The life of the Rock Island Lines contains many firsts and interesting stories but the lines' brush with the James Gang marked a day in history. Jesse James, fabled outlaw of post-Civil War days, cut his teeth in the business of train robbery by wrecking, robbing and looting a Rock Island Lines train on July 21, 1873, near Adair, Iowa. The gang robbed the express messenger of cash and relieved the passengers of their watches, cash and jewelry. It was one of the first recorded train robberies west of the Mississipppi and expanded Jesse James and his gang's operations from his specialty of bank holdups to train robbery. It was about 8:30 p.m. when Rock Island Lines passenger train No. 2 was climbing a steep grade and approaching a sharp curve. The train, made up of two Pullman sleeping cars, five coaches and an express-baggage car was about four miles west of Adair. Near the end of the curve the James gang lay ready with a rope tied to a rail they had pried loose. As the train rounded the curve the engineer, John Rafferty, saw the rope tied to the rail and immediately reversed his engine. However, the train ran into the gap and turned on its side, killing Rafferty and injuring the fireman. The locomotive tender and two baggage cars were thrown from the track. Out of the bushes came the outlaws firing their guns in the air and causing panic among the crewmen and passengers. Jesse and his brother, Frank, with .44's cocked, confronted the express messenger. He quickly opened the safe, was tied and thrown into a corner. The passengers, slightly injured in the accident, were confronted by armed men masked in full Klu Klux Klan garb. Panic set in with women and children screaming and crying and men hiding their cash, watches and jewelry. All the loot was dumped into bags and the robbers rode off, uttering a rebel yell characteristic of the Civil War period. They disappeared as quickly as they had come. According to an account at the time, on July 22, William A. Smith, conductor of the ill fated train, testified today at the coroner's inquest on the body of John Rafferty, the engineer, who was killed when 'the train was wrecked 2-1/2 or three miles west of Adair station, and 600 or 700 feet east of Turkey Creek bridge." According to Smith's statement, "I was in the smoking car near the front end. From the noise I thought the engine was in the ditch, with one or two cars piled upon it. I was thrown under the seat in front of me. Don't remember which of the car I got out, but know that I reached the engine on the north side. I went forward to see what was up. The first person that I met was one of the masked men, near the baggage car door, who pointed a revolver in each hand toward me and told me to get back, firing at me at the same time. I backed down as far as the sleeping coach before I felt I was out of his way. There I met Dennis Foley, the fireman, who said 'Bill, Jack is dead'. The passengers were in a hubbub, and the women and children were crying. I told the passengers that I thought the masked men were trying to rob the baggage car and tried to borrow a revolver but failed. "I could still see the man from where I was. I saw another passing up and down the opposite side of the train. I think he was firing at me, also. Some of the passengers asked me to get into the train as these men were firing at me and I would be the cause of some of them being killed. I then went into the sleeping car at the rear, still trying to get a revolver, urging the passengers to keep quiet, as these men were robbing the baggage car. I went out of the ladies' car, up the back and thence to the engine. "Two balls passed through my clothing while I was on the bank. These shots came from the south side of the train. I did not see a man on the north side then; did not see or hear anything more of the masked men. After the passengers got quiet, I went forward to investigate the cause of the wreck. At the hind truck of the smoking car I found a fish-plate had been removed from the rail at the west end and the rope was passed under the south rail across the ditch and up on to the bank. A piece of the rope was also found which seemed to be taken from the other. It was a new rope, the size of a common bed cord. "The west end of the rail, when I saw it, was only a few inches from the south rail. The hind trucks of the smoking car were still on the track. We had been running 18 or 20 mph." Law enforcement agents formed a posse and went in pursuit of the robbers and in September, 1873, the Lafayette County Vigilantes Committee, "traced the train robbers to Johnson City, St. Clair County, and surrounded the house where they were supposed to be hiding, but the birds had flown. The band consisted of three Youngs and the James brothers. McCoy was not with them. There was a reported fight between the robbers and vigilantes and the wounding of one of the Youngs. It was believed t

We had just enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in New Braunfels, Texas when I spotted this bike on the walk back. The bench is splattered with bird droppings, and note the enterprising owner of the bicycle had fashioned a covering to protect their seat! For the 2:42 PM GMT group... Taken at 9:42am Central Standard Time which corresponds to 2:42 PM Greenwich Mean Time.