Jesse James profile from the Joplin History people archive.
In the spring of 1875, Jesse James and his associates found themselves carousing in Joplin, a town that held particular significance for them. Their presence in Joplin was not just by chance; it was significantly influenced by Jesse James's association with Fletch Taylor, a former leader in Quantrill's guerrillas during the Civil War, in which both Frank and Jesse James had served. Taylor, who had moved to Joplin in the 1870s, provided a connection to the town and possibly a reason for the James gang to consider it a kind of base or safe haven.
One eventful night, Jesse and his gang encountered a couple of local sports, among them a popular young banker, the cashier of the Broadway Bank at the top of the hill in East Joplin. Unbeknownst to the banker, he was in the company of some of the most notorious outlaws of the time. As the night progressed and the atmosphere grew more relaxed, the young banker, perhaps encouraged by the camaraderie, revealed a significant detail about his bank's holdings: a recent deposit of $10,000 in silver and $25,000 in gold.
This revelation came to a head around 2 a.m. A few drinks later, the young banker realized the true identities of his new acquaintances. The man with the black whiskers, whom he had been speaking so freely with, was none other than Jesse James. The realization struck him hard, and he panicked, recalling his earlier boast about the bank's gold and silver.
But Jesse James, placing a reassuring hand on the banker's shoulder, offered a surprising response. "Oh, don't give your money a thought," he said. "This is our hometown. We'd never rob a bank around here. I might even deposit some cash with you. But you'll have to keep still about it." This sentiment reflected not just a criminal's caution but perhaps a nod to the connection with Fletch Taylor and the sense of Joplin being a refuge or a base of sorts for the gang.
The James gang had made their home near Joplin for some time, residing in a cave near what is now the small mining town of Belleville. Despite their notorious reputation, they adhered to a sort of unspoken rule about not robbing banks or harming people in the area that served as their headquarters.