The James Boys In Kentucky
© Sandi Gorin
Frank James - School Teacher, Barren Co, KY
FRANK JAMES' GREATEST TRIUMPH - ELECTED MISSOURI STATE AUDITOR. George SHEPHERD was arrested two weeks later in Tennessee and brought back to Russellville for trial and a sentence of three years in the penitentiary. His brother Oliver was later killed by a possee in Jackson County, Missouri. The JAMES boys went on to a life of robbery and crime. They robbed the bank at Columbia, Kentucky, on April 12, 1872 , and held up the stage coach near Cave City on September 3, 1880. Jesse James was finally shot and killed by Robert FORD, a member of his own gang, at St. Joseph, Mo., on April 3, 1882. Frank James was pardoned and in 1927 was elected state auditor of Missouri and served four years. (COFFMAN's "Story of Logan County.")
FRANK JAMES, Teacher. Miss Mary BEALS, long-time esteemed resident of Glasgow, daughter and sister of the Beals herein mentioned respectively, can verify the following, having often heard of the happenings discussed.
"The people of Glasgow know where the Sinking Spring School house is and what excellent people live in that district, but there is a bit of history connected with this school district, which is probably unknown to many. In 1877, when Mr. John H BEALS, one of our well-known and best citizens was chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sinking Spring School district, Esquire PAYNE, a friend of Mr. Beals, came to him and introduced a young man by the name of Hiram HUDSON, who made application to Mr. Beals for the position of teacher in the Sinking Spring district for the Spring term.
"Mr. BEALS talked with the young man and found that he was well educted, intelligent and of pleasing address, so he consented for Mr. HUDSON to teach the school, but, entered into a contract, witnessed by Esquire PAYNE, that if the young man's work was not satisfactory, Mr. Beals could discharge him at the end of any month. This was a subscription school and each parent paid so much tuition for each child. Mr. Hudson entered upon his duties with much enthusiasm and real ability, so the patrons and pupils alike were delighted with him. When the time came to select a teacher for the fall school, or free school, Mr. Hudson was chosen and accepted the place.
"Again he made great success of his work; the pupils were fond of him and the parents felt their children were progressing splendidly. Mr. Hudson knew not only what to teach, but how to teach it. He disciplined his school well, but retained the love of his pupils.
When spring came, Mr. HUDSON endeavored to get a subscription school, but could get only 24 pupils and he thought 30 was as few as he could afford to begin work with, so he decided to move to a vacant store room, a short distance from Oil City and here he opened a school. [Note: Oil City is now a now existent community located close to Beaver Creek, the old Mt. Tabor Church, etc]. In all his contract and reports signed by law, he signed his name Hiram HUDSON. Among his pupils at Sinking Spring were Mr. Isaac BEALS, Miss Callie BEALS, Miss Nora DOLLINS, Mrs. Mary DOLLINS PERRIN, the Misses CRABBE, and many others. At the close of the third school, Mr. HUDSON returned to his home in Missouri.
Following this, the Sinking Spring Community was startled, shocked, to hear that Mr. Hiram HUDSON, the gifted school teacher, and polished gentleman, was none other than the notorious bank and stage robber, Frank JAMES, and that while posing as a school teacher, he was in reality "hiding out". After he and his brother, Jesse JAMES, had robbed a bank in Missouri, the authorities in Missouri had been working on the case for months and finally traced Frank to Barren County. A description was sent here which tallied exactly with the description of Prof. Hiram HUDSON.
Note: In other accounts it was noted that occasionally Mr. HUDSON could cancel classes for the day when a mysterious "friend" would ride up by horseback. It was later learned that this was Jesse James.