Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 01	January 2, 2008

Frank and Jesse James in Brandenburg, Kentucky

By GERALD FISCHER
Special to the Messenger

Jesse Woodson James and Alexander Franklin James are two of the most recognized names in the history of the United States. They are better known as Frank and Jesse James, guerilla fighters with Quantrill’s Raiders, and robbers of banks, trains and stagecoaches across Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. Certainly they probably committed crimes in other states as well. Meade County, however, plays a part in the future lawlessness of Frank James.

Frank James was a guerilla leader who fought under the black flag of William Clark Quantrill, a school teacher turned guerilla fighter for the Confederacy. He followed Quantrill out of Missouri and into Tennessee and thence into Kentucky where Quantrill was on his way with his forces to Washington, D.C., where he planned to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. He was in Kentucky when word came down that John Wilkes Booth had murdered Lincoln. Quantrill was a fish out of water; he did not know the terrain and geography of Kentucky. Early on, he enlisted the aid of – and banded together with – “Sue Mundy,” Kentucky’s homegrown guerilla chief, in order to continue his guerilla activities. In fact, Mundy and his associates, Billy Magruder, Henry Medkiff, one-armed Sam Berry and his lieutenant, Marion, did join forces on several raids.

Frank James was a tall, fiercely brave guerilla fighter who was unusually loyal to William Clark Quantrill. When Quantrill was wounded in his last battle, James wanted to avenge him. James was at a meeting place waiting for Quantrill some 23 miles from Wakefield’s house where the final battle took place. Shortly after Quantrill’s fight with Capt. Terrill in early May, Lee surrendered his army to Gen. U.S. Grant, April 9, 1865. This was effectively the end of the Civil War. Quantrill had told his men that in the event of the war ending, they should surrender and take the oath of loyalty to the Union. This, Frank James and eight of his associates did, July 27, 1865. The guerillas surrendered to Capt. Young, who himself saw action in the war, and had a respect for these hard-riding soldiers. He made the oath as painless as possible for the obviously humiliating experience it was to these Rebels. The oath was administered in Nelson County at Samuels Depot, now the T.W. Samuels Distillery is located there.

Jesse James, having taken a bullet in the lung while riding with Bloody Bill Anderson, Quantrill’s second in command, was recuperating in Texas, and Frank James lingered in Kentucky, finally arriving in the river town of Brandenburg in Meade County. Neither Frank nor Jesse was allowed to return to Missouri. Sentiment on the border was simply too vengeful for them.

Franklin James was quiet, respectful and circumspect in his manner of speech and general demeanor. He had shaven his face clean and did not have the look or mannerisms of a cold-blooded killer of men. While in the town of Brandenburg, Frank James’ identity became known, and he was pointed out on the street as a member of Quantrill’s guerilla band. He attained an unwanted degree of celebrity or notoriety.

One day while walking down the sidewalk of Main Street in front of the Brandenburg bank building, now the location of Granny’s Antique Shop, four Union soldiers decided to test his mettle. For the first time since the war began, Frank James did not have to fight a battle. He could sleep without having his pistols at the ready. Frank was ready for peace, but peace wasn’t ready for Frank.

The four soldiers were walking down the sidewalk, north toward the Ohio River, while Frank was walking on the same walk southward toward Broadway. Frank’s clean-shaven face, mild-mannered talk and easy gait as he walked made these soldiers decide to rough him up a bit and force him off the sidewalk and give the soldiers the right-of-way. As the four soldiers and James drew near to each other, the soldiers made clear that they were going to treat him roughly and by the use of brute force, kick him off the sidewalk.

Suddenly, without intention or any semblance of self-control, the old passions and fire arose like the Phoenix from the ashes of his past, and he fought like he did at Centralia, Mo. He literally threw caution to the wind, being outnumbered four to one. As one of the soldiers’ hand landed lightly on his pistol, Frank James drew his pistols and fired, killing two of the soldiers where they stood. A third soldier was desperately wounded and out of the fight. The fourth soldier managed to draw his weapon and fire in the four or five seconds the gunfight lasted. His aim, although low, placed a bullet in Frank James’ hip, wounding him seriously. This wound no doubt affected his aim, and his remaining shots were only effective in forcing the last soldier to withdraw and seek safety elsewhere.

Friends came to his aid and secretly hid him and provided medical aid and attention. His wound was not only painful, but the loss of blood brought him to death’s door, and at one point he almost arose and entered that door. There was a hue and cry throughout Brandenburg, calling for his capture and trial. Frank James was guilty only of not being able to show a quality he never had and could not display – cowardice. Those soldiers, intent on abuse, did not know that there was no such thing as physical fear within Frank James.

Although this fight was not of his choosing and was thrust upon him by those who would wrongly treat him, it was to be the first criminal act committed after his being mustered out of the guerilla cavalry, but it was not to be the last time Frank visited Brandenburg, Ky. The next time he would have his brother Jesse with him.

Sometime in the 1870s, a young negro shoeshine boy was putting a high luster on the boots of two men in front of the hotel, just south and across the street from the bank building. The shoeshine boy was named Cubby Brown. The men arose from the chairs in which they were sitting and flipped Cubby a gold coin, a magnificent sum of money for a shoeshine.

While Cubby’s eyes were focused on the coin, he was brought back to his surroundings by gunshots fired into the air by both men. Cubby ducked under the chairs while the two men laughed at his fear and discomfort. As they unhitched their horses and rode away, they looked down at Cubby and told him he had just met Frank and Jesse James.

Years later, when he was an old man, Cubby worked as a janitor and errand boy for the drugstore that used to be located the side parking lot of Little Dave’s Restaurant. People would tease him by telling him that Frank and Jesse were coming. Everyone would laugh – except Cubby.

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