"To those in whose hands this book finds it way, I wish to convey my greetings, and to assure you that it has been a great pleasure to me to be spared, and able to write the only authentic history that has ever been written by a member of the noted, or as some might express it, 'notorious' James Brothers gang, whose operations extended over a time, beginning with the outrages which were perpetrated on the family of the parents of Jesse and Frank James, by the Quantral band, which will be narrated in the pages which are to follow, and going through the different operations of the Jesse and Frank James gang of outlaws, ending with his death, which occurred at Wayton, Newton county, Arkansas, on the 14th day of February, 1926."

This history was written by Frank James himself, at odd times, during his latter years and was, two years before his death, entrusted to his daughter, Mrs. Sarah E. Snow, of Wayton, Ark., with his request that it be kept a secret until after he had passed away, after which it was his desire that it be published to the world, and his identity disclosed, in order that the world might learn some of the true facts concerning the whys and wherefores leading up to and the causes which forced these two brothers into outlawry.