Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Jesse Outside of Missouri (Part 1)

Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Jesse Outside of Missouri (Part 1)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/04/confederate-partisan-rangers-fletch.html

PHOTO;Confederate "partisan rangers" Fletch Taylor, Frank James, and Jesse, circa 1865.

A Fundamental Premise

One of the fundamental premises central to Jesse James’s role as a key player in the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) is the fact that Jesse spent time outside of the state of Missouri. Obviously, Jesse and Frank James’ Confederate partisan ranger and bank /train robbery activities (and those of many James Gang members) in Missouri are well documented, creating a distinct timeline for those activities.

What is not as well known however, are Jesse’s movements and activities outside his home state of Missouri, particularly those that occurred after the end of the U.S. Civil War in the Spring of 1865. Since many KGC treasure caches and repositories are said to be buried in other states, any documentation that establishes a presence of Jesse, Frank, or the James Gang as a whole in those other states presents an important clue to researching and potentially tracking down the location of these troves.

Other Forces and Other Actions

In past posts I’ve already mentioned the likelihood of Jesse travelling to other states. What I want to present here though is hard, well-documented evidence that Jesse, Frank, and/or the James Gang “visited” other states and left behind a record or timeline of their presence in those states.

Ostensibly, the greater part of the James Boys’ and James Gang activities in those other states concerned robbery and, to a certain extent, mayhem and murder. But underneath the superficial aspects of these activities other forces and other actions may have been at work as well, including those relating to the Knights and KGC treasure.

Evidence of Jesse’s Presence in Other States

Alabama: In March 1881 (a year before Jesse was murdered by that “dirty little coward” Bob Ford) Jesse and Frank are recognized while robbing a bank in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The Boys make a clean getaway and are not seen in the area again.

Arkansas: Jesse and four members of the James Gang hold up a stagecoach outside Hot Springs, Arkansas in January 1874. Along with cash Jesse and the others make off with watches and personal jewelry items totaling over $3,000. (Note: When relatives went through Jesse’s personal belongings after his murder, they found a pocket watch that was taken in this robbery. J.R.)

Iowa: Along with the Younger Brothers, Jesse and Frank rob a train near Adair, Iowa in July 1873. The gang is able to achieve this difficult task by derailing the Rock Island and Pacific RR engine, causing a crash that kills the train’s engineer. The Boys make off with $2,500-$3,500 in loot.

I have much more to come on Jesse’s activities outside of Missouri in a subsequent post. Be safe until then and, as always, good hunting.
© J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com

Jesse James: Knight of the Golden Circle

Jesse James: Knight of the Golden Circle
Conspirazzi
Pop Culture Conspiracy Theory
April 14, 2010

http://www.conspirazzi.com/?p=657

No, not that Jesse James. Along with Jesse James other members included Jefferson Davis, Bedford Forrest, and William Quantrill (leader of the Confederate guerilla outfit Quantrill’s Raiders, with whom James rode). Some believe the society was created by the notorious Albert Pike, the subject of many a Masonic conspiracy theory. The South did in fact have an extensive intelligence infrastructure and Albert Pike was a key figure in that intelligence network. The only real news here is the claim that Jesse James was a key figure within that intelligence community as well and of course, the business about The Knights of the Golden Circle.

The James Gang’s train and bank robberies, it is claimed, were fundraising operations to finance the activities of the Knights of the Golden Circle, as well as to wreak general havoc with the plans of the Northern reconstructionists. James is also said to have been involved in supplying weapons and training to the Plains Indians, as a means of waging proxy war against the Union Army.

The Knights of the Golden Circle was “the most powerful subversive organization ever to operate within the United States.” (Getler & Brewer, op. cit.) First, they schemed to have Abraham Lincoln elected president, so as to inflame the South and cause secession. Later, their subordinate, John Wilkes Booth, assassinated Abraham Lincoln and with KGC assistance, Booth escaped. (what was behind that?) The KGC did not officially disband until 1908.

According to Norma Cox, in her book, The New Spoilers, she has the 12 charter members of the Golden Circle as including Jefferson Davis, Bedford Forrest, Jesse James, and William Quantrill. Some say Albert Pike was the creator of the Knights of the Golden Circle, but Cox doubts it. “Important to remember about such secret organizations is the fact that only the men at the top know the truth…”
Unfortunately for our tale, The Knights of the Golden Circle are linked to the infamous Ku Klux Klan, an organization responsible for many hateful acts over the years

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com

Local tragedies during Civil War By Don Cosby

Local tragedies during Civil War
By Don Cosby, Local Historian
The Washington Times-Herald
October 5, 2009

http://washtimesherald.com/local/x546442646/Local-tragedies-during-Civil-War

Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton had his hands full during the Civil War as southern sympathizers and even some state legislatures opposed his pro-Union views. This is the second of a two-part series by local history buff Don Cosby on problems in the state and area during the Civil War. In fact, there was a time in 1863 when his Democratic controlled House of Representatives began to consider measures to diminish the authority of the governor and threatened to refuse to approve appropriations for the continuation of the war. With this, the Republican members devised a plan to intentionally be absent, thereby making it impossible to vote on the appropriation bill. They left in body for Madison, Ind., on the Kentucky border, reasoning that they could cross into Kentucky or Ohio if threatened with arrest. The Democrats expected that without state appropriations the Republicans would be forced to return back to Indianapolis due to the lack of funds to continue the war. Instead of depending on the state budget, however, Gov. Morton began to solicit funds from 19 individual counties, private people and a loan from Winslow Lanier Company, providing about $640,000. One railroad company patriotically initiated a loan of $15,000 which made a grand total of $1,026,321.31. He organized a State Board of Finance and appointed W.H. Terrell as finance secretary. These funds met and exceeded all necessary expenses for military needs as well as civil expenditures for nearly two years without any aid from the state legislature. There is no other similar case on record of any governor raising funds by his personal efforts to support a state government. Such an act was without doubt stretching the limits of the powers of the governor. This seemed to be of little interest to Gov. Morton when compared to the needs of the Union effort. This only intensified the partisan hatred for Gov. Morton and several Democrats in the end were found to actually be sympathetic with the efforts of the Knights of the Golden Circle. All disbursements by the State Board of Finance were paid personally by Gov. Morton under his personal signature. And later when audited, not a dollar was found to be misappropriated or unaccounted for. Finally in 1864 through the leadership of Gov. Morton, he was able to get legislation passed by the Indiana legislature and with the aid of a senior staff member revealed and exposed the facts related to the secret organization of the Knights of the Golden Circle. The exposure was complete, exposing the signs of the organization, the grips, the secret passwords, oaths, ceremonies as well as the purpose of the order. The total membership within the state organization was about 50,000. The officers had in their possession $200,000 earmarked for the purpose of buying arms for the Confederacy. The leadership was in constant communication with the rebels and had plans for open rebellion. The organization actually did very little damage in spite of their efforts to thwart the Union cause, however they only lacked the time, not the will. The leadership was totally committed in their opposition to the northern cause, and it was later learned that the state of Illinois also had a large number of local followers of the Circle. The Knights of the Golden Circle actually had plans in place to storm the gates of a prison camp near Chicago and free all Confederate prisoners by forming them into a Confederate fighting brigade with munitions also seized by an assault on the arsenal at Indianapolis. Railroad and telegraph lines were to be cut and Gov. Morton was to be captured and done away with if necessary. The incidents discussed here were not isolated cases within the state but were calculated attempts to disrupt, if not overthrow the federal government. Other Indiana communities had similar incidences involving the Knights of the Golden Circle, and Gov. Morton was well aware of this organization and its mode of operation. With such compelling information now made known, arrests were made of five key members. All were indicted for treason. The Grand Commander Harrison Dodd, however, was able to escape to Canada. But three others were found guilty and sentenced to death and one to prison. This brought to light a terrible chapter of little known Indiana history. At the conclusion of the war and before sentences were consummated for all those being held in prisons, Gov. Morton sent an emissary to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Johnson. In a letter presented to the President, Gov. Morton asked that the sentences of all found guilty be commuted. The recommendation of clemency was coming from a true patriot, being the target of assassination for those found guilty of treason. So bitter was the general feelings toward the traitors at this time and the hatred many felt toward the south, this act of forgiveness in Gov. Morton’s request on the surface stretched the limits of all reason and compassion. Had the request come from anyone else, Pres. Johnson would not have entertained for one minute his rejection. But clemency was being proposed from a personal confidant of a martyred Pres. Lincoln who had leaned so heavily upon his council throughout the entire war. A governor who had earned the respect of all who were acquainted with his omnipresence, first in council with Pres. Lincoln, then with his own eyes visiting the battlefields and witnessing the horrors of the conflict and his visits to the hospitals, ascertaining the wants and needs of the sick and wounded and providing assistance for widows and children of fallen soldiers. Yet the governor’s domestic duties were never compromised, such was the spirit and the hallmark of a true patriot such as Indiana’s Gov. Morton. Apparently his forgiving nature dictated that enough anger and killing had been experienced to last a lifetime. After lengthy deliberation, Pres. Johnson grudgingly honored Gov. Morton’s request. Later in Gov. Morton’s career he served as a highly respected senator and was credited with the complete destruction of treasonous organizations by arresting and convicting their entire leadership. Martin County also had a similar incident about the same time of Captain McCarty’s murder. A three-man military detail was sent to Martin County to notify men that they were drafted for service in the Union cause and also to attempt to locate deserters from the Union Army. They had reason to believe that Alan Anderson, a deserter, was in the vicinity of Natchez, which is on SR 150 a few miles north and west of West Baden and French Lick. The three-man detail composed of Lou Ritchie, Jack Ballard and O.P. Pierce were in the area for three days and had been unable to locate Anderson, but in passing the home of Bill Stanfield, a southern sympathizer who lived near what was known as Salt Peter Cave, Ballard noticed a Rebel flag on open display at Stanfield’s home. Ballard leaped from his horse and tore the flag from its fastenings, ripped it to pieces, trampling it under foot. The next morning about 6 a.m., he resumed his notification duties and manhunt. A little time later, a number of shots were heard, and Ballard’s horse came galloping back minus its rider. A search was organized, and Ballard’s body was found in the road riddled with 17 bullets, six of these from his own army revolver having penetrated his skull. Ballard was buried in the Hawkins Cemetery. Those responsible for Ballard’s murder were not immediately found, but several years later, as a result of a neighborhood row, a man by the name of Albert Quackenbush appeared before the Martin County grand jury and offered evidence causing the indictment of John G. Jones, James Archer, William Stanfield and Dr. John Stone for the murder of Ballard. There was no direct evidence other than that offered by Quackenbush, and the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Two murders of Union officers so close together in basically the same area implicating the Knights of the Golden Circle, and the train wreck near Shoals was more than Gov. Morton could tolerate and felt the organization was a cancer to the community and had to be crushed. A sudden return to Martin County by Wesley Tranter, a former Martin County resident and Union soldier, caused speculation by some residents that Governor Morton had arranged for his return and concocted a fictitious story to tell the community. Tranter had said he had been drummed out of the Union Army and dishonorably discharged due to his attitude regarding the Union cause. For several weeks Tranter’s friends would barely speak to him. It was not long, however, until he fell into the good graces of the officers of the Knights of the Golden Circle. He joined the organization, secured its membership list, including the local as well as state officers. He learned the places throughout this section of Indiana where ammunition and guns were stored for shipment to the Confederate forces. Suddenly without notice, he left the neighborhood. The next day a trainload of Union soldiers came to Shoals from the east by the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, stopping about a half-mile east of Shoals, and double-quick surrounded the town of Shoals and in a few minutes the town received its first taste of military law. Steven Horsey, a resident of Shoals who lived close to the site of the train wreck involving hundreds of Union soldiers was arrested and within the next 24 hours, several other arrests were made on charges of treason. The grand commander of the Knights of the Golden Circle, Harrison H. Dodd of Indianapolis, Horace Heffren of Salem, Colonel W.A. Bowles of French Lick, John C. Walker of LaPorte, L.P. Milligan of Huntington, Andrew Humphreys of Greene County, Daniel Voorhees of Terre Haute and Thomas Hendricks were arrested. Some of those convicted were given death sentences by hanging, some to imprisonment. The sentences were not immediately carried out and all sentences were commuted later by presidential pardon at the request of Gov. Morton as previously described. Stephen Horsey, after being excused from the gallows, returned to Martin County a broken man after the cessation of hostilities and finally died in financial straits, void of self-respect and public acceptance. Wesley Tranter, the Union soldier whose undercover efforts caused the crushing of the Knights of the Golden Circle, to my knowledge was never heard of again in Martin County and apparently died without ever being recognized and honored for his undercover contributions toward the demise of the Knights. At the trials for treason, all defendants were unsuccessfully defended by James A. Garfield, a familiar name in later presidential politics. As for Gov. Morton, it would be utterly shameful for me to attempt to personally elaborate and expound upon the countless accolades offered at the death of Gov. Morton for any of my comments would be totally inadequate. It would be fitting and proper, however, to only add that few patriots could be found in history with more love of country than that of Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton, and his legacy should be remembered in history as such. Sources: Daviess County Museum, Washington Carnegie Library, Indianapolis Journal’s Life of O.P. Morton, James Ford Rhodes, Volume VI 1850-1896 History of United States. Direct comments to Don Cosby, 1201 N.E. Third St., Washington, IN 47501, e-mail at doncos by@att.net.

The Golden Circle

Golden Circle (proposed country)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Circle_(proposed_country)

The Golden Circle was a pan-Caribbean political alliance inspired by the Burr conspiracy, in the 1850s that would have included many countries into a United States-like federal union. The Golden Circle was centered in Havana and was 2,400 miles (3,900 km) in diameter. It included northern South America, most of Mexico, all of Central America, Cuba, Haiti and most other Caribbean islands, and the southern United States. The circle's border roughly coincides with the Mason-Dixon line, and it includes the cities of St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Mexico City, and Panama City.

Many supporters of the Federal Republic of Central America that had failed in 1840 saw the Golden Circle as its natural extension[citation needed]. Never realized as a political unit, the Circle was competitive with and threatened the establishment of strong federal governments in the United States and Mexico[citation needed]. In the years after the Mexican-American War, many Americans felt that the largely weak and corrupt governments in Latin America should be reformed into democracies, by conquest if necessary[citation needed].

One of the political arguments in favor of the Golden Circle involved slavery. European colonialism and the African slave trade had declined more rapidly in some countries than others, and by 1850 slavery had been abolished in all British and French territories, along with the northern U.S. states. Slavery was, however, still practiced in the Spanish colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico, and in the Brazilian Empire. In the years prior to the American Civil War, abolitionism was one of several divisive issues in the country. In the United States, despite the closing of the slave trade, the slave population continued to grow during this time through natural increase.

The delicate balance of power between the northern and southern U.S. states was threatened by the proposed Golden Circle. Federalists feared that a new Caribbean-centered coalition would align the new Latin American states with the slave-state side. This would tilt the balance of power southward and weaken U.S. federalism in favor of the Pan-American confederalist union. Gold Circlists believed that an alignment with the remaining slaveholding Caribbean territories would reinforce their political strength.

The Knights of the Golden Circle was the U.S. organization formed to promote and help create the Pan-American union of states. It was organized in 1854 by George W. L. Bickley, a Virginia-born doctor, editor, and adventurer living in Cincinnati. It grew slowly until 1859 and reached its height in 1860. The membership, scattered from New York to California and into Latin America, was never large.
After the civil war, many Americans moved their slave-based operations to Cuba and Brazil (see Confederados), where slavery remained legal into the 1880s.

Other American adventurists in Latin America echoed some of the ideals of the Golden Circle; William Walker was the most successful of those individuals who attempted to build a Latin American empire. Some historians think that the Spanish-American War was a continuation of these policies.

In fiction

The fictional speculative movie C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America which looks at a Southern victory in the Civil War, was inspired by a brief mention of the concept of the Golden Circle in Ken Burns' documentary The Civil War (see section on 'Directors Comment)' - though it is interpreted in the film as a plan enacted after the war, rather than one that ended in 1860 before the war started.

See also

Republic of Sonora
All of Mexico Movement
American Empire

Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves enacted 1807, outlawed new slaves brought into US

Further reading

May, Robert E. (1973). The Southern Dream of a Caribbean Empire, 1854-1861. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 080710051X.
Categories: Slavery in the United States | Slavery in the New World | Proposed countries

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com/

Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps 8

Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps 8
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/17/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-2/

Knights of the Golden Circle treasure maps are not maps drawn as a Hollywood movie chart. Sometimes physical markers on location must also be considered in the context. The original map should overlay the area with the landmarks evident. This will lay out the template of the location. Then the on-site location signs must be sought. To locate these, I find it easier if I search out the things that are out of the ordinary. To explain this, I am going to use an actual sign marker from an expedition in the Southwest. This is one of the most unusual markers I have encountered but use it for emphasis that you might see how out of place it was.

This particular location had been settled post civil war and was well known as an ‘outlaw’ area. Just as the case with Jesse James, these outlaws may have resorted to illegal activities but primarily were acting on behalf of their ‘cause’. I did not have the Knights of the Golden Circle treasure map available to me but searching the area located some of the markers from a template. Due to not even having a complete template, I searched one of the template marker areas. Although clear indication of the direction and distance was there for the next sign, I could not find the all important ‘next clue’. There was an old building on the location. I took a metal detector and located a signal in the middle of the small building. I carefully excavated around the signal and at the depth of about 12 inches found the source of the signal. There was an iron bar driven into the ground vertically. On top of the post laying flat was an unusual item that was the next clue for direction. That item is in the photograph at the beginning of this article. This is where most people make their first mistake. I have seen so many treasure hunters immediately grab the item and begin to examine it. Wrong! We would have just lost the direction, and in many cases, even the distance. In this case the length of the iron bar gave the distance and the item gave the three directions. Examine the attached photograph and in the next article we will discover what we found about the interpretation.

Knights of the Golden Circle treasure maps and Spanish treasure maps are in many forms. Some literal maps and some physical maps on site are very complex and without the keys will never be deciphered. If you need help with a KGC or Spanish map or site location, email or call 480 463 6579. Dr. Melancon will respond to you directly.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle

Golden Circle Farm

Excerpt
"...Indiana was the center of Klan activity about 95% of its members were Democrat. My daughter bought a farm from the grandkids of an Indiana Democrat official. On this farm was a barn dating to the period the official owned it. Carved into the siding was a Knights of the Golden Circle Maltese cross. The Name of the farm was "Golden Circle Farm"."

http://community.biography.com/topic/455

[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION November 16, 1860 – April 5, 1861

[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION
November 16, 1860 – April 5, 1861
http://www.uttyler.edu/vbetts/

Excerpt: "[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, November 23, 1860, p.3,c.7
A Flying Machine Patented.—A flying machine has just been patented in London, consisting of a very light steam engine, which is to operate a huge pair of wings. Oil is to be used for fuel instead of wood or coal, that greater heat may be obtained with the same weight."



[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, November 16, 1860,
masthead W. H. Rhea, Editor. The Constitution, the Union, and the Enforcement of the Laws. $2 per annum, in advance
Vol. 1, Number 2

[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, November 16, 1860, p.3,c.4
Knights of the Golden Circle.—Gen. Bickley, who signs himself "President American Legion," writes as follows to The Galveston News of the causes of his delay to cross the Mexican Rubicon:
"The recent failure of Gen. Walker in his expedition to Honduras, and the silence of our Government in reference to the intervention of the British, has caused many to fear that our take would be more difficult than had been previously supposed. The difficulty of transporting large quantities of material and troops across the country, and the approaching Presidential contest, have all shown how necessary to success is the element of time. Arms that ought to have been at our rendezvous have not arrived, and agents have to be sent in search of them. Corn must be shipped from the Ohio river, and the force in this State simultaneously assembled. All this is the work of time. To throw ourselves in a body of 400 or 500 men only across the river would insure disaster. This will not do—if I cross it must be with every element of success in my hands, viz: men, arms, and materials. We shall cross at the earliest possible moment."


[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, November 16, 1860, p.4,c.7
"Minute Men" in South Carolina.—As an offset to the "Wide Awakes" of the North, "Minute Men" are organizing in all the principal districts of South Carolina. The Charleston Mercury says:
"Their object is to form an armed body of men, and to join in with our fellow-citizens, now forming in this our sister States as 'Minute Men,' whose duty is to army, equip and drill, and be ready for any emergency that may arise in the present perilous position of Southern States. In Kershaw, Abbeville, and Richland districts the organization is already complete and powerful, embracing the flower of the youth, and led on by the most influential citizens. The badge adopted is a blue rosette—two and a half inches in diameter, with a military button in the centre, to be worn upon the side of the hat."


[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, November 23, 1860, p.3,c.7
A Flying Machine Patented.—A flying machine has just been patented in London, consisting of a very light steam engine, which is to operate a huge pair of wings. Oil is to be used for fuel instead of wood or coal, that greater heat may be obtained with the same weight.

[DES ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, February 1, 1861, p.4,c.5
Twenty patriots of the Revolution have died within the last year. Eighty-two are now all that remain.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com