Historical Crime By Chris Bunton
On February 13th 1866. The Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri was robbed. It was the first bank robbery committed in the daytime during peace years, in the United States.
It is not sure if Jesse or his brother Frank were involved. But, they are given credit for it. At least Frank was.
The Bank is a brick structure on the corner just off the square in the small town of Liberty. I had traveled there to check out this historic town and all things Jesse James.
It was cold in Missouri on that February day in 1866. The bank had opened and the cashier, Greenup Bird was working with his son.
It was a normal day, at least until the clock struck 2 pm and 2 men entered the bank. It was just the Bankers and the strangers alone.
One of the men warmed his hands near the woodstove. The other stood nearby.
The first man, who is believed to be Frank James. Asked Greenup if he could make change for a large bill.
When Greenup turned to walk to the vault, Frank hopped the counter and pulled his revolver.
The other man with Frank, pulled his weapon and covered the assistant.
The robbery netted $60,000 in cash.
As the men were leaving town they started shooting to scare people away and hit a young college student named George Wymore.
Then they fled town in a large group and escaped across the river before the posse could catch them.
These are the details of the robbery but there are several questions.
Were the James Brothers involved?
It is said that Frank was in Texas and Jesse was sick. Perhaps still recovering from a chest wound. No one can prove either way. When a crime is committed people will form alibis.
Why was George Wymore killed? Was it an accident? These were experienced soldiers who knew how to use weapons. Would they make a mistake such as this? Maybe that’s why the James Brothers refuse to claim this robbery.
It is believed that Arch Clement was with Frank, and he was a killer who literally shot at bystanders for no reason. It is he who allegedly shot Wymore.
Was the robbery politically motivated? It is said the bank was owned by pro-northern Republican party members and the robbery was part of the continuing conflict from the Civil War.
No one knows for sure. But, in those days after the war ended, anyone who fought for or supported the Confederacy was disenfranchised. They couldn’t vote, run for office or hold positions. They were blacklisted for selling goods at market, and often had land taken away, or unable to buy land. People didn’t sell or buy from them.
If you were a guerilla fighter or bushwhacker like Jesse and Frank James were, then you were treated as little more than a criminal.
These types of post war conditions led to the rise of the Klan and robbers such as the James gang who were still waging war against the rich northern oppressors, and used their guerilla skills to wage it.
Their crimes, in their minds was warfare. Not crime.
We won’t know the truth of these things. It’s all part of the tragedy that was the Civil War.
Sources and Further Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_County_Savings_Association_Building
https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/robberies/history-of-bank-robberies/
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-jessejamestimeline/
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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
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