James-Younger Gang: Robberies

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Liberty, Missouri - bank, February 14, 1866 more on the Liberty robbery Clay County Savings Bank. 10 to 14 men. $60,000 taken. Brant says Jesse James planned the robbery but did not take part. Jim Younger was implicated but the author thinks he wasn't involved. Three men were arrested who Brant thinks did not take part: Aaron Book, James Couch, William Easter	Frank James Jesse James Oll Sheperd Bud Pence Donny Pence Frank Gregg James Wilkerson Joab Perry Bill Wilkerson Red Monkus Ben Cooper	Frank James Cole Younger Oll Sheperd Bud Pence Donny Pence Frank Gregg James Wilkerson Joab Perry Bill Wickerson Ben Cooper Red Monkus John Jarrette Allen Parmer	Frank James Cole Younger Bud Pence Oll Sheperd Donny Pence Joab Perry Doesn't name any others specifically. He says Frank and Jesse James, and Cole Younger were not immediately suspected.	Led by Arch Clements. He skims over the early robberies until Russellville, Kentucky. He does suggest Cole Younger and Frank James were involved in the Liberty robbery.	Cole Younger doesn't exactly say that he didn't do it, just that he wasn't immediately suspected.
	More than any of the later robberies, this one could be considered a guerrilla raid--an extension of the Civil War, and a response to the 'welcome' those who had been rebel bushwhackers received upon trying to return home (see the Oath of Loyalty), on top of which the danger of being lynched or shot was very real for them. The gap between this and the robberies that can be clearly attributed to either James or Younger brothers increases the tenuous thread connecting them to this robbery. Jesse James probably did not take part. Frank James and Cole Younger may have, but that is not a certainty. Cole Younger is said to have fenced some of the bonds stolen, which may have been an after-the-fact involvement. Cole is quoted as having said that the bonds were given to him by former guerrilla friends and he never questioned their source. The authors cited on this page all suggest involvement by Jesse and Frank James, and Cole Younger, yet the evidence they present in their own books fails to support that conclusion. Frank James may have been involved--Jesse James and Cole Younger probably were not. Jim Cummins book includes a statement of R. I. Steppe of Clay County that it was George Sheperd and Arch Clements were the two who entered the bank, and that George Sheperd cashed a $2000 bond from the robbery in Memphis. It also says Frank James and Bud Pence got the sack used in the robbery.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Lexington, Missouri - bank, October 30, 1866 Alexander Mitchell and Company, $2011 taken.	doesn't name any, quotes local newspaper saying it was probably "Kansas red-leg robbers," but doesn't seem to mean that as a serious possibility	Jesse James Frank James Cole Younger John Jarrette (all named as hypothetical participants)	none named	none named	Says the Youngers weren't suspected until 1880 publication of "Border Bandits" by J. W. Buell. Again, he doesn't exactly deny involvement.
	This one is very tenuous to attribute to any of the James or Younger brothers.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Savannah, Missouri - bank, March 2, 1867 private bank of Judge John McClain, 5-6 robbers, no money taken	R McDaniels Robert Pope Fitzgerald	Possibly John Jarrette Says it was probably a copy-cat robbery with none of the James or Youngers involved.	not discussed in book	none named	5 men were identified but there were no Youngers
	Probably not attributable to the James or Younger brothers.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Richmond, Missouri - bank, May 23, 1867 Hughes and Wasson Bank, $3500 taken, three people killed. 11 to 20 robbers involved. Felix Bradley is often named in connection with this one but was not in on the actual robbery. He was in jail and spoke about it taking place ahead of time. He was taken from the jail and lynched.	Dick Burns Payne Jones Flannery Andy McGuire (arrested & lynched) Allen Parmer (provided alibi that was accepted) James White John White Thomas Little (arrested & lynched) James M. Devers (arrested & lynched) Doesn't list any of the James or Younger brothers in connection with this one. Later in the book he cites a contemporary newspaper article quoting a St. Louis policeman saying it was "Jesse and Frank James, and Budd and Cal Younger" [presumably meaning Bob and Cole Younger])	Possibly John Jarrette. Says it wasn't done by the James and/or Younger brothers. Believes Cole Youngers alibi. James White John White Tom Little Payne Jones Dick Burns Issac Flannery Andy McGuire Allen Parmer (alibi accepted)	Says: Allen Parmer provided an alibi. Tom Little and Fred Meyers arrested and lynched by a mob. Felix Bradley lynched. Dick Burns murdered. Payne Jones killed. Andy McGuire and James M. Devers (both suspects) lynched.	none named	says no warrents were issued at the time for any of the Youngers, but that later historians connected them to it, says it's not true but offers no alibi
	Probably not attributable to the James or Younger brothers.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Russellville, Kentucky - bank, March 1868 Nimrod & Co. Bank. 5 to 6 men were involved. About $12,000 was taken. George Sheperd was convicted of the robbery and served three years in prison. Oll Sheperd was killed while trying to avoid arrest.	Cole Younger Arthur McCoy John Jarrette Oll Sheperd George Sheperd Frank James Jesse James (Settle mentions "the Sheperds" but I don't see him ever mentioning George Sheperd by name. Earlier he says 5 men were involved but doesn't address the contradiction of naming 7 men later.)	Cole Younger John Jarrette Oll Sheperd George Sheperd Frank James Jesse James (mentions Arthur McCoy but dismisses him from consideration)	Cole Younger Arthur McCoy John Jarrette Oll Sheperd George Sheperd	Cole Younger Jim Younger John Jarrette Oll Sheperd George Sheperd Jim White	A man named "Colburn" that the law tried to make into "Coleman" Says Jim and John Younger were in Lee's Summit at the time. Says he was in St. Claire County, Missouri with his uncle, Jeff Younger
	More on the Russellville robbery
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Gallatin, Missouri - bank, December 7, 1869 Bank president John W. Sheets killed (cold bloodedly shot, much the same way Heywood was killed at Northfield), clerk William McDowell shot. Photo of Sheets' grave from Find-a-Grave (use your back button to return here) First robbery attributed to Frank and Jesse James at the time of the robbery.	Frank James Jesse James	Frank James Jesse James (only suggests that they were possibly involved--implies the Youngers were not involved)	Frank James Jesse James Jim Anderson		says he was gathering cattle in Ellis County, Texas, lists numerous witnesses, says it's only the "romancers" who have connected him with the crime, never the authorities
	Arthur McCoy was almost certainly involved and may have been the leader. After the Russellville, KY robbery, George Sheperd was in prison, Oll Sheperd was killed avoiding arrest. John Jarrette was either dead or had disappeared into the West. Cole Younger apparently decided robbery wasn't for him and left. That left Arthur McCoy, who at this point brought Jesse and Frank James into the first robbery probably attributable to them by any reliable, contemporary sources. It is the first robbery that was credited to them at the time of the robbery, not just in retrospect. The similarity to the way the bank president was murdered to the way Joseph Heywood, the clerk in the Northfield bank, was murdered is striking. Frank and Jesse James were unknowns until this time. Even at this point they're only mentioned in the newspapers as "two brothers by the name of James." This is very possibly Jesse James' first robbery. "There never was a bank robbery at Gallatin that I or anyone else ever heard of." Quote of Frank James in a newspaper article in the Minneapolis Tribune, March 31, 1901, article by J. H. Finnigan. Okay... denying there ever was a robbery at all is an interesting defense.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Corydon, Iowa - bank, June 3, 1871 7 men, $40,000 taken Clell Miller tried and acquitted.	Jesse James Frank James Cole Younger Clell Miller	Jesse James Frank James Cole Younger Clell Miller	not discussed in book	Jesse James Frank James Jim Younger Jim Cummins Charlie Pitts (names 5 of 7 he thinks were involved) He thinks Cole Younger was not involved, that he was telling the truth when he said he was in Louisiana.	Cole says he was in Louisiana at the time, Jim & Bob were in Dallas, and John in California

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Columbia, Kentucky, April 29, 1872 - bank 5 robbers, cashier R. A. C. Martin killed, $15,000 taken	Frank James Jesse James Cole Younger citing Detective Bligh of Louisville, KY	Frank James Jesse James Cole Younger Clell Miller	Frank James Jesse James Cole Younger citing Detective Bligh of Louisville, KY	not discussed in the book	says he was herding cattle in Neosho, Kansas at the time

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Kansas City Fair - box office, September 26, 1872 $978 taken, little girl injured	Jesse James Frank James	says Jesse James, John Younger, and Cole Younger were suspected but thinks it unlikely that either of the Youngers really were, suggests Jesse James was not involved either	doesn't name any	Bob Younger Frank James Jesse James (names 3 of 3 he thinks were involved)	Says he was in Jackson County, Missouri and gives a very detailed account of where he was and what he was doing.

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri - bank, May 27, 1873 4 robbers, $4000 taken	doesn't name any specifically but implies Frank and Jesse James	Jesse James Frank James Cole Younger John Younger	not discussed in book	Jesse James Bob Younger Clell Miller Bill Chadwell He doesn't think Cole Younger was involved; believes his alibi.	Says he was in St. Claire County, Missouri helping a sick neighbor. Lists names of alibi witnesses.
	*More on the Ste. Genevieve robbery*
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Adair County, Iowa - Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific train, July 21, 1873 5 to 7 robbers, rail pulled out of line, train overturned killing engineer John Rafferty, fireman Dennis Foley injured, $3000 taken	Jesse James Frank James the Youngers none specifically named	Cole Younger Jesse James Frank James Bob Younger John Younger Clell Miller Charlie Pitts Bill Chadwell (says this was Bob Younger's first robbery)	Cole Younger Jesse James Frank James George Sheperd Arthur McCoy citing St. Louis police	Cole Younger Jesse James Doesn't name any more by name just "The Boys"	Says he was in St. Claire County, Missouri attending a religious service. Lists many alibi witnesses.
	It was shortly after this robbery that John N. Edwards published "A Terrible Quintette" talking about Frank and Jesse James, John and Cole Younger, and Arthur McCoy. From St. Louis newspaper accounts: St. Louis Daily Globe July 23, 1873-- Waylaid by KU-KLUX Diabolical Attempt to Wreck a Night Express Train Engineer Killed, Engine Ditched and Tender and Baggage Cars Crushed The Desperadoes get away with $2000 and the Passengers are saved by the promptness of the Engineer “Got out of there, damn you get out of there; we are grangers, and rob the rich and give to the poor.” …The remaining robbers, fully masked Ku-klux style sacked the express safe… It is thought the robbers may be caught, as they could be traced easily in the heavy dew on the prairie. Two can be identified, as the lost their masks in the affray. July 24--"They're regular guerrillas and on their way to Missouri." "...are going to Mercer County." July 26--"The railroad robbers... they are making for St. Louis..." July 29--"...reached Jackson County." And, following some descriptions: This last man described was one of the railroad robbers. His name is Arthur McCoy, and will be remembered by some of the readers of the Times. Before the war he was a painter in this city and lived on Morgan street. He was mixed up in an express robbery on the plains three or four years ago, but slipped away and was hidden away in a little place near Ste. Genevieve for a year and a half. Then he disappeared and was not seen until he came with the gang on the bank expedition. McCoy, after leaving Ste. Genevieve, got a place in Montgomery county about three miles south of Florence, on the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railroad and ten miles of Herman, on the Missouri Pacific. He was in St. Louis a few weeks ago, but by the barest accident escaped falling into the hands of the police, slipped off and joined the band for this northern trip. The accuracy of information on McCoy gives credence to the identification. He was a painter and did live on Morgan Street (ref. St. Louis Directories 1857-60, plus US Census 1860). As mentioned before, McCoy's wife has numerous relatives in Ste. Genevieve, most of whom had been sympathetic to the Confederates. More on Arthur McCoy
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Hot Springs, Arkansas, stagecoach - January 15, 1874 5 robbers, about $2000 in cash and jewelry taken	Cole Younger Jesse James Frank James Arthur McCoy Bob Younger		Cole Younger Jesse James

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Gad's Hill, Missouri - train, February 1874 5 robbers, $2000 to $3000 taken	Cole Younger Jesse James Frank James Arthur McCoy Bob Younger citing same source as Hot Spring - St. Louis Dispatch article from the time	Jesse James Frank James Cole Younger John Younger Bob Younger Clell Miller		"The Boys"	Says he and Arthur McCoy were accused as participants. He doesn't give McCoy an alibi but says he hadn't seen him since during the war.
	Brant in "Jesse James: The Man and the Myth" says that Arthur McCoy died three weeks before this robbery (no source given). Another source says he died in the early 1880s in Texas. John N. Edwards, who knew McCoy very well, writing "Noted Guerrillas" in 1877 makes no mention of McCoy's death. Cole Younger also knew him and would have known if McCoy was dead at this time. McCoy was identified by witnesses in events following Gad's Hill, though mistaken identity is always possible. A trust-worthy published source from St. Louis (author knew McCoy, were related) indicates McCoy was dead by 1880.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Murder of Pinkerton agent Joseph W. Whicher, March 10, 1874	Jesse James Arthur McCoy Jim Anderson	says "The Jameses...shot him..."	Jesse James Arthur McCoy Jim Anderson	says Jesse James killed him	At first thought it was "Jesse and his friends", who killed him and dumped the body on the Younger's side of the river to throw suspicion on Cole, later heard from "the men who did kill Whicher" that it was not Jesse James who did it.
	March 11, 1874 Pinkerton agent J. W. Whicher was found dead near Independence, Missouri in Jackson County. He had been sent to arrest Frank and Jesse James. He'd been shot through the head, the neck, and the shoulder from close range. The night before he had been seen bound and gagged on a horse with three other men holding him prisoner. From the descriptions given by a ferry operator, the most common names attributed with Whicher's death are Arthur C. McCoy, Jim Anderson (brother of "Bloody Bill" Anderson, later killed by George Sheperd), and Jesse James. However, Cole Younger says Jesse James didn't do it, that he had believed Whicher's cover story that he was a fugitive from the law seeking work. Cole Younger at first said he was furious that Jesse had dumped the body in his county to throw suspicion on him but later Cole learned "from the men who did kill Whicher, that Jesse did not kill him." At the time Cole wrote that (1903) he had no reason I know of to protect Jesse James, but by the same token, both McCoy and Anderson were dead too yet he did not specifically name them. Naming Jim Anderson as a participant conflicts with some authors placing his death in Texas before 1869. Anderson is said to have been killed by George Sheperd who was in prison 1868-1871. Arthur C. McCoy's presence is also a bit anomalous and dubious. Most of McCoy's activities were in the eastern part of the state. In 1883 Frank James was indicted for Whicher's murder but the charges were dropped. Whicher was 26 years old at the time of his death. He had married Mollie Hildenbrand in Iowa less than four months earlier. Whicher was buried in Chicago.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Killing of two Pinkerton agents, W. J. Allen, aka Lull and Ed Daniels, March 16, 1874 John Younger was killed in this confrontation	John Younger killed Lull Jim Younger killed Daniels	John Younger killed Lull Jim Younger killed Daniels	John Younger killed both	doesn't say, implies it was Jesse James	John Younger killed both (Jim Younger was dead at the time Cole wrote this so he didn't have a huge reason to protect him)

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
San Antonio Stage, April 7, 1874	"Jesse and others"			"The Boys"
San Antonio Stage, April 7, 1874	An uncited published source says Arthur McCoy was arrested and charged with this robbery near Austin, Texas.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Lexington, Missouri, two omnibuses, August 30, 1874 Two robberies twenty-five miles apart (second between Waverly and Carrollton), apparently by the same group, 3 robbers	Frank James Jesse James a Younger (Cole?) Arthur McCoy	none of the James or Youngers--a "copycat" robbery	Frank James Jesse James one of the Youngers

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Corinth, Mississippi, bank, December 7, 1874 4 robbers, Tishimingo Saving Bank, $5000 taken plus $5000 worth of jewelry From a Corinth newspaper account: "Four well-mounted men rode up to the Tishomingo savings bank; two entered and locked the door, and two remained outside. They demanded the safe keys, which President Taylor refused. They then made an attack on him with knives, and compelled him to submit. They took over five thousand dollars in currency, and much more in watches and diamonds. Mr. Taylor was not badly hurt. A negro man was in the bank making a deposit at the time, and was not permitted to leave until the robbers retired. They were in the bank about fifteen minutes... The men had been lurking about the town and country for two weeks. The robbers fired several shots as they started, and rode in the direction of the Tennessee river."	Frank James Jesse James Cole Younger says identification uncertain, also includes unnamed other Younger brothers	none of the James or Youngers--a "copycat" robbery
	Description of the robbers from a Memphis newspaper account: One large, red complected man, weight, 190 pounds, six feet high, broad square shoulders, heavy set, about 35 years old; says he is 42 years old, short sandy hair and short red whiskers all over his face as if he had not shaved for several weeks, gave his name as J. C. White, said he was formerly from Kentucky, just off from a horsedrove exhibition. It is believed that he is a Kentuckian. One young man about 6 feet high, auburn or dark sandy hair, gave his name as Ed Mason, said that he was 22 years of age and looks that age, has a large scar on his left wrist on the inside of wrist, he says it was a burn, it may have been a shot or a burn, large blue eyes, a thin beard, red, said he was from Central Kentucky, has the appearance and accent of a Kentuckian. One man gave his name as Lewis, said that he was a Kentuckian, tall, spare made, wore long, dark hair, reaches to his shoulders, weight about 140 pounds, black whiskers all over his face, a good set of teeth, about 35 years old. One man gave his name as Castle, said he was a Kentuckian, straight as an Indian, about 6 feet high, square shoulders, fair skin, red completed, round face, large full blue eyes, about 23 years old, had a sandy beard, several weeks old. Though this robbery is generally not strongly attributed to the James or Youngers, the description of the first robber does fit Cole Younger rather well. The fourth fits Jesse James reasonably well. The Memphis Daily Appeal headline the robbery as, "The Gad's Hill Band, Operating in Mississippi, Rob the Tishomingo Savings Bank of $20,000 in Money and Jewelry." The use of knives in the robbery is, however, a curious aberation and is perhaps most strongly suggestive that this was a "copycat" robbery, yet as they left they are said to have "fired shots" indicating they were not armed solely with knives.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Muncie, Kansas - train, December 8, 1874 5 robbers, $30,000 taken Bud McDaniels arrested--killed after escaping	Jesse James one of the Youngers Bud McDaniels (arrested with some of the loot) Settle does say it was possible that they could have split the gang and done two such distant robberies as Corinth, MS and Muncie, KS only one day apart.	Jesse James Frank James Bob Younger Cole Younger Clell Miller and/or possibly they came upon an in-progress robbery by: Bud McDaniels Bill Ryan Ed Miller Jim Cummins Billy Judson		"The Boys"	doesn't really say, mentions Bill McDaniels getting killed after escaping

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Huntington, West Virginia - bank, September 1, 1875 4 robbers, $10,000 taken robber Thompson McDaniel killed, Tom Webb arrested, tried and convicted, sentenced to 12 years in prison	Thompson McDaniels Tom Webb "No proof exists that any of the Jameses or Youngers were involved"	Thompson McDaniels Tom Webb Cole Younger Frank James	Thompson McDaniels Tom Webb Cole Younger Frank James	"The Boys"	Thomas McDaniels (who he says fought with them during the war) was shot and called for "Bud" which had been Cole Younger's nickname. But he says that McDaniels meant his own brother Bill McDaniels. Cole suggests he was in Florida during the robbery but doesn't exactly claim innocence.

Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Otterville, Missouri - train, July 7, 1876 Missouri Pacific Railroad train, over $15,000 taken Hobbs Kerry arrested, confessed and named the others, sentenced to 4 years in prison. Bruce Younger (uncle of Cole) arrested but provided an accepted alibi.	Jesse James Frank James Cole Younger Bob Younger Clem Miller [Clell?] Charlie Pitts Bill Chadwell Hobbs Kerry	Jesse James Frank James Bob Younger Cole Younger Hobbs Kerry Clell Miller Charlie Pitts Bill Chadwell	Jesse James Frank James Bob Younger Cole Younger Hobbs Kerry Clell Miller Charlie Pitts Bill Chadwell	Jesse James Cole Younger Hobbs Kerry & "The Boys"	doesn't exactly deny it, though of course implies it
	Though Kerry was, of course, called a liar by the others he named, the fact that it's the same list of names as was later at Northfield makes Kerry's list seem probable. Kerry's descriptions of the robbers in this robbery were used to correctly identify Cole and Bob Younger after they were in custody following the Northfield robbery. The descriptions also served to identify Miller, Pitts, and Chadwell's bodies after Northfield. They failed to identify Jim Younger as he was not involved in this robbery, Kerry had not described him.
Robbery	Settle	Brant	Yeatman	Croy	Younger
Northfield, Minnesota - bank, September 7, 1876 The Youngers were certainly involved, the James almost certainly	Cole Younger Jim Younger Bob Younger Clell Miller Bill Chadwell Charlie Pitts Frank James Jesse James Who was in the bank? doesn't say Who killed Heywood? doesn't say	Cole Younger Jim Younger Bob Younger Clell Miller Bill Chadwell Charlie Pitts Frank James Jesse James Who was in the bank? Jesse James, Frank James, Bob Younger Who killed Heywood? Frank James	Cole Younger Jim Younger Bob Younger Clell Miller Bill Chadwell Charlie Pitts Frank James Jesse James Who was in the bank? Bob Younger, Charlie Pitts, one of the James Who killed Heywood? one of the James	Cole Younger Jim Younger Bob Younger Clell Miller Bill Chadwell Charlie Pitts Frank James Jesse James Who was in the bank? Bob Younger, Frank James, Charlie Pitts Who killed Heywood? Frank James	Cole Younger Jim Younger Bob Younger (having been caught and pleaded guilty it would be pretty hard to deny this one) Clell Miller Bill Chadwell and three men whose "names on the expedition were" Pitts Woods Howard (According to Croy, Woods was Jesse James, Howard was Frank James) Who was in the bank? Bob Younger, Charlie Pitts, "Howard" Who killed Heywood? Pitts
	*More on the Northfield robbery attempt*

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More on the Russellville robbery

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