in june following both the james boys were seen in kansas city by intimate acquaintances, and the night of june 27th was spent by both the bandits with their mother at the samuels' residence. on the 15th of july, bob, jim and cole younger, jesse and frank james, bud singleton and two other bandits, whose names have never been learned by the authorities, left clay county, missouri, and rode northward to a spot which had been selected by frank james and jim younger, on the line of the chicago, rock island & pacific railroad, about five miles east of council bluffs. the reason for selecting this place and time was because of information received of an intended shipment of a large amount of gold from san francisco to new york, which would be made over this route, reaching omaha about the 19th of july. how this information was imparted was never ascertained, but its truth has led to the belief that the james boys had confederates on the pacific slope with whom they were in constant communication.
on the evening of july 21st a formidable band of eight of the most desperate men that ever committed a crime, took position in a dense thicket beside a deep cut in the railroad. they hitched their horses out of view of passengers on the train and then, after a few minutes' work, displaced one of the rails. this[pg 61] accomplished, they waited the coming of the express train which was due at that point at 8:30 p. m. from a knoll near the rendezvous jesse james descried the blazing headlight of the coming train, and then made everything ready for their villainous work. a sharp curve in the track prevented the engineer from discovering anything wrong, until it was impossible to prevent the disaster which the banditti had prepared for. the screaming engine came thundering like an infuriated mammoth, which a reversal of the lever only began to check when it struck the loosened rail and plunged sideways into the bank, while the cars telescoped and piled up in terrible confusion. the engineer was instantly killed, and a dozen passengers were seriously injured, but the desperadoes did not stop to consider this terrible disaster. the moment the havoc was complete the bandits fell upon the excited passengers, whom they robbed without exception, both men and women, taking every species of jewelry and the last cent that could be discovered from the wounded as well as those who remained unhurt. the express car was entered and the messenger, groaning with pain from a broken arm, was compelled to open the safe, which was rifled of six thousand dollars and then the messenger was forced to give the robbers his watch and ten dollars which he had with him. fortunately the desperadoes were twelve hours too soon for the train upon which the expected treasure was carried, as the[pg 62] express that went east on the morning of the 21st, carried gold bricks, specie and currency amounting to over one hundred thousand dollars.
the total amount secured by the train-wrecking band was about $2,500 each, which they carried off, as was their custom, in a sack, departing southward at a rapid gait.
the officers of council bluffs were soon notified of the robbery. the wounded and dead were taken to the city and cared for, and then another pursuit of the robbers was begun, which was united in by sheriffs and posses of other counties until the pursuing parties numbered nearly two hundred men. the desperadoes were traced over hill and prairie, through clay county and into jackson, where the trail was lost as effectually as if the robbers had mounted into space and fled behind the clouds. reward after reward was offered until they aggregated more than $50,000; the most expert detectives from st. louis and chicago concentrated upon an effort to win the prize and rid the country of the most consummate highwaymen since the days of rolla, the bearded knight of the forests. but every clue proved deceiving, and the most cunning of detectives finally abandoned the chase, thoroughly confounded by the marvelous cunning of the bandits.
