KANSAS CITY, SUNDAY JANUARY 18, 1938

Section C

MY FATHER'S PART IN

ENDING THE CAREER of the JAMES BOYS

Events that led to Jesse's Death and to

Frank's Surrender Revealed for the first time in an

Authentic Document that has remained secret for 56 years.

By Thomas Riley Shouse

Thomas Riley Shouse, who today reveals for the first time the "inside story" of the plans to capture Jesse and Frank James, and how the plans were upset by the killing of Jesse, is a life-long resident of Clay county, where he formerly was county judge. The following article was prepared by him from a manuscript dictated to him by his father, the late John W. Shouse, fifty-six years ago, and kept secret throughout those years.

At 5 o' clock on Thursday afternoon, October 5, 1882, there walked into the office of Gov. Thomas T. Crittenden, Jefferson City, a man about 38 years old a little bald and with ___ bullet wounds in his mouth, which was partly hidden by a mustache. He was rather soft spoken, cool and calm, and yet perhaps the quickest and deadliest man in the state in a personal encounter. He paused at the door of the office, glancing at every man there before moving to the governor's desk. When only a few feet from the governor, he stopped, and addressed him as follows:

"Governor, I am Frank James-I surrender my arms to you. I removed the loads from them. They have not been out of my possession since 1864. I now give them to you and the law."

With that, the visitor who was accompanied to the governor's office by Maj. John N. Edwards, unbuckled his belt containing a Remington "44" and forty-two cartridges, and handed it to Governor Crittenden.

Fifty-six years have passed since Frank James surrendered and Jesse James was killed. It is now becoming difficult to keep fiction from becoming facts. When fiction and facts are mixed, then you have a legend.

A 56-Year-Old-Secret

Fifty-six years is a long time to keep a secret, a secret kept in my own family all these years, and I doubt of there is any one alive today outside my family who knew that my father conceived the plan that finally resulted in breaking up the James gang.

Before father died, he drew up a brief written record to be released by me, when in my judgment it was proper, in the interest of the safety of our family and the cause of history, that it be made public. There is no one alive today who had any part in the plan, and, since historians are trying to piece together all the links of Missouri history, I have decided to make public this last link in the capture of the James brothers. I am relating the details, so that it will make a connected story, and also I am giving a brief account of my father's military record.

My father, John W. Shouse, was born September 13, 1825, in Franklin County, Kentucky, and came to Missouri in 1827 with his father. May 1, 1846, he enlisted for the Mexican war in Company C of the 1st Missouri volunteers under Col. A. W. Doniphan, and left Ft. Leavenworth June 26, 1846. The battle of Sacramento was fought on February 28, 1847. Colonel Doniphan dismounted his left wing to charge the fort. Every seventh man was detailed to hold horses. My father happened to be one of the detail.

During the battle, Colonel Doniphan came down the line. At this moment, a tremendous volley of musketry, grape and cannon ball came from the enemy. As Colonel Doniphan passed by the line, my father said to him, "See here, colonel, am I to stand here in this tempest of cannon and musket balls and hold horses?" Doniphan replied, "Certainly, if you were detailed for that purpose." My father replied, "I'd hold hell in a fight but I did not come here to hold horses-I can do that at home."

Thereupon, father tied the bridles together and joined his comrades. After that battle, the capital of the state was captured.

Chihuahua taken, they occupied the city for some weeks. Doniphan left Chihuahua April 28, taking ship at P___ ___ on his return to _____________ ing father, arrived at New Orleans, June 22, and turned in their arms, were discharged and received their pay, the only money they had received since they left home. Remember that my father was "just a kid" when he enlisted. In the fall of 1861 my father raised a company of Missouri volunteers for the South. He was elected captain of the company, went south and was in the Col. John T. Hughes regiment, General Slack's brigade. He fought in the battles of Carthage, Pea Ridge and Corinth, and saw much service in the South. His health failing, he resigned his commission, and started home in 1863. In Polk County, Missouri, he was taken prisoner, and carried to Springfield, Mo., where he was held four months but finally managed to escape, and arrived home in the late summer.

Neighbors of the James Boys.

From this brief resume of my father's military life, it is evident that he was a very active man, facing with courage, bravery and fidelity the problems which confronted the pioneers.

He lived on a farm one and one miles east of the home of the James boys. The town of Mosby was four miles south. The James family came from Logan County, Kentucky, in the early 1840's. Frank was born January 10, 1843, and Jesse, September 5, 1847, three miles northeast of Kearney, Mo., on their mother's farm. When Jesse was about 3 years old, his father the Rev. Robert James, a Baptist minister, left for California at the time of the great gold rush, and died there shortly after his arrival. A short time after his death, Mrs. James married a 52-year-old widower by the name of Simms. She was only 26. This marriage was of short duration and after the separation she married Dr. Reuben Samuels.

Jesse attended the district school and worked on the farm until he was 16 years old. Frank enlisted in the Southern army at the beginning of the Civil war. When the Federal soldiers came to the Samuels home searching for Frank, they took Jesse out and whipped him in order to force him to tell where Frank was. This was in 1863. A year later in 1864, Jesse "took to the brush," in other words, joined the bushwhackers.

Revealing the Old Plans.

A few years before the death of my father, September 7, 1919, he told me the details of the plan he had conceived to capture Jesse James alive. I have withheld this story until I felt sufficient time had elapsed that no one would seek redress.

My father and all other neighbors of the James boys felt a deep sense of gratitude to them and all other guerillas and bushwhackers in local relation to the Civil war, for it was this band of men that arose to defend the people of Clay and Jackson counties from the tyranny and oppression of the unbridled "red-legs" from Kansas, who made frequent raids on Missouri border counties for the purpose of murder and plunder. However, the continuously outrageous conduct of the guerillas in the 1870's had changed public sentiment among many of their most loyal friends and former supporters. It was this changed attitude that finally led my father to evolve a plan to capture Jesse James.

It had long been concealed by many that neither of the James brothers would be taken alive, and they were the only two left of the James gang.

Others Killed or Imprisoned.

Dick Liddil had surrendered to Henry H. Craig, police commissioner of Kansas City, January 24, 1882. According to the records ____ ____ principal members of this famous group had been accounted for in various ways, as follows: Andy Mc Guire was hanged by a Liberty mob.

D. Payne Jones was killed while stealing a horse at Independence.

Arch Clements was killed at Lexington.

Dick Burns was killed by a pal and robbed.

James Read was killed in Texas.

Bud Mc Daniels was killed after the Muncie train robbery.

John Younger was killed by a detective.

Clell Miller, Bill Chadwell and Charley Wells were killed at Northfield, Minn.

Ed Miller was killed by Jesse James near Norborne, Mo.

Arthur Mc Coy died in Texas.

The Youngers were in the penitentiary in Minnesota.

Bill Ryan was in the penitentiary at Jefferson City.

The others were either in prison or awaiting trial.

During the time this band was active they had robbed fourteen banks, seven railroad trains, one fairground treasury and many stage coaches.

Frank and Jesse remained at large and detectives had failed completely; they had accounted for only one man in this gang and he was killed by one of the Youngers. My father had never approved of the detectives' blundering attempts to capture Frank and Jesse. He was particularly resentful of that master blunder when the detectives surrounded the James home on the night of January 25, 1875, and threw a bomb through the window. The exploding missile killed Archie Peyton Samuels, Jesse's 8 1/2 -year-old brother, and tore off his mother's right arm. Frank and Jesse were not at home that night.

My father had associated with him in his plan William Wysong, James O. Shouse, Joseph T. Pettigrew, William G. Dollis, William Dagley, Riley Henderson and Dick Liddil. The plan was submitted to Governor Crittenden, who approved every detail and armed the men for mutual protection. The James brothers were not to be killed, but to be overpowered and turned over to the officers of the law.

On the Watch for Jesse.

For several years every sheriff of Clay County had done his best to capture these outlaws. Sheriff Timberlake, his deputy, James Reed, and Henry H. Craig, police commissioner of Kansas City, knew of the organization and rendered every service possible.

This was about the middle of January, 1882. The few meetings which the group held were at night, under the utmost secrecy. Prior to this statement, the names of the men associated with my father have been unknown.

After the details were agreed upon, the next thing to do was to locate Jesse James. No one had heard of him for many weeks. All of these men lived near the James farm and kept a constant watch for Jesse.

For some unknown reason, Jesse had decided to kill Jim Cummings, one of his neighbors and his associate. I am of the opinion that one cause of the trouble between Jesse and Cummings was due to Jim accusing Jesse of killing Ed Miller. Jim always did a lot of needless talking and bragging.

In the fall of 1881, Jesse and Dick Liddil gave Cummings a hot chase from some point in Arkansas, up through Missouri, to William Ford's farm. William Ford married Artelia Cummings, and was a brother-in-law of Jim Cummings. The Ford farm, which was the original Cummings farm, was located two miles south of my father's farm, and three miles southeast of the James farm, about four miles west of Excelsior Springs.

William Ford was not at home when Jesse and Dick Liddil arrived at his place, so they took Samuel (the 15-year-old son of William) out and tortured him until near death, trying to force him to tell where his uncle, Jim Cummings, might be found. Cummings had left a short time before they arrived. This was a fatal mistake by Jesse, for it made an enemy of the Fords and laid the foundation for breaking up the James band.

My Father Sees a Way.

My father learned of this act of Jesse James, and saw therein an opening for the execution of his plan. He arranged with William Wysong who was a close neighbor of William Ford, and, if possible, interest him in the plan. Wysong reported in a few days that both Bill Ford and Bob Ford, a nephew of Bill's, were willing to co-operate. After this agreement, it was nearly a month, before they could locate Jesse James.

It was a strange break of fate that caused Jesse to reveal his hiding place. Charles Ford, a brother of Bob's had been living with Jesse James at No. 1381 Lafayette street, St. Joseph, since November 3, 1881, but no one of my father's plotters knew it. Jesse and Charley Ford were planning to rob a bank at Platte City and needed help, as all the rest of the gang were either dead or in prison, except frank James who was still in hiding.

Jesse asked Charley who they might get to help do the job. Charley replied that he thought Bob might be induced to help, if they could see him. They decided to ride down to Richmond, Ray County, on that mission. They went to the home of J. T. Ford, the father of Bob and Charley, a short distance from Richmond. Mrs. Martha Bolton, a sister of the Ford boys was living there, keeping house for her father. It was at this home that Dick Liddil had killed Wood Hite, at daylight, Sunday morning, December 4, 1881.

When Jesse and Charley arrived at the J. T. Ford home, they learned that Bob was in Clay County at the home of his uncle Bill Ford. They then started back to Clay County. This was in the latter part of March, 1882. Arrived at Bill Ford's in the night, they called Bob out, and started their business. Bob agreed to go with them. After all arrangements had been completed, Jesse said to Bob, "Tell Bill to come out-I want to have a talk with him."

Bob Ford delivered the message, Bill Ford replied, "I will not go out, if I do Jesse will kill me."

Charley Ford Balks.

"I think it best, under the circumstances, for you to go out and talk with him," Bob said to his uncle. He assured Bill that if he would go out, he would have his gun ready, and, if Jesse made an attempt to draw, he would shoot him. Bill then consented to go out and talk with Jesse.

They seemingly smoothed matters over, and then Jesse James, Charley and Bob Ford rode away, spending the night at the home of Mother Samuels.

At the first opportunity after they arrived back in St. Joseph, Bob revealed the "plan" to Charley, who flatly refused to co-operate. Bob replied, "If you do not co-operate with me in this matter, Jesse or I will have to die."

Charley then had to decide between his brother and Jesse. He finally decided to become a silent partner.

It was more than a week before the opportunity came, and it was when Jesse James threw his guns on the bed, and got up on a chair to arrange a picture on the wall, that the fatal shot was fired.

My father never intended that Jesse James should be killed, but the feeling engendered from the day Jesse took Bill Ford's 15-year-old son out and tortured him stood in the way of close friendship between the Fords and the bandit. Met Frank After Surrender.

This is the complete story, as told me by my father, although I was kept posted during all the negotiations. I myself met Frank James in St. Louis sometime after the surrender. He was taking tickets at the Standard theater. It was the first time we had met in many years, but the recognition was mutual. He asked, "where are you putting up?" I named the hotel, and, after the show, he came there and we had a long visit.

"I want to tell you that there ____ some people in that community (near the James farm) who ____ their lives to my mother." ____ in the course of our conversation. "I would have killed them ____ had to crawl, or, if no ____ would have poisoned ___ ___ she pleaded for their ___. The only answer I ___ "Your mother is a ____ ___ gave you good advice." Bob Ford was killed in Colorado, by an Irishman Kelly was killed by a policeman in 1893.