Although every book purporting to narrate the lives of the Younger
brothers has told of the Liberty robbery, and implied that we had a part
in it, the Youngers were not suspected at that time, nor for a long time
afterward. It was claimed by people of Liberty that they positively
recognized among the robbers Oll Shepherd, “Red” Monkers and “Bud” Pence,
who had seen service with Quantrell. Jim White and J. F. Edmunson were
arrested in St. Joseph, but were promptly released, their preliminary
examination failing to connect them with the raid in any way.
In October of that year a bank at Lexington, Mo., was robbed of $2,000,
but so far as I know it was never connected with the Younger brothers in
any way until 1880, when J. W. Buel published his “Border Bandits.”
March 2, 1867, the bank at Savannah, Mo., was raided, but the five who did
this were identified, and there were no Younger boys in the party. This
raid was accompanied by bloodshed, Judge McLain, the banker, being shot,
though not fatally.
May 23 of that year the bank at Richmond, Mo., was raided, Mayor Shaw was
killed, and the robbers raided the jail, where were confined a number of
prisoners whose arrest, it was claimed, was due to their sympathy with
secession. Jailer Griffin and his 15-year-old son were killed there.
Warrants were issued for a number of the old guerrillas, including Allen
Parmer, afterward the husband of Susie James, although he was working in
Kansas City at the time, and proved an absolute alibi. No warrant was
issued for the Youngers, but subsequent historians (?) have, inferentially
at least, accused us of taking part, but as I said before, there is no
truth in the accusation.
The bank at Russellville, Ky., was raided March 20, 1868, and among the
raiders was a man who gave his name as Colburn, who the detectives have
endeavored to make it appear was Cole Younger. Having served in Kentucky
with Quantrell, Jim Younger and Frank James were well known through that
state, and it being known that the previous bank robberies in Missouri
were charged to ex-guerrillas, similar conclusions were at once drawn by
the Louisville sleuths who were put on the case. Jim and John were at home
at Lee’s Summit.
June 3, 1871, Obocock Bros.’ bank at Corydon, Iowa, was robbed of $40,000
by seven men in broad daylight. The romancers have connected Jim and me
with that, when as a matter of fact I was in Louisiana, Jim and Bob were
at Dallas, and John was in California.
April 29, 1872, the day that the bank at Columbia, Ky., was raided and the
cashier, R. A. C. Martin, killed I was at Neosho Falls, Kansas, with a
drove of cattle.
September 26 of the same year the cash-box of the Kansas City fair was
stolen. A full statement as to my whereabouts during the day is given in
a letter appended hereto, which also shows that it would have been
impossible for me to be present at the wrecking of the Rock Island train
in Adair county, Iowa, July 21, 1873; the hold-up of the Malvern stage
near the Gaines place Jan. 15, 1874; the Ste. Genevieve bank robbery May
27, 1873, or the Iron Mountain train robbery at Gad’s Hill, Mo., Jan. 31,
1874. It was charged that Arthur McCoy or A. C. McCoy and myself had been
participants in the Gad’s Hill affair and the two stage robberies.
Nov. 15, 1874, I wrote a letter to my brother-in-law, Lycargus A. Jones,
which was published in part in the Pleasant Hill Review Nov. 26, the
editor having in the meantime inquired into the statements of facts and
satisfied himself of their truth. The parts of this letter now relevant
are as follows:
Cass County, Nov. 15, 1874.
Dear Curg:
You may use this letter in your own way. I will give you this outline and
sketch of my whereabouts and actions at the time of certain robberies with
which I am charged. At the time of the Gallatin bank robbery I was
gathering cattle in Ellis county, Texas; cattle that I bought from Pleas
Taylor and Rector. This can be proved by both of them; also by Sheriff
Barkley and fifty other respectable men of that county. I brought the
cattle to Kansas that fall and remained in St. Clair county until
February. I then went to Arkansas and returned to St. Clair county about
the first of May. I went to Kansas, where our cattle were, in Woodson
county, at Col. Ridge’s. During the summer I was either in St. Clair,
Jackson or Kansas, but as there was no robbery committed that summer it
makes no difference where I was.
The gate at the fair grounds was robbed that fall. I was in Jackson
county at the time. I left R. P. Rose’s that morning, went down the
Independence road, stopped at Dr. Noland’s, and got some pills. Brother
John was with me. I went through Independence and from there to Ace
Webb’s. There I took dinner and then went to Dr. L. W. Twyman’s. Stayed
there until after supper, then went to Silas Hudspeth’s and stayed all
night. This was the day the gate was robbed at Kansas City. Next day
John and I went to Kansas City. We crossed the river at Blue Mills and
went up on the other side. Our business there was to see E. P. West. He
was not at home, but the family will remember that we were there. We
crossed on the bridge, stayed in the city all night and the next morning
we rode up through the city. I met several of my friends. Among them was
Bob Hudspeth. We then returned to the Six-Mile country by the way of
Independence. At Big Blue we met Jas. Chiles and had a long talk with
him. I saw several friends that were standing at or near the gate, and
they all said that they didn’t know any of the party that did the robbing.
Neither John nor myself was accused of the crime until several days after.
My name would never have been used in connection with the affair had not
Jesse W. James, for some cause best known to himself, published in the
Kansas City Times a letter stating that John, he and myself were accused
of the robbery. Where he got his authority I don’t know, but one thing I
do know, he had none from me. We were not on good terms at the time, nor
have we been for several years. From that time on mine and John’s names
have been connected with the James brothers. John hadn’t seen either of
them for eighteen months before his death. And as for A. C. McCoy, John
never saw him in his life. I knew A. C. McCoy during the war, but have
never seen him since, notwithstanding the Appleton City paper says he has
been with us in that county for two years. Now if any respectable man in
that county will say he ever saw A. C. McCoy with me or John I will say no
more; or if any reliable man will say that he ever saw any one with us who
suited the description of A. C. McCoy then I will be silent and never more
plead innocence.
Poor John, he has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast, and never
was a boy more innocent. But there is a day coming when the secrets of
all hearts will be laid open before that All-seeing Eye, and every act of
our lives will be scrutinized; then will his skirts be white as the driven
snow, while those of his accusers will be doubly dark.
I will come now to the Ste. Genevieve robbery. At that time I was in St.
Clair county, Mo. I do not remember the date, but Mr. Murphy, one of our
neighbors, was sick about that time, and I sat up with him regularly,
where I met with some of his neighbors every day. Dr. L. Lewis was his
physician.
As to the Iowa train robbery, I have forgotten the day, I was also in St.
Clair county, Mo., at that time, and had the pleasure of attending
preaching the evening previous to the robbery at Monegaw Springs. There
were fifty or a hundred persons there who will testify in any court that
John and I were there. I will give you the names of some of them: Simeon
C. Bruce, John S. Wilson, James Van Allen, Rev. Mr. Smith and lady.
Helvin Fickle and wife of Greenton Valley were attending the springs at
that time, and either of them will testify to the above, for John and I
sat in front of Mr. Smith while he was preaching and was in his company
for a few moments, together with his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Fickle, after
service. They live at Greenton Valley, Lafayette county, Mo., and their
evidence would be taken in the court of heaven. As there was no other
robbery committed until January, I will come to that time. About the last
of December, 1873, I arrived in Carroll parish, Louisiana. I stayed there
until the 8th of February, 1874. Brother and I stayed at Wm. Dickerson’s,
near Floyd. During the time the Shreveport stage and the Hot Springs
stage were robbed; also the Gad’s Hill robbery.