Death Of An Innocent

I doubt there’s anybody who has grown up in this country without knowing at least something about notorious outlaw brothers Jesse and Frank James, who spread terror throughout the country in the years following the Civil War. From their days as guerrillas fighting for the Southern cause to their careers as train and bank robbers, their crimes were the stuff of legend and folklore. How many people were killed by the James brothers and their cutthroat associates is hard to say for sure, but the name of one innocent victim of their nefarious deeds seems to have been overlooked in history.

Archie Peyton Samuel, born on July 26, 1866, in Clay County, Missouri, was the half-brother of Frank and Jesse James. His father was Dr. Reuben Samuel and his mother, Zerelda James Samuel, was also the mother of the outlaw brothers. Born with mental disabilities, Archie was probably never truly aware of what his older half-siblings were infamous for. But that did not spare him a terrible fate.

Lawmen and bounty hunters frequently came to the Samuel farm, hoping to catch Jesse and Frank, but missed them every time. But they kept trying. Under the cover of darkness on the night of January 25, 1875, agents employed by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency surrounded the Samuel home, believing that the outlaws were there. When they called out for the hunted men to surrender and got no response, they first fired shots into the house and then threw an incendiary device through the window.

Different accounts are not clear on exactly what happened then. Some say the bomb landed in the fireplace, while others say that Archie thought it was a piece of wood and picked it up and threw it in the fireplace. Either way, an explosion followed that killed the eight-year-old boy instantly. His mother was seriously injured and had to have part of her left arm amputated. His father survived the blast but suffered injuries that plagued him for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, the fugitives the Pinkertons had hoped to capture were nowhere near the area when the raid took place.

The resulting bad publicity was something that the detective agency would have to work hard to overcome, while the James brothers became folk heroes to many. Poor Archie, an innocent caught in the middle of things he would never understand, is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, Missouri. His is an often-overlooked tragic story from the Old West.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is a copy of Philly Warrant Unit by lifelong friends Tristin Kilgallon and Mark Fusetti who grew up on the same block in Philadelphia. I featured Tristin in this week’s Author Spotlight. Though life led them down different paths, their bond endured, and years later, they found themselves working side by side in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania Warrant Unit, a specialized team tasked with locating and apprehending wanted fugitives in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.

Their book isn’t a traditional cover-to-cover read. It’s a powerful collection of short stories, true accounts that reflect the intensity, tragedy, danger, and dark humor that come with the job. Some of the stories will make you hold your breath, while others might break your heart, or make you laugh out loud. But you can be sure that all of them will give you an authentic look at a world rarely seen by the public. Whether you’re interested in law enforcement, true crime, or just want a raw, unfiltered look at the streets of Philadelphia through the eyes of two men who lived it, this book is for you.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed. After 30 days, unclaimed prizes revert back to the drawing pool for a future contest.

Did you know that you can find all of my books and sign up for my free author’s newsletter on my website at www.nickrussellbooks.com?

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – The only impossible journey is the one you never begin. – Tony Robbins