. Illustrated lives and adventures of Frank and Jesse James, and the Younger Brothers : the noted Western outlaws. days of the autumn of 1862, G^^orgeTodd, commanding about fifty men, prepared anambuscade, with rifle pits, on the road leading fromKansas City to Harrisonville. The place was ad-mirably selected, and the utmost caution and vigi-lance was observed in guarding it, but it came nearbeing a slaughter-pen for the Guerrillas. One even-ing he succeeded in destroying a wagon train, andscattering the escort which accompanied it. Butsometime afterward, Gregg, Scott, Haller and Shep-herd, wi
. Illustrated lives and adventures of Frank and Jesse James, and the Younger Brothers : the noted Western outlaws. days of the autumn of 1862, G^^orgeTodd, commanding about fifty men, prepared anambuscade, with rifle pits, on the road leading fromKansas City to Harrisonville. The place was ad-mirably selected, and the utmost caution and vigi-lance was observed in guarding it, but it came nearbeing a slaughter-pen for the Guerrillas. One even-ing he succeeded in destroying a wagon train, andscattering the escort which accompanied it. Butsometime afterward, Gregg, Scott, Haller and Shep-herd, with a number of followers, re-occupied therifle pits. George Shepherd was sent out on theroad toward Harrisonville, south of the ambuscade. 880 FRANK AND JESSE JAMES. It was, perhaps, past ten oclock at night. The riflepits were still, and the droning hum of insects wasthe only sound to break the silence. Shepherd wasmotionless at his post down the road. Suddenly hewas made conscious of the presence of an enemy,by a tall form which rose up at his right stirrup—aform which had apparently come from the shadows. Geo. W. Shepherd. around him. But it was no apparition conjured upby a disordered brain. The leveling of a gun barrelat his breast, and the sharp utterance of the singleword, * surrender I convinced George Shepherdthat the form was very real. A glance satisfied himthat crouching forms were all about him, and all wero GEORaE W. SHEPHERD. 381 armed. He threw himself forward, shot the dis-mounted trooper in the breast as he whirled hishorse around, and receiyed a scattering volley as hedashed away to arouse his comrades in the rifle Federal forces were under command of MajorHubbard, a gallant officer of the Sixth MissouriCavalry. He had received full information aboutTodds rifle pits, had dismounted his command, andbut for Shepherds extraordinary nerve and presenceof mind, he would have made a complete surprise ofthe Guerrilla garrison. As it was, a terrible conflic
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectjamesje, bookyear1882
