Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1896 — Frank James on Train Robberies. [ARTICLE]

Frank James on Train Robberies.

. Frank James, brother of Jesse James, the famous train robber and desperado, Is now engaged in the peaceful occupation of a ticket taker in a St. Louis theater. He was one of the '‘James boys," for whose apprehension $30,000 reward was offered, but now he is a quiet, peaceable citizen, with only a restless gray eye ito suggest the possession of'daring' and courage. Every nfcht he is to be found in the doorway of the Standard Theater. St. Louis. Frank James can - with difficulty be Induced to talk of his former life. A’ few days since, however, he read the report of a train robbery near San Francisco. He thinks such outrages can be stopped only by vigorous work on the part of the railway companies, and said: “When, a man engages in the train robbing business he is badly in need of money, and will take desperate chances to secure it. "lam opposed to train robbery, nnd the only way it will be stopped is td have armed guards on each train. Two or three would be sufficient, but they should be well armed and 1 encased in a steel cage of some kind. The ear should have port holes, through which the guards could command a view of the outside. _ •"One floint they should keep in view, and thatt is the space between the engine and the eipress car. This point should be watched, .because robbers co bld' uncbttple 'thfc' eipress car from the rest of 'the-train and with the engine pull it Several miles down the track, and with'dViiamite blow everything up. “The second and main reason is that the robbers would be awa re of Ihe guards’ presence in the car, and if they could get to the couplings of the car, all they would have to do would be to pull the engine away from the train lor a short distance, reverse the lever and come back against the train wit!) such force that the express car would be demolished and the guards* killed. Until these ideas are carried out, the robbers will continue to think that train robbery is a science." Jesse James, Jr., the son of the notorious outlaw. is now 20 years of age, and is employed by the Armour Packing Company at Kansas City. He lives there with his mother, Mrs, Zereida James.—New York Journal.