James Berry – A Little Known Outlaw From Missouri
The annals of the American West are replete with tales of daring outlaws, men who carved their legends from the raw materials of ambition, desperation, and a healthy disregard for the law. While names like Jesse James and Billy the Kid are etched into popular consciousness, many other figures, equally compelling, remain obscured in the shadows of history. One such individual is James "Jim" F. Berry, a Missourian who drifted westward, entangled himself with the notorious Black Hills Bandits, and ultimately met a violent end in his home state. His story, though lesser-known, offers a fascinating glimpse into the tumultuous era of westward expansion and the lives of those who chose to exist outside its established boundaries.
Berry’s notoriety stems primarily from his involvement in the Big Springs Robbery, a brazen heist that targeted the Union Pacific Railroad in Nebraska. He was a member of the Black Hills Bandits. However, his life before and after this infamous act is equally intriguing, painting a portrait of a man caught between the allure of the frontier and the pull of his roots. To understand the enigma of James Berry, we must delve into his origins, his travels, and the circumstances that led him down a path of outlawry.
Born in 1838, in Callaway County, near Shamrock, Missouri, James Berry was the fifth of ten children born to Caleb and Virginia Fulkerson Berry. His father, a farmer and landowner, provided a seemingly stable upbringing for his family. The young James Berry likely experienced a childhood typical of rural Missouri, immersed in the rhythms of agricultural life. However, the winds of change were already stirring, and the promise of opportunity in the West beckoned many young men like James Berry to seek their fortunes elsewhere.
Around 1860, James Berry succumbed to the lure of the frontier and embarked on a westward journey. For years, he ranged across a vast expanse of territory, from Nevada and Montana to South Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas, frequently returning to his native Missouri. This period of his life coincided with the peak of the gold rush and the burgeoning mining industry in the West. Like countless others, Berry was drawn to the prospect of striking it rich, hoping to unearth a fortune from the rugged landscape.
While living near the mining camp of Austin, Nevada, in 1861, James Berry encountered the Cyrus Price family, fellow expatriates from Callaway County, Missouri. This encounter proved to be pivotal, as Berry soon became romantically involved with Cyrus Price’s daughter, Mary Elizabeth. The couple married around 1863 and began a family that would eventually include six children. Their lives were characterized by constant movement, as Berry pursued his mining ventures across various boomtowns and settlements.
The family’s travels took them to Reese River, Nevada; Salmon, Idaho; Bannack, Virginia City, Helena, and Butte, Montana; Los Angeles, California; and likely numerous other locations. This nomadic existence reflected the transient nature of the mining industry, where fortunes could be made and lost in a matter of months. In 1867, while residing in Bannack, Montana, Mary Elizabeth gave birth to twin daughters. However, their peripatetic life took a turn when, about six months later, Mary Elizabeth returned to Missouri with her three children, leaving Jim behind. Despite this separation, the couple reunited, and Mary Elizabeth bore a fourth child in Los Angeles in 1869. Interestingly, their fifth child was born in Mexico, suggesting a continued back-and-forth between the West and Berry’s home state.
By the mid-1870s, it appears that Berry’s aspirations of striking it rich through mining had faded. Instead, he gravitated toward a life of crime, joining forces with a group of outlaws that included Joel Collins, Sam Bass, Jack Davis, Tom Nixon, and Bill Heffridge. This band of desperados became known as the Black Hills Bandits, notorious for their stagecoach robberies in the Deadwood, South Dakota area.
However, stagecoach robberies proved to be a less-than-lucrative endeavor, especially when the spoils were divided among six individuals. Seeking a more substantial payday, the Black Hills Bandits set their sights on a far more ambitious target: the Union Pacific Railroad. On September 18, 1877, they executed a daring heist at Big Springs, Nebraska, making off with an estimated $60,000 – a staggering sum in those days.
Following the robbery, the outlaws split up, each pair heading in a different direction to evade capture. Berry and Tom Nixon made their way toward Missouri. Ironically, just a day after the Big Springs Robbery, James Berry’s wife, Mary Elizabeth, gave birth to their sixth child, Myra, in Butte, Montana. It remains unclear whether Mary Elizabeth accompanied him on his journey back to Missouri, but she was known to have been in Mexico, Missouri, after his death, suggesting that she may have joined him later.
News of the Big Springs Robbery spread quickly, prompting authorities to offer a $10,000 reward for the capture of the perpetrators. The reward poster described Berry as being approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, and possessing sandy or red hair with some gray, a sandy beard and mustache, a long chin beard, a red or florid complexion, blue eyes, and a full, round face that flushed easily when he consumed alcohol.
Berry’s downfall came swiftly after his arrival in Mexico, Missouri, on October 6th, 1877. Just as the town’s three banks opened, he made a critical error: exchanging $9,000 in gold coins for currency. The banks subsequently shipped the coins to St. Louis, Missouri, where they were identified as likely originating from the Big Springs robbery. Within three days, detectives arrived in Mexico to confer with Audrain County Sheriff Henry Glasscock.
The authorities promptly launched a search for Berry, initially failing to locate him at his home near Shamrock, Missouri. However, acting on a tip, they continued their pursuit, eventually discovering him hiding in the woods. Upon spotting the lawmen, Berry attempted to flee but was struck in the legs by a volley of shotgun pellets.
According to reports, Berry pleaded with Sheriff Glasscock to end his life rather than subject him to a trial. However, the authorities disregarded his request, loading him into a wagon and transporting him back to Mexico. Berry’s wish for a quick end would ultimately be granted. Just two days later, on October 21, 1877, he succumbed to gangrene in his wounded legs at the age of 39.
Berry was buried next to his mother, who had passed away only hours before him. Some accounts suggest that his mother died of a broken heart upon learning of her son’s life as an outlaw. Their final resting place is located in the Liberty Church Yard Cemetery, situated approximately three miles north and west of Shamrock, Missouri.
In the spring of 1880, Berry’s widowed wife, Mary Elizabeth, and their children returned to the West, settling in Benton, Montana, near her family. The life of James Berry, though marked by outlawry and violence, offers a compelling glimpse into the complexities of the American West. He was a man who sought fortune and adventure, but ultimately met a tragic end. His story, though often overlooked, remains a testament to the enduring allure and inherent dangers of the frontier.