The following story could easily be made into a full-blown historic narrative. The twists and turns make for exciting reading worthy of a book. Newspapers across the United States suddenly exploded with the mystery of the “Frisco Robbery” that occurred just outside of St. Louis, Mo., on Oct. 25, 1886. There seemed to be no written account beyond the original newspaper articles that span nearly 20 years, requiring extensive research to bring this story to The Way West.  
Under the headline of “A Very Slick Trick,” an early report of the robbery declared, “One of the coolest and most successful train robberies we ever heard of was perpetrated Tuesday night (Oct. 25) on the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad between St. Louis and Pacific (Missouri), by which the Adams Express Company is left to dance to the tune of $50,000.”
The saga began when a man gained access to the Adams Express car with a letter of permission from an officer of the company, allowing him to ride in the Express car. The letter had been cunningly forged. As the train rolled along the tracks, the new arrival suddenly pressed the muzzle of a pistol against Express messenger David S. Fotheringham’s head warning, “I don’t want any foolishness from you, young man. If you give me any trouble, I will put your light out.”
Fotheringham was bound and gagged, then the stranger said, “I am Jim Cummings, the last of the Jesse James Gang.”
“Windy Jim” Cummings had disappeared from the public eye years before.
Fotheringham told Cummings he had “made a big haul, $50,000 or over.” Concerned that he would be implicated in the robbery, Fotheringham told Cummings he needed the work to support a mother and brother. Cummings responded that if Fotheringham gave a false description to authorities, he would send money and write a letter to the St. Louis paper to “fix matters all right.”  
Before leaving the Express car, Cummings tied Fotheringham to the safe and filled the messenger’s pockets with silver coin “for a joke.”  
Near Pacific, Mo., Cummings left the train and walked to the Missouri River where he shaved his mustache, changed clothes and disappeared from public view.  
The Adams Express Company didn’t intend to give up on such an audacious outlaw. This was a job for Robert “Bob” Pinkerton. Bob quickly put his army of detectives on Cummings’ trail.  
Meanwhile, a mysterious letter turned up in the hands of a well-known reformed outlaw. On the morning of Nov. 4, the Nevada, Mo., mail carrier handed Frank James a letter while he was in conversation with friends on the streets. Enclosed James found a $20 bank note and three 20s. The letter was dated Oct. 31, 1886. Written in heavy pencil, “Please accept the enclosed as a ‘memento’ of the late ’Frisco train robbery of Oct. 25, 1886.”  
Although Frank James insisted that nothing about the robbery or the letter was Cummings’ style, the incident inflamed expectations that Jim

Cummings was back in the outlaw business.  
True to his word, Cummings wrote letters to several newspapers, declaring David Fotheringham’s innocence. One of the letters included a P.S.: “I sent that bank note to Frank James for a joke, not for any desire to get him into any trouble.”
Cummings even sent money to Fotheringham’s mother, saying he hoped the money would be of use in clearing her son’s name. He followed that with a package of mortgages and notes for which he had no need.
Pinkerton found enough clues in the mailed information to suspect a Kansas connection. Agents swarmed Kansas City and parts of eastern Kansas. Newspapers across the country speculated as to the whereabouts of the notorious Jim Cummings.
Then suddenly, Chicago newspapers announced that Jim Cummings was arrested in a Chicago barroom on Dec. 24. The tricky outlaw had only used Cummings’ name. His true name was Fred Wittrock of Leavenworth, Kan. He had recruited several young men that he had known in Leavenworth, Kansas City and Chicago, but in the end, they all weakened and left him to carry out his daring deed alone.  
Many of Wittrock’s accomplices provided information in order to escape prosecution. William Haight, originally of Leavenworth, and Thomas Weaver of Chicago, were included in the prosecution, and on Jan. 4, 1887, Wittrock and Haight were sentenced to seven years in prison and Weaver to three.  
There were so many twists and turns to the investigation that space does not allow a full account of the Frisco Robbery. Did I say this story was book-worthy? It turns out Wittrock himself wrote “A Lucky Mishap” in 1892. It was sold all over the country, but only one library copy exists in the country. The book is described as a novel in which, “Much of the author’s own experience is neatly woven into the tale, and the hero is easily recognized as the messenger (Fotheringham) who was the victim of the robbery.” Finding a copy would be the one very slick trick that I, for one, would love to see accomplished on The Way West.  
“The Cowboy” Jim Gray can be reached at 220 21st Rd., Geneseo, KS 67444, (785) 531-2058 or kansascowboy@kans.com.