Jesse James and the James Gang
...ded his mother and stepfather’s home and threw a firebomb into the living room killing Jesse’s stepbrother and injuring Jesse’s mother’s arm (Bruns 39). James used a new form of robbery by loosening train tracks and derailing the train, then looting the safe (Brant 122). The robberies caused many people to view James unfavorably. Many people saw James as a villain due to his criminal actions. Jesse was eager to join General Quantrill in the Civil War. James was turned down due to his young age, but was later accepted to Quantrill’s Raiders. Soon afterwards James joined guerrilla troops commanded by William “Bloody Bill” Anderson, where the soldiers acted more like criminals (Brant 47). Group of soldiers including James robbed unarmed union soldiers at gunpoint, and later shot and killed all of them (Bruns 33). Jesse killed Major A.V.E. Johnston and this was said to be the start of his criminal career (Brant 57-58). In another example the gang entered the Davies County Savings Bank in Gallatin, Missouri and shot the cashier through the head and heart. While escaping one of the men’s horses became excited and raced off temporarily dragging the rider behind it. After disentangling himself he rode off with the other bandits. This horse was later identified as being owned by the Jameses. They were now linked to robbery and murder (Bruns 34). The James Gang robbed the Bank of Columbia in Kentucky when threatened the cashier yelled “Bank Robbers!” and was immediately shot to death by Frank and Jesse (Bruns 114). One robbery that the gang tried to pull off was a train suspected of carrying 75,000 dollars in gold. They loosened the train tracks causing the train to derail and killing the engineer instantly when they opened the safe they only found 2,000 dollars feeling disappointed they looted 1,000 dollars from the passengers and left (Brant 121). James Gang entered Northfield National Bank in Minnesota and told a cashier to open the safe, when he refused they slit his throat and shot him. After that a wounded bank teller ran from the bank and notified citizens who then drew weapons and fired upon the outlaws inside. The casualties were the sheriff and s Norwegian immigrant who got in the way, also two of the outlaws were killed, they were identified as Chadwell and Miller some of the Youngers were seriously wounded but, the James brothers escaped unharmed (Bruns 41-42). The James Gang robbed a train, killing the conductor and a passenger, and randomly beating several other passengers viciously (Bruns 45). Jesse and his gang laid rocks and logs on a railway in front of the Chicago-Alton train and then looted the train beating the train car messenger with their pistol butts (Bruns 45-46). Bruns comments that from 1870 to 1876 the James Gang spread their line of robberies from Missouri to Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, and Texas (36). At the Kansas City Exposition a little girl was shot and wounded by a stray bullet that was thought to be shot by Jesse James or one of his accomplices (Yeatman 103). Some people saw James acts of rebellion and crimes as admirable. Many people of James’ time saw him as a hero for his actions. The legend of Jesse James and his crimes is tied to the Civil War and its ensuing events (Settle 56). Economic depression and oppression of the 1870’s led to the glorification of Jesse and Frank James as heroes (Yeatman 122-23). Bruns comments that during the robbery of the Chicago-Alton train Jesse shook the conductor’s hand and gave him two silver dollars and told him to drink to the wealth of Jesse James (45). After robbing a bank and tying up the cashier Jesse told the Dean of a college and...