Public Relations

When Jesse James’ gang robbed a Missouri train in 1874, they left this note with the conductor:

THE MOST DARING ON RECORD!

The south bound train on the Iron Mountain Railroad was robbed here this evening by five heavily armed men, and robbed of —– dollars. The robbers arrived at the station a few minutes before the arrival of the train, and arrested the station agent and put him under guard, then threw the train on the switch. The robbers were all large men, none of them under six feet tall. They were all masked, and started in a southerly direction after they had robbed the train. They were all mounted on fine blooded horses. There is a h— of an excitement in this part of the country.

Understandably, it was false in one particular — they rode west.