for a momept (after I hearing of Jesse’s death at the \ hands of Bob Ford), as if doubt- p ing the possibility of Jesse j } James’s complete defeat, then sug- I gested that the news would need / a g»od deal of confirmation be-fore it was accepted. On his last | cket for “Lives. Adventures Exploits of Frank and Jesse James,With an Account of the Tragic Death of Jesse James, April 3d,1882” is still good. iStories in this little classic Hearing that George W. Shepherd, visit home. Jesse had talked over (what with its many Shakespear- ! farmer member of Quantrill’s band. 1 a plot with Bob Ford for rob- C ean quotations, it might be called had returned from three years in bing another bank, but all un-one) are much the same as have1 prison, bearing a grudge against j known and unsuspected, he was a been familiiar to Missourians It Jesse James and James Anderson himself the victim of a plot with-has often been said that Frank ’ because they had killed his i in a plot. Deep and subtle and | u James* was a student of Shakes-I nephew. Frank Flannery and rob- fa i seeing as he was. Beneath his a peare and loved uoting that mi - bed him ol $1,000, Marshal Lig- depth a deeper depth; lay threat-ter. Could it be that the tales be- sett determined to use George omng to devour!’ tween the red front and yellow! Shepherd to trap the James boys. The wiitei described in detailback came from the lips of Frank i “While Shepherd was clerking the funeral services, and closedJames!’ if so they shi ul; fcx thlt; « ’ 3 - t t to the chapl tti:real McCoy. The author’s name live down his past. Liggett ap- After life s fitful fever, he appears nowhere in the book. proached him with a plan. Shep- sleeps well.Gunplay in Mexico. herd was to find out Jesse, tell “The' Fate of the Ford Boys”Each of the seventeen chapters him it was no use trying to walk is detailed in the final chapter began with a condensation of the straight, the detectives were al-contents. designed to stimulate, w ays shadowing him. He was to reader interest. For example, the, show bogus newspaper clippings first: 1 to that effect, tell Jesse that heThe James Boys Among the j wanted to rejoin him. and then Ifexicai : Mat e to hmoras. Frank and Jesse Poor1 Fifty dollars a month and a horse La , an ice company complained Dancers—Into the Rio Grande—j would be provided Shepherd until to police that a dismissed ieem-m Stirring Time Nlt; u Cari ei Thlt; the job w d hen the great was continuing to patrol his old Noontide Rest at the Fountain— rewards were to be d v led. That lug theThe Bold and Successful Raid. Shepherd shot Jim Anderson to housewives' windows to read: No On the opposite page is what, be avenged of his nephew s death lu Today, appears to be a sketch of the gay ( is probably true. That Shepherd Jesse, and the story opens: shot Jesse James too. is also true.“The fame and notoriety of the Jesse, we are told, fell fmm his James boys was not confined to (horse, and Shepherd, believing he the western states. Not only were had killed him. fled. But Jesse1 their names signs of terror to Mis-) was not killed, as we shall see. sourians and Kentuckians along i “This strange affray came off at j the borders of Kansas and down ! Short Creek Shepherd called out into the Indian territory; but , to Jesse, ‘D—m you. Jesse James.,London—Thirteen years were required to build the Suez canal. It was completed in 1869.Cold WarIn Baton Rouge,SiMexican mothers frighten their children by the mention of Frank and Jesse James. At the fandango, they were not celebrated as graceful dancers. Onlookers were first amttsed, then broke out in open ridicule, laughed at Frank and James, and mimicked them with exaggerated contortions.Now, the boys should stand a great deal, but you weret not to laugh at them, so quick as thought dowm went one of the boldest, be-thirteen years ago. you killed my nephew. Frank!’ and with that, he wheeled around and fired. And when, as he thought the redoubtable Jesse was dead, he dashed away to parts unknown. But Jesse was not mortally wounded, though the wound was an ugly one, and threatened to be fatal. For a long time. Mrs. Samuels. Jesse’s mother, believed him dead, or affected to believe so, more probably, to put people off hisneath the strong hand of Frank, j track.In a moment a strongly built Mexican struck Frank a blow on the cheek. . . . Jesse improved the moment by sending a bullet a journey through the brain of the Mexican who had struck Frank.. . . Frank and Jesse made for thePraise For the Outlaw.“In April of 1880. Jesse enjoyed the best with the best at an immigration convention in St. | Louis, where he was known andrecognized by many friends. His shrewdness is unexampled, his redoor, but their way was blocked | sources arc unlimited. What his by the furious and vengeful hidal- ’ future will be. who can tell?” ex-goes. Stilletos gleamed and glit- j alts the author, tered. Frank and James were But when Mrs. Samuels was in-struck and stabbed. But stilletos ! terviewed after the last robbery at | are poor where revolvers come— Glendale, as to her son’s guilt,: soon four Mexicans lay dead on “she answered with a wicked satri-the threshhold and six others were cal leer. How could Jesse beTR
Newspaper Details
Sikeston Daily Standard
Sikeston, Missouri, US
Fri, May 05, 1950
Page 30
Full Page
Clipped by
Joplin P.
MO, USA 19 Sep 2024
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