Jim Cummins' Book, Written By Himself. The Life Story Of The James And Younger Gang And Their Comrades, Including The Operations Of Quantrell's Guerrillas By One Who Rode With Them. A True But Terrible Tale Of Outlawry

JIM CUMMINS

Publication: Privately printed, n d, N P, 1903

Reprint edition. 8vo. Spiral bound wrappers, [10], 93 pp., publisher's note, preface, introduction, frontispiece. Six Guns 528 describes Jim Cummins' Book as "...exceedingly rare...giving previously untold information about the Missouri outlaws." Adams 150 # 41 says, "Cummins had been written about so exaggeratedly in wild West fiction, and in real life he was such a meek looking man, that when he tried to give himself up after the James gang was disbanded no one would believe he was Cummins. He was never brought to trial." Dykes Rare Western Outlaw Books, pp 16-19 [illustrated] says, "Cummins wrote his own story of his association with Quantrill, the James Brothers and the Youngers, [and] it is very rare." In chapter 29, Trailing Horse and Cattle Thieves, Cummins relates chasing down some cattle and horse thieves who were raising havoc along the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad line near Winslow and Flagstaff. At the time Cummins was working as a scout under Lt. Johnson at Camp Apache and the sheriff at Flagstaff had asked for assistance in capturing the rustlers. Cummins quit after successfully completing his assignment. He was irritated at Lt. Johnson for not accompanying him on the raid, instead sending Cummins on his way with an "old Indian" [claimed by Lt. Johnson to be the best tracker], and his squaw. Cummins was incensed at making only $50.00 a month for such dangerous work and outraged that the squaw, who trailed right along with the party of seven men, made only $26.00 a month, particularly in light of the Flagstaff sheriff not sharing the considerable plunder with them. Covers lightly used, else a very good copy and an important book.