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FRANK JAMES SURRENDERStTired of Bring Hunted Like n Wild Beaut, the MltMarl Bandit Appeals for Mercy and Gives Himself up to Governor Crittenden.Jefferson City, Oct. a, 1882, After living for some four years the life of a pence able, and to all appearances a rs-^ectable and law-abiding citizen, FnuYk James yielded to the persuasion'of relatives and friends, and in the hope that after all he might not be convicted, or might be par-dpned, and a deep-seated feeling that unless ho did surrender his fate would be similar to that of Jes-e, wrote the following letter to Gov. Crittenden:AN APPEAL FOR AMNESTY.St. Louis, Mo., October 1,1882. Bon. T. T. Crittenden, Governor:Your Excellency, time has demonstrated that however esreluily 1 intup fnliow the path i of good citizenship, and however successful I may be in gaiuiug the confidence and respect of those win* associate with me daily and know my every act, the work ot heaping in-lurny on.ilie name which my childien are to ebear goes steadily on and on as it began so many years ago. The greater the crime which startles the people of our Western States, the greater the certainty that it will be attributed to my uct or instigation. However strange it may seem that a man ot the reputation I bear should ussume to possess either pride or sensibility, 1 have the hardihood to lay claim to some degree of both. For years the one desire of .my heart is and has been to regain the citizenship which 1 lost in the dark days when, in Western Missouri, every man’s hand was against his neighbor's, and to have an opportunity to prove, by my submission, to the most rizorous test, that 1 am not unworthy of it. It would avail me nothing at this day to revert to tue circumstances attending my outlawrv, which I and thousands of others regarded as extenuating. Those who were w here they could observe the events in that little page of history need no recapitulation of them from me, and tiiose who had no personal knowledge in the premises have been so prejudiced against me by reports of my evil doings that they would naturally give no consideration to fiicts of that character. The people at large reason, ant reason logically, that where there is so much smoke there must be some fire: that ulthougli some ot tue charges made against me may be unjust, all are not without foundation, and that an evasion of the officers of the law is not the course of an innocent man. 1 bow to this logic and reply that the man who is making this appeal does not do so from tlie standpoint of a martyr. He conies to you, their representative, to say that though his suffering lias been a hundred times greater than they have a knowledge of, immeasurably greater than the courts which lie evuded would have attached to his acts, lie recognizes that he has no right to complain Ot his lot. He comes us a man who, conscious ot an honest purpose, asks to be permitted to do what an earnest, law-abiding citigeu may to remove from Missouri the odium for which his name is in part responsible. He comes as a man who, outlaw thougii lie is, lias for those inwoeent ernes- wiw* call -him husband ami lather, u love as strong, devoted and deep as is found in men whose lives are blameless before the world, aad us one who is anxious to remove from their closet the skele-tion which has so long been its hideous occupant. If it were not tor the fear of responsi-tility for that wldeh I did not do rather than for tnat which I did, Governor Crittenden, you should never have had to put a price upon my head. Kut an excited andjustlv indignant public is not discriminative, and when a man is stripped of the safeguard of presumptive innocence, with which the law virtually surrounds him, as 1 would he, he is put to the dangerous necessity of proving a negative. That fear is still with me, and, as I wriie.it pi ompts me to abandon my present purpose, and having for nearly twe’nty years proved my ability toevade all attempts to capture me, to take my little tamily and go to some remote section where 1 can live a quiet lite, free from apprehension. That 1 refuse to obey such an impulse; that I prefer to go back to my boyhood's home and face my disgrace in order to live it down; that 1 am willing to pluce myself under surveillance to which no man in Missouri has ever yet been subjected, as must naturaliv be the case should 1 return; that I choose this rocfglicourse when smoother ones otter, is, 1 humbly submit, a proofthat I am not as bud as I havebeen pointed out, and that the elements of manhood have not been entirely obliterated from my nature. Kight terribly. Governor Crittenden, have the offenses against society which have been charged against the James family been revenged. God knows enough biood has been spilled, enough hearts broken, enough lives blighted. God knows that if it is the purpose of tue law to prevent crime by making its punishment awful to contemplate, that purpose has been served in a large degree in tlio-e ten years of terror and tragedy. Is its demand for vengeance insatiable? Is “justice tempered with mercy” a mere poetical nothing? Must thegreat State of Missouri indulge a spirit of revenge until it lias secured toe last ounce of flesh? Or, laying all considerations of mercy aside, can not your State—1 would to God I could say my stute—better afford, now that it has vindicated its laws as no State ever did before, to say to its supplicants. “ Yes, come in. We will convert your very notoriety into a powerful instrument of good and order. We will, purely as an unsentimental investment, restore you to citizenship and give you an opportunity to prove your contrition and further purposes. We will call upon you to use your experience and knowledge of wrong-doing in the enforcement of the laws which you have in the past been charged witli violating, and w hen by ears of correct deportment und honest industry you l^yive won the confidence of all of those who now condemn you, we will point to it ail as a proof of our wisdom.” 11 1 were certain that I would not be made a scrape-goat, I would never huve troubled you with this petition, but would have long ago faced your courts and met your charges, but once lt;In the tolls I would have had to uccept all the chances, and while none would have been interested in proving my innocence of whatever might be alleged, many iuiglir find It to their advantage to assi-.t in convicting me. l*ut yourself in my place for one moment, ami then judge of my course in keep,ng out of the law’s clutches. The. e is one consideration other than already mentioned which has weighed heavily in iavor of my taking my iresent step, lor five month- 1 have been a const ant dread that some rash friend of mine or Jesse’s, or some silly person seeking notoriety, might carry out the threats of assassination which huve been, according to published reports, poured in upon you. Suppose lor one moment that that lmd occurred, is there a man living who would not have held me responsible for it? And jet, not only were tbe threats not mine, as yon will discover by comparing them with my writing, but the thought of revenge was never one moment entertained by me. 1 have now stated my case, and have, I trust, avoided any savor of mawkishuess. 1 ask it you cun not consistently with j our duty give me smne hope for amnesty under tbe condition I have specified. It may strike ou that modesty is not the most prominent characteristic of this request, but it should be remembered that it comes from a man who is still at large and the uncertainty of whose whereabouts is, n! though it need not be, the cause of a deal of apprehension. 1 do not appeal as a man who, having follow ed the wrong course until his head is whitening and he is tottering on the verge of the grave, is taught repentunce by his incapacity tor further iniquity, but as one who is yet young atid vigorous, and has reasonable ground to believe that there are more years yet left him for active service w ithin the pale of society' than those which he hus spent outside of it. I submit that this is not an improper question lor your consideration, whether it would not be better to have Frank James a hunter of fugitives than a fugitive? whether Frank James, humbled,repentant and reformed before the world, will not be an example more fraught with good to the rising generation thati Frank James a mysterious wanderer, or the occupant of a felon's cell or grave? This appeal, though anonymous and possibly without a complete precedent, is not the result of a sudden whim, but is born ot a determination which has been forming for years, and which has already stood the test of four veurs of sober, industrious farm life, as I wtii have no difficulty in satisfying you. I am prouder of the nerve which has enabled meto take this step in behalf of my batter nature thun any courageous act of all m' past life. * write this letter from St. Louis, and leave it here to be mailod. An answer addressed in care of iny wife at independence, Mo., will reach me, and I need not say how fervently I pray that it will not be the answer of a Nemesis.Yours, contritely and hopefully,Frank James.After writing $hp above letter Frank James went to Jackson County and remained in or near Independence until the receipt of the following:governor crittenpen’s reply.Executive Department, ) Jeffekson City, Mo* Oct. 5,1882. { Frank James;Sir—Your letter, dated St. Louts, Ootober 1, 1882, has been received, in which you apply to me for an amnesty or a pa don. Under the Constitution of this State 1 can not grant a pardon, even if inclined to,before conviction of some crime. Whether you eau be convicted of anj’ violation of the law it is not for me to sav. That the. courts ot the State will determine in the proper way when you nre betore them. 1 think it wise in you to abandon the lite you are charged with leading, and in surrendering to the legal authorities of the Mate or the county in which you ar« local ed. If innocent of those charges, then you will have an opportunity to prove it to tlie world. If guilty, the law dictates the punishment. If you surrender, you, as any otherman charged witli crime, sliall and will have a fair and impartial trial. The intelligence and character of the courts of this state are ample guarantees of such a trial without any assurance from me, one not based Upon nor governed by the prejudice or the sympathy of the people, but under the judicial forms of Just and well-established, laws. Determined as I am #to see the laws enforced against all grades of crime, 1 am none the le-s convinced of the importance to society of having eve.’y man within the grasp of the law protected in liis rights, however lawless lie may have been, when he yields voluntarily and submi-slveiy to that law, and appeals to it and to me for justice^artd mercy. You may be Innocent or you may be guilty of all the various crimes charged to you. That the courts will determine, as before said, and after the voice of the court is heard, then, if it becomes necessary, 1 will decide what my action Shall be. Yours truly,. Thomas T. Crittkndf.n.When the train from the west rolled nto the depot in this city at an early hour this morning there alighted from it two men wno, without mounting the depot platform, climbed the hill and walked leisurely southward =to the McCarty House. Nobody was in the office when they at rived, but they registered as Jolm Edwards, Sedalia, and B. F. Winfrey,Marshall, ^fo. When the proprietor entered the office, just as they had finished registering, and was introduced by Major Edwards to Mr. Winfrey, he considered it an every da* affair and asskfned the two to a room. At 9 o’clbck the two strolled about townLtbo Major meeting numerous acquaintances and introducing Winfrey- Ke- turning to the hotel they took dinner, and devoted tiie afternoon to reading the morning papers. About 5 o clock they again emerged, and walking over t the Capitol grounds climbed the hill and entered the window leading to tlie private office of Gov. Crittenden. The latter, having had a few hours’ notice of tlieireoming, naturally felt juoilant over this gratifying culmination of his long light against the outlaw band and summoned number of State officials to witness the historical event. While they were commenting upon the letter from Frank, to which the Governor had called attention, Major Edwards and his companion walked in. Stop-Ttng In front of the Governor, MaJ. Edwards said:“ Governor, this is Frank James. He is here to give himself up.” TLis brief introduction brought face to face tlie Executive of Missouri and the noted outlaw whose name has been a terror in this State and is familiar throughout our land, if not the whole world. It was a. scene without a precedent in the annals of the State, and to all present was intensely interesting and dramatic. To all appearances Frank James was the coolest man in the room. While Maj. Edwards was introducing him his countenance was as quiet and calm in its expression as if tbe business Jn hand were no concern of his. Illt;?advanced a step toward the Governor, and by a dexterous movement unbuckled a belt from around his body and, holding it toward the Governor, said:“ Governor, I am Frank James. I surrender my arms to you. I have removed the lt;Aoads from them; they.are not loaded. Theymave not been out of my possession since 1864. No other man has ever had them since then. I now give them to you personally. I deliver myself to you and the law.”Governor Crittenden received the proffered belt, pistol and cartridges, and with characteristic courtesy requested Frank tube seated, saying that, he was very glad to meet him, particula ly in this manner.Frank James answered that he had come in and surrendered himself because he desired to do as he had done for years—that is, live the life of a law-abiding citizen. He hoped to be able to prove that he was not'Sffbad as he had been painted. Although tie had been living the life of aauiet, orderly und law-abiding citizen for four years, he well knew that everything criminal and bad that had beeii committed of late years had been credited to him.To the Governor ho said, witli more earnestness in his tone than he bad hitherto shown, “If some one were to assassinate you, although 1 might be able to prove myself entirely innocent, 1 would not be able to convince people that I was guiltless of the crime. They huve been in the habit of attributing all manner of crimes to me, and are ready to believe anything they isear.”Governor Crittenden said: “I have received over half a bushel of letters from you, or from tiiose professing to be you. I have received them not only lrom three or four different men on tlie same day, but from several different States.’’’* Yes,” answered tlie outlaw, “this proves that any crime, no matter by whom committed, is likely to be laid to me. I have surrendered because I wish this to end, and to prove, as I can, that for four years I have been a law-abiding eitizen and that I have -been painted blacker than I urn. I do it for my wife and child’s sake. I am in your hands, to do with me as you see best.”As soon as the talk between the Governor and Frank was over those present gathered around him. Adjutant-General Waddell said to him, I met yon to-day at dinner, but had no idea who you were.” No one would take tlie quiet, calm man, with tlio wide, open and frank looking eves, for tiie outlaw who had heia swav over Missouri for 8 i long. His clear complexion indicated habits of temperance, and there was not an ounce of superfin-ous flesh upon his frame. Ho showed himself to be a man who could patiently undergo great harship, while his eyes, though in no wise restless, saw and closely observed everything about him.When asked ir the large reward offered induced him to come in, Frank said: “When that proclamation was issued, I knew the amount would accomplish the purpose. That amount placed on a man’s head, dead or alive, would insure his capture.”
Newspaper Details
The Fairbury Gazette
Fairbury, Nebraska, US
Sat, Oct 14, 1882
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 09 Oct 2024
Other Publications Near Fairbury, Nebraska
Jefferson County Journal
The Fairbury News and The Fairbury Gazette
The Fairbury Daily News
The Fairbury Journal
Fairbury Journal News
