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74 views66 pages

Coding For Kids 5 Books in 1: Javascript, Python and C++ Guide For Kids and Beginners (Coding For Absolute Beginners) Mather

Absolute

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Coding for Kids 5 Books in 1
Coding for Kids in C++
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
Free Gift
Introduction
Why Learn Programming
Setting Up the Workspace
Hello World in C++
Variables
Mathematics Operations
Functions
Conditional Statement
Loops
Arrays
Structures
Final Project
Conclusion
Book 2: Coding for Kids in Javascript
Introduction
SET UP WORKSPACE
Intro to html
The Bulb Example - html
html Forms
JavaScript Example
Conditional Statement
Nested Conditional Statements
Loops
Arrays
Having Fun with Strings
Introduction to CSS
Linking Multiple Web Pages
Math Functions
Conclusion
Book 3: Coding for Teens in Javascript
Introduction
Soft Skills of Coding
Setting Up Your Workspace
What is html?
Sample html Program
html forms
What is JavaScript?
Introduction to CSS
Doing Math with JavaScript
Loops
Game Time - Loops
String Variables
Arrays
Objects
Creating a Canvas
Timer and Animations
KeyPress and Mouse Click Event
Conclusion
Book 4: Coding for Kids and Beginners in Python
Free Gift
Disclaimer
Free Gift
Introduction
Python Example, why it's good
The Input Function
Conditional Statement
Nested Conditional Statements
Loops
Arrays
Having Fun with Strings
Math Functions
Conclusion

Book 5: Coding for Teens in Python


Introduction
Why Python is Great for Beginners
Setting up python workspace
Variables
Doing Math with Python
Conditionals and functions
Loops
Gaming Time - Loops
Lists, tuples and dictionaries
Example 5 – Random quotes
Example 6 – Guess a country name
Objects
Drawing shapes using pygame
Animations in Pygame
Handling Keypress and Mouse Click events
Pong game
Conclusion
Free Gift
Disclaimer

Copyright © 2021
All Rights Reserved

No part of this eBook can be transmitted or reproduced in any form,


including print, electronic, photocopying, scanning, mechanical, or

recording, without prior written permission from the author.


While the author has taken the utmost effort to ensure the accuracy of the

written content, all readers are advised to follow the information mentioned
herein at their own risk. The author cannot be held responsible for any

personal or commercial damage caused by the information. All readers are


encouraged to seek professional advice when needed.
Free Gift
We do want you to succeed in coding. To ensure your success, we are
giving you a free list of projects that you can work on once you are
completed with this book.
https://coding.gr8.com/
Introduction
What is Programming

Programming is the art of writing a computer program. A computer


program is a set of instructions that a machine can comprehend to
perform a certain task. Computer programming is how humans
communicate with machines.
Computers are pretty good at following the instructions we give them.

A program is just simply a list of steps that should be followed to achieve a


goal. It is just like a recipe, to prepare your favorite dish you just need to
follow the instructions on the recipe.

The only issue is that computers do not speak English as we do, they speak
their own language. This computer language is known as machine
language.

There is a part on the computer called the interpreter, which interprets our
instructions to machine language so that the computer is able to understand
the instructions we are giving it. This interpreter is also known as a
compiler.

A compiler is the interface between the programming language and the


machine. A programming language is a very simple language to learn and
there are numerous programming languages out there. We are only going to
learn C++ in this book.

As you know, spoken languages usually have grammar. Grammar is a way


of arranging words in a language to make sense to others who speak that
language. Programming languages have grammar as well, which we call
syntax.
In order for the compiler to understand you, you have to use the proper
syntax or else it will cause an error. We will at first spend a lot of time
learning the syntax of our programming language.

In summary, we write a program using a programming language. The


programming languages communicates with the compiler. The compiler
translates the language to machine language and then runs the program. The
computer reads our instructions and does what we have told it to do.

Your first programming language is usually the toughest to learn but after
learning it, it becomes easier to learn other languages.

Why C++

You can do a lot after learning C++. You can make games, use the Arduino
board to make cool projects or even program planes if you are allowed to
do that. The only limit you have is your imagination.

The main benefit of C++ is that it is very portable between operating


systems and compilers. This means that the same code can be used in
Windows, Linux, Opera etc.

C++ has a large community support with developer forums, online tutorials,
Facebook community groups, which is very significant for beginner
programmers. It’s much easier to learn as you can ask other people in the
community if you get stuck.

C++ is also very scalable and flexible in multiple environments. This means
that it can be used by beginner programmers and advanced professionals for
different purposes. It can also be used to code games, applications, software
and apps.

C++ is wildly used in graphics and is now used in emerging


technologies like image processing, pattern recognition and in
embedded systems like location tracing.
C++ is more efficient at using computer memory, so it saves space on
your hard drive.
Why Learn Programming

Programming at its core is not really about writing code but thinking of
ways to solve problems. You get to learn and appreciate that there are
different ways to tackle a problem and sometimes one way is better than the
other. You also learn that breaking a big problem into small parts makes
your work easier.

It is also about learning how to collaborate with others. People usually


assume that programmers work by themselves to solve problems, but
programmers act as a team most of the time. We like sharing what we have
built with others, and this enables us to learn from one another there by
advancing each other's skills.

In addition, programming teaches you to never give up easily, because your


programs will never work out the first time you write them. You will get
errors from time to time but as a programmer you don't let them bring you
down. You pick yourself up when you fall and try again.

Finally, you feel comfortable in this digital world where computers run
almost everything. To you it will not be magic as you know how to use
computers to do your tasks.

At the end of the day even if you don't become a programmer, you will be
able to know how computers can help you out in your work and gain all
these skills.

Setting Up the Workspace


In order to write code, you need at least a text editor and a compiler.
A text editor is just a program that enables you to write and save code as a
file.

Files usually have extensions to their file names to indicate the kind of file
it is. When writing
C++ files, the files will have the extension .cpp , example main.cpp

We are going to use an application known as Code::Blocks to write,


compile and run our programs. Code::Blocks is what is known as an IDE ,
integrated development environment.

An IDE has everything you need to write, compile and run a program in one
place.

Below is a picture of the layout of the Code::Blocks IDE


Downloading and Installing Code::Blocks

You will need:

1. A laptop/ Desktop
2. Internet Connection
3. Web browser such as Chrome, Windows Edge or Firefox

Go to this website and download the Code::Blocks application:


https://www.fosshub.com/Code-Blocks.html?dwl=codeblocks-20.03mingw-
setup.exe

Just copy and paste the link to the browser

Note: please ensure that you download the file named Code Blocks
Windows 64 bit (including compiler).

This version includes the compiler which we need

After that just install the application and open it when done:

You can head over to the Code::Blocks website at the following link:
https://www.codeblocks.org/ to learn more about it. It also includes user
manual and links to download the IDE for other operating systems
Hello World in C++
The first program that all programmers write when learning a new
programming language is known as Hello World.

It is just basically writing a program that displays the words 'Hello World' to
the screen. Since we are programmers now, we say that we are printing the
words 'Hello World' to the screen.

I will be giving out code examples, and you will have to type the examples
in the Code::Blocks and click on the build and run button to compile and
execute the code in order to see the results.

Creating A Project in Code::Blocks

In order to run code in Code::Blocks we have to first create a project. So


first of all we need to open up Code::Blocks.

To create a project, click on File > New > Project

In the pop-up window select Console application and click on the button
Go
Ensure you select C++ in this window
Click Next on the information window
Give the Project a title, for now it is Hello World. Select which folder it
will be saved at.
Ensure that you have GNU GCC Compiler selected as the compiler and
click on Finish.

Now on the left-hand side, under Hello World, click on the + icon next to
the Sources folder to reveal the main.cpp file. Double click on it to display
the file on the editor window on the right-hand side.
The code in the editor looks like the example below

Code

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{

cout << "Hello World" << endl;

return 0;
}
I am pretty sure that the above code looks overwhelming when you first see
it. But we are going to understand what it all means by the end of a few
chapters. For now hang in there as I try to explain the main part of this
program.
The trick with programming is to persevere as things get easier the more
you learn.

Let's first run the code.

Running the code

To run the code, we have to compile it first.

In Code::Blocks, we use the term build instead of compile. This is because


a project usually consists of multiple C++ files and we call the process of
compiling all of them building.

There are three buttons on top of the editor that enable us to build and run
our project.
The yellow gear button enables you to build the project, the green play
button enables you to run the build project, while the third, which is a
combination of the gear and play button, enables you to build and run the
project. Click on the combination of the two to execute the project.

A pop-up window will appear with the words 'Hello World' as shown
below.
This is what is known as the console or terminal. The console shows the
output in C++. Just close the window to get rid of it.

NOTE: make sure that you save you file before building and running it, this
can be done by pressing Control-s (Ctrl+s) after every change

Explanation of the code

The main line in this program, is the line:

cout << “Hello World” << endl;


`

First of all, notice that the line ends with a semicolon (;), this is very
important as it indicates the end of this instruction.
cout is just the programmer way of calling a screen, you can think of it as
the short form of console output.

The symbols << just mean display the things after me on the screen

'Hello World' is the text that we want to display on the screen. Notice that it
is surrounded by double quotes. The double quotes are part of the syntax
and are very important.

We call text surrounded by double quotes a string.

The next << symbol over means, add what's after me to the text 'Hello
world'. In programming we call this concatenation that is adding two
strings together

endl, means add a newline, a newline is just like pressing enter while typing
something on the computer, it takes you to a next line below the current text

As you can see when writing programs, we do not just write it in plain
English, we follow some specific rules known as the syntax of the language.
Exercise

1. Change the text so that the program prints out your name, build and run
the code.

2. Write the line of code cout << “Hello World”; two times and see what is
printed on the console. How is that different from writing cout << 'Hello
World' << endl; two times

3. Create a new project and give it any name you like and store it in a
different folder location.
a. For this new project click the run icon and notice what happens
b. For this new project click the build gear icon then the run icon
individually and note what happens.
Variables
In this chapter I will first take you through the main parts of the computer
that are important in programming.

The main part of the computer is known as the processor. This is what
actually reads your code and does what you instructed.

In addition, there is a storage area known as RAM, which stands for


Random Access Memory. This is where everything you need is stored,
even your program is stored here.

You can think of it as a bunch of shelves with boxes where you can store
things. In addition, these boxes are of different sizes and type. Hence you
can determine what you can store in them.

In addition, we can label these boxes so that we can refer to the name later
easily.

Variable Assignment

A variable is a name given to a value that is stored in memory.

A variable name is also known as an identifier.

You can think of a variable as a box where we place our value in, and a
variable name as a label we place on the box.

There is also a thing called data type assigned to each box. A data type is a
type of information that is stored in a box. That means that the particular
variable can store only a particular type of data. Examples of data types
include strings, numbers, booleans etc.
Below is an example of a variable assignment. We write it in Code::Blocks
in a new project called variables, save the file by pressing Control-S then
build and run.

Example code

Above we have declared a variable of the name radius of data type int,
meaning integer and initialized it to the value 20.

int is what we call the data type. Using the box analogy a data type
determines the type of the box to store our value. The value which we store
is 20. The variable name is called radius, which means the label on the box
is radius.
The value of the variable can change throughout the program as long as it is
of the same data type. In the above program, we change the value to 40.

This is acceptable as 40 is an int (integer) data type.


Data types
Below is a list of data types available and the kind and range of values they
represent. Each data type has an example associated with it.

int
The data type int stands for integer. An integer is a whole number, meaning
that it cannot have a decimal to it. Examples of integers are
1,0,45,768,23343 etc.

Example: int radius = 2;


long
The data type long is also a whole number, but the numbers used can be a
lot bigger than int. long variables can hold up to 20 digits, while in
variables can only hold 10 digits.
For example, below, x, y and result are long variables that can hold
numbers up to 20 digits.
float
Represent numbers with decimals places. See example below. pi is a float
variable with a value of 3.142 and areaofcircle is another float variable.
double
A double variable can hold numbers that contain decimals places with
higher precision and can hold more decimal places (up to 15 decimal
places).
In below example, acceleration, mass and force are three double variables
that can each hold numbers that contain up to 15 decimal places.
bool
It stands for boolean.
It can only hold two values, the value true or false.
The boolean variable is used for conditionals.
In the example below, two boolean variables isHungry and isSleepy are
declared.
If isHungry is true, the program prints “I am hungry” on the screen.
If isSleepy is true, the program prints “I am sleepy” on the screen.
char
char stands for character. char is a variable that can hold only one value.
The value is a string of length 1. In below example, excellent is a char
variable that holds the grade of a student in Mathematics.
string
A string is a variable used to store text. It can hold a string of any length. In
the below example, yourName is a variable that holds the value
“Catherine”.

Variable names
A C++ variable name must start with either a letter or an underscore and all
the rest of the characters must be letters, digits or an underscore.

Examples of valid variable names are:

x
x1
x_1_abc
RATE
bigBonus_

Examples of invalid variable names:

12
3x
%change data
-1 PROG.CPP

The first three, 12 3x %change, are not allowed because they do not start
with a letter or an underscore.

C++ is also case sensitive, meaning that the following are three distinct
variable names:

Rate
RATE
Rate

Camel Case
Camel case is a programming practice where multiple words are written
without spaces and the first letter of each word is capitalized (except for the
first word)
The word end of car would become: endOfCar
Camel case is a commonly used programming practice to name variables.

Keywords
Keywords are names that cannot be used as variable names as they are
reserved for programming language syntax.

If you use them as variable names the compiler will throw errors, or you
might end up changing the basic functionality of some basic function.

Examples of keywords include the basic data types, such as int, bool and
the rest, and names such as struct and class.

Comments
Sometimes we want to explain our code so that others can understand what
we did. In the future that information will help us remember what we did as
we go through the code.

In programming we achieve this by writing comments within our code.


There are two types of comments, single line comments and multiline
comments.

Single line comments begin with two forward slashes (//) while multiline
comments sit in between the following symbols: /**/

Examples of comments:

// Test Code

/* Line 1 of Comments
Line 2 of Comments */
Declaring variables
All variables must be declared or defined before they are used.

To declare/define a variable you just need to specify a data type and a


variable name followed by a semicolon:

When you declare a variable without giving it a value, we say that the
variable is uninitialized.
Uninitialized variable will have a random value in it.

Giving an uninitialized variable a value is known as initializing it.

You can also declare and initialize a variable at the same time.

In this example we are going to make use of comments and declare some
variables whose value we will print to the console

Create a new project in Code::Blocks, write the following code, build and
run it.

Example code
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
pulled the latch-string which hung without and entered. With bated
breath he looked about him. The cheerful log fire alone beamed for
him a silent welcome. Noiselessly taking a chair he sat himself
before the coveted warmth of the lowly hearthstone, while the old
colored man and his family slept on, in blissful ignorance of the
presence of their midnight visitor.
The robber tarried only long enough to warm his chilled frame
into energy for the task of further flight, and after about one hour’s
stay he quietly donned the shoes of the black pater familias, and,
stealthily drawing an old quilt from a couch in which a brood of
pickaninnies slept, all unconscious of their loss, he wrapped it about
him, and, stepping silently out into the darkness, resumed his
journey.
A few miles further on he stole a horse from the stable of a
farmer, and, mounting its bare back, rode hard and fast till daylight,
when he turned the animal loose in the road, and betaking himself to
the protection of the forests that covered the bottom lands of the
Alabama River, left no further trace of his course. Here his trail was
lost to the detectives, who, after an arduous and vain pursuit of
several days, abandoned all further effort in that vicinity.
CHAPTER VI.
RUBE BURROW RETURNS TO LAMAR COUNTY—JOE
JACKSON JOINS HIM IN MARCH, 1888—THEIR TRIP INTO
BALDWIN COUNTY, ALABAMA.

RUBE BURROW, having effected his escape at Montgomery, and


successfully eluded pursuit, it was supposed by the detectives that
he would go down into southern Alabama or Florida, as the presence
of himself and brother at Montgomery seemed to indicate. Rube,
however, was restless and anxious concerning the fate of Jim, and at
once made his way back into Lamar County. Soon after reaching
home he learned, for the first time, of his brother’s incarceration at
Texarkana, and also that his old comrade, William Brock, had
disclosed the whole history of their operations in Texas, and
particularly of the Genoa, Ark., affair.
Rube was heard to say: “Never mind; when I get my partner, Joe
Jackson, from Texas, I will wreak my vengeance upon the Southern
Express Company.” Rube knew, although he had never participated
in any of the many robberies which the Sam Bass gang had
committed, that the name of “Joe Jackson” was a terror wherever the
fame of the Bass gang was known, and that Joe Jackson was the
only member of that brutal band of highwaymen who had escaped
justice when their chief, Sam Bass, was shot, with a small remnant
of his followers, in the streets of Round Rock, Texas. It was thus he
sought to herald, as the comrade he was about to select to fill his
brother’s place, the guerrilla who had unfurled the black banner at
Lawrence, Kansas, under the leadership of the notorious Quantrell,
and who had drifted into Texas to join Bass and his unholy gang.
While in northern Texas in 1886, Rube had met a young
Alabamian who went under the name of Lewis Waldrip. Rube had
Waldrip in his employment while herding cattle, and had witnessed
his unflinching courage on several occasions while associated with
him. Waldrip had, in confidence, given Rube the story of the troubles
which had caused him to flee from his native State and seek refuge
in Texas. Soon after his return to Lamar County, in February, 1888,
he wrote Waldrip to join him there. The correspondence was
conducted through Jim Cash, and about the first of March, 1888, at
the house of the latter, the two men, who had separated in 1886 in
Texas, met again for the first time. Rube recited his recent history,
and acting upon the advice of his friend, whom he had christened
“Joe Jackson,” the two left for southern Alabama, as Rube had
knowledge of the fact that the vicinity in which he was then hiding
was being constantly watched by detectives.
Leaving Lamar County afoot, the pair traveled through the
woods until they reached Columbus, Miss. They went thence, partly
by rail and partly by boat, to Baldwin County, Ala., locating at
Dunnaway’s log camp, on Lovette’s Creek, some forty miles from
any railway line, and in one of the most sparsely settled sections of
southern Alabama. The trail thither, by the circuitous foot journey out
of Lamar County, had been completely covered, and here Rube and
his newly found comrade were not only lost to the detectives, but to
all the world besides, save the little squad of day-laborers who
gathered about the camp-fire at nightfall, after the day’s labor was
over. This rustic audience Rube was wont to regale with many a
humorous tale. Mr. Ward, as he was familiarly called, was the hero of
many an adventurous story, and the very life and humor of the camp.
Rube’s fame had preceded him, even into this retired spot, and he
would often bring up the subject of his own outlawry, that he might
get an expression from those about him as to the thrilling adventures
of which he himself was the hero.
After a stay of some three weeks, during which Rube and his
partner labored not only with diligence but with increasing skill (for
here it was that Rube was heard to say that John Barnes, who
afterwards figured somewhat in his final arrest, taught him how to
saw logs), the camp was broken up, Mr. Dunnaway moving his force
to a point near Perdido, a station on the Louisville and Nashville
Railway.
Rube and Joe then, about May 1st, left the camp, for the reason,
perhaps, that the locality was more public, and for the additional
reason that Rube began to conceive the idea that he could find a
safe refuge among friends in Lamar County, and might render some
help to his brother, who was then a prisoner in Arkansas. Setting out,
the two men walked until they reached Forest, Miss., where Rube
purchased horses for the two. At Dixon, Miss., Joe, finding his horse
a poor traveler, traded him for the “snorting steed” which he
subsequently rode in the Duck Hill robbery, and which the detectives
finally traced from the scene of that robbery into Lamar County. From
Dixon they rode via Oxford, and thence to Berryhill’s, a brother-in-
law of Rube Burrow, who moved, soon after his marriage to Rube’s
favorite sister, into that section of Mississippi. Here they remained
two days, and about the 15th of May rode into Lamar County.
CHAPTER VII.
THE RIDE INTO ARKANSAS TO LIBERATE JIM BURROW—
FAILURE AND RETURN TO MISSISSIPPI.

ON his arrival in Lamar County Rube Burrow anxiously inquired after


Jim’s fate. Jim Cash, the brother-in-law, had visited Little Rock,
where Jim was confined in the penitentiary for safe keeping, and had
learned that he would be taken about September 5th to Texarkana
for trial. Rube brooded over the fatal blunder which had resulted in
Jim’s capture at Montgomery, and blamed himself all the more
because it was against the judgment of his brother that they had
boarded the unlucky train. His proud spirit chafed at the thought,
also, that he alone, being armed, should have been forced to flee
and leave him to his unhappy fate. He therefore resolved, at all
hazard, to attempt his rescue.
One moonless night in the latter part of August Rube and Joe
Jackson rode out of Lamar County for the avowed purpose of taking
Jim from the hands of his captors while en route to Texarkana for
trial. Joe Jackson, after his capture, told how Rube rose in his
stirrups, as he galloped away over the hills of Lamar County at dead
of night, and swore that he would carry the boon of freedom to his
luckless brother at whatever hazard or peril.
“We will board the train, shoot the officers down, and make Jim a
free man, or die in the attempt. Will you give me your hand and
pledge me your honor, Joe, to do your part?” asked Rube.
“I will,” answered Joe, and grasping each the other’s hand they
rode forth with renewed courage and hope.
On to Okolona, Miss., thence to Sardis, through Tate County,
and on to Helena, Ark., they crossed the Mississippi River at the
latter point, and rode thence in a southwesterly direction towards
Pine Bluff, and thence to Arkadelphia, Ark., a station on the Iron
Mountain Railway, sixty-five miles south of Little Rock.
Ascertaining definitely the date of his trial at Texarkana before
leaving Lamar County, they decided to attempt the rescue at one of
the smaller stations on the Iron Mountain Railway, either on the north
or south bank of the Oauchita River, where, if successful, pursuit
could not be so readily organized, and where the dense timber in the
adjacent bottoms would furnish ample cover for escape.
At Donaldson, at Malvern, and adjacent stations, these
determined men boarded train after train, with cocked revolvers
secreted and ready for the bold endeavor, and, finally, moving down
to Curtis, a small flag station, they learned that the last south-bound
train of that date, September 9th, was not scheduled to stop at
Curtis, and their only hope to search it was to ride to Arkadelphia,
fifteen miles north.
It was only one hour before the train was due at Arkadelphia.
Rube said, “We will make the trip, Joe, or kill our horses.” The men
were well mounted, and defeat and disappointment had so far only
sharpened their energies for the difficult task before them.
This was Sunday night, and Rube knew it was the last train his
brother could be expected on, as his case was set for trial the
following morning. It was a ride which had the possible alternative of
death to the gallant steeds that bore them onward, liberty to an ill-
fated brother, or grief and chagrin at the failure of a project on which
Rube had set his heart with desperate devotion. Onward they rode,
at breathless speed, faster and still faster, till the hill-tops of
Arkadelphia hove in sight. At the same time the shrill whistle of the
engine announced the approach of the train bearing the manacled
brother toward Texarkana, and steaming into the railway station,
paused but a moment, as if to take breath, and bounded on, leaving
the rescuers, who were several hundred yards away, to their bitter
disappointment.
CHAPTER VIII.
RUBE BURROW AND JOE JACKSON LEAVE ARKANSAS—
THEY TURN UP AS COTTON PICKERS IN TATE COUNTY,
MISSISSIPPI.

CRESTFALLEN and dispirited at the failure of his long cherished


project to release his brother Jim, Rube decided to abandon all
further effort in that direction and set out on the return journey. Joe
Jackson proposed to visit Hot Springs, but Rube did not care to
expose himself to the risk of being identified by the cosmopolitan
population of that American Baden-Baden, and resolved to return
immediately to the east side of the river. It has been popularly
supposed that Rube Burrow was accustomed to visit metropolitan
places, frequent gambling houses and saloons, and, with a reckless
disregard of his personal safety, herald himself as a cattle king, or
play the role of gambler. Such was not the case. Bold and fearless
as he was in pursuit of his chosen vocation, he kept aloof from
populous localities. His long immunity from arrest was due chiefly to
the fact that, secluding himself in the wilds of the forest and shunning
his fellow-men as far as possible, he habited the earth like a beast of
prey.
The two men, on their return trip, traveled in a northeasterly
direction, avoiding the public highways wherever practicable.
Crossing White River at St. Charles, they rode leisurely on towards
Helena, and, under cover of darkness, crossed the river at that point
about one week after leaving Arkadelphia. Riding up the east bank of
the Mississippi to a point about fifteen miles north of Helena they
debouched from the river bottoms, pushing their way through bog
and swamp for fifteen miles or more, over ground never perhaps
covered by horsemen before, and where no sign of human habitation
existed. The robbers were seeking a secure retreat, and this they
found in Tate County, Mississippi, on the farm of Fletcher Stevens,
about eighteen miles from Senatobia, a station on the Illinois Central
Railway. Meantime the detectives of the Southern Express Company
had searched every nook and corner of southern Alabama, made
several expeditions into Florida, and had also become satisfied that
Rube was not in Lamar County.
In the early part of September the fact was developed that a man
answering Rube’s description had been seen near St. Charles, Ark.,
and the trail was taken up and followed into Helena, and thence east
of the river a few miles, but all trace was lost in the ride through the
swamps, which Rube had correctly divined would foil his pursuers if
they should ascertain his presence in that locality. The farm of
Fletcher Stevens, located as it was in a thinly settled section, and
remote from railway lines, furnished a safe retreat for Rube and his
companion, and here they hired themselves as day laborers and
began the business of picking cotton about October 1, 1888. Rube
was quite an adept at picking cotton, but Joe proved rather an
awkward hand, as Mr. Stevens afterward reported; and so Rube, at
the price of fifty cents per hundred, earned the larger share of the
compensation received for their toil.
Strange to state, these men labored diligently and industriously
on this Tate County farm from October 1st till about December 1,
1888, never once leaving the place. At rare intervals they would take
their pistols down into the swamps and practice shooting at a target
with one or two of their white co-laborers, and in a quiet way made
some reputation for their skill as marksmen. Both Rube and Joe, it is
said, could hit a silver dollar nine times out of ten, with their forty-five
caliber Colt’s revolvers, at a distance of seventy-five yards. During
their stay on the farm they passed for brothers, Rube assuming the
name of Charlie and Joe the name of Henry Davis. Their general
demeanor was so quiet and unobtrusive that they betrayed no
suspicion of their real identity; and although farmer Stevens, a very
respectable and law-abiding citizen, did not relish the fact that his
hired help carried such murderous-looking fire-arms, he gave little
thought to the matter. On or about the first of December the cotton
pickers asked for their pay, which was given them. Mounting their
horses, which were in fine condition from the long rest they had
enjoyed, they rode quietly away from the scene of their plodding
labors.
CHAPTER IX.
JIM BURROW ARRAIGNED—TRIAL POSTPONED—HIS
RETURN TO LITTLE ROCK PRISON—LETTERS HOME—HIS
DEATH IN PRISON.

MEANWHILE Jim Burrow, at his preliminary examination at Texarkana,


soon after his capture, admitted his guilt when confronted with the
confession of Wm. Brock and the strong chain of circumstantial
evidence that had been woven about him. But while ruminating in the
penitentiary, during the interval preceding the fall term of the Miller
County Circuit Court, he had evidently reconsidered his original
purpose and determined on making a defense and risking the chances
of a jury trial. Consequently, on September 10, 1888, the day
succeeding the failure of Rube and Joe Jackson to effect his rescue at
Arkadelphia, his case was called for trial at Texarkana, on the charge
of robbery of the express car at Genoa, Ark. His attorney filed an
application for a continuance, on account of the absence of witnesses
in Alabama, by whom he alleged he could prove an alibi, and his case
was thereupon continued, and he was returned to the state-prison at
Little Rock, pending the spring term of the Court. Two days after his
return there he wrote to J. A. Cash and his wife the following letters:

Sept. 14, 1888.


Mr. J. A. Cash:
I am not well but not very sick. I have put off my trial. you Send
$20.00 to my lawyers if you get the order from them. tell Elizabeth
and the children that I would like to see them. James you have all
the money on hand by the 1st of Oct. that you can. I will send one
of my lawyers back there on the 15th of November, he is about
such a lawyer as Frank Summers. You was speaking about
furnishing me a lawyer from that county. When my lawyer comes
back to you send him to Summers, he will take the case. don’t any
of you come out until I write for you to come—they got three bills
against me for train robbery, and the other two for attempt to
murder. I think I will come clear. You collect in my money as fast as
you can.
J. B. Burrow.

* * * * *

Mrs. M. E. Burrow:
As I feel better this morning than I did yesterday I will write you
a few lines. Elizabeth you all rest easy about me for I think I will
best my case—my trial is set to come up the first Tuesday in
March. You have $200.00 on hand by the 15th of November to pay
my Lawyers with. One of them is a better lawyer than Frank
Summers is. So if you could employ Summers to help them in my
case it would be an advantage to me to have counsel from my
own state. Tell pa that I will answer his letter soon. Tell the children
that I will see them again. Brock’s trial was put off so he could be a
witness against me. Write all of the news.
J. B. Burrow to Mrs. Burrow.

But Jim, not being a convict and therefore not required to labor,
soon began to chafe under the restraint of prison life, which was
aggravated by a depressing attack of nostalgia, which soon developed
a fever, resulting in delirium. During his ravings, which were continuous
for about a week, he talked about his wife and children, his home in
Alabama, the stolen money he had hidden, his boyhood adventures
and his experiences in Texas, but his statements were so incoherently
mingled that it was impossible to make an intelligent narration of them.
On October 5, 1888, his earthly career was terminated by death, and
his unhonored grave is surrounded by those of such hapless fellows as
have succumbed to the rigors of prison experience, leaving their
bodies with their captors, while their spirits have slipped through the
bars and gone for final trial before the Last Tribunal.
JIM BURROW.
WILLIAM BROCK.
CHAPTER X.
THE DUCK HILL, MISS., ROBBERY—THE KILLING OF
PASSENGER CHESTER HUGHES.

ON the cold and cheerless night of December 15, 1888, the north-
bound express train of the Illinois Central Railway, which left New
Orleans for Chicago at seven o’clock A. M. pulled into the station of
Duck Hill, Miss., twenty-five miles south of Grenada, thirteen hours
later. The manner in which the engine was boarded and the train
stopped is best told in the language of Albert Law, the engineer in
charge of the locomotive. He says:
“I pulled out of Duck Hill Station at 10:05 o’clock P. M. The
fireman called to me to look out; that there was a car of cotton ahead
on the side track. I pulled slowly by, in order to avoid igniting the
cotton by sparks from the engine, and when I passed the cotton the
fireman said: ‘All right, let her go.’ I started ahead lively, and
presently saw the robbers climb up on my engine from the east side.
“The smaller man got on first. I thought they were tramps, and
was in the act of slowing up to put them off when the smaller man
covered me with a big pistol and said, ‘Don’t stop here! go on! go
on!’ I then saw that the men were masked. I asked, ‘Where do you
want to stop!’ He replied, ‘I’ll tell you where to stop.’ I pulled along,
and when we had gone about a mile he said:
“‘Stop here—stop now!’ I put the air on full and stopped as
quickly as I could.
“The little man did all the talking. When we stopped he got down
on the ground and fired his revolver two or three times. The train had
hardly stopped when he commenced shooting. The other man said,
‘Get down!’ My fireman and myself were then made to go ahead, on
the east side of the train, to the express car. Here they stopped us,
and the tall man called out to the messenger, ‘Open up! Open up!’
The messenger looked out of the door and the tall man said, ‘Where
is your other man?’ The messenger said, ‘I have no other man—no
one here but me,’ to which the reply was, ‘Help this man into the car!’
The messenger being covered by the revolver of the larger man,
extended his hand and helped him into the car.
“About this time Mr. Wilkerson, the conductor, came out of one of
the rear coaches with his lantern, and the smaller man, who stood
guarding us, told me to tell him to go back. I did, and the conductor
went back, but in a couple of minutes came out again. I saw two
forms get out of the car. They had no lights. I said, ‘You had better go
back, or they will shoot you; they are robbing the express car.’
“The fireman and I were between the robber and the rest of the
train. He kept us in front of him as a sort of breastwork. Some one in
the direction of the passenger coaches called out: ‘Law, where are
you?’ When I answered a voice said: ‘Look out! I am going to shoot!’
I stepped back from the train and the firing commenced, and I broke
and ran for the woods, which were close by.”
Meantime the robber who had entered the car handed a sack to
Southern Express Messenger Harris and bade him deliver up the
contents of his safe. At this juncture the firing on the outside of the
car had commenced, and advancing to the door, still keeping an eye
on the messenger, the robber fired three shots into the air.
Conductor Wilkerson had, on first coming out, taken in the situation,
and going back into the coaches announced to the passengers that
the train was being robbed, and asked who would assist him.
Chester Hughes, a brave young fellow, from Jackson, Tenn., arose
quickly and said, “I will, if I can get anything to shoot with.” Two
colored men seated near by had each a thirty-eight caliber
Winchester rifle, and these weapons were quickly gathered by the
conductor and his gallant passenger, and loading them with
cartridges furnished them by the owners they went forth to do battle
with the robbers. It was conductor Wilkerson who had warned the
engineer to protect himself, and he fired the first shot at the robbers.
Advancing abreast of each other these brave men fired shot
after shot at the dark form of the robber who stood as a sentinel on
the outside of the car, and who unflinchingly held his ground,
returning with steady aim charge after charge from his trusty
revolver, until finally young Hughes dropped his Winchester, and
exclaiming “I am shot!” fell to the earth. Wilkerson raised the brave
young fellow to his feet and dragged his unconscious and bleeding
form into the coach, and returning to the steps of the front coach
renewed the firing at the robbers.
The robber had, meantime, secured the money from the
messenger (about two thousand dollars), and backing out of the car,
still holding his pistol on the messenger, joined his comrade on the
ground, and under the fire of the conductor both retreated to the
woods hard by.
Chester Hughes had been in charge of a widowed sister, who,
with several small children, were en route to Jackson, Tenn. The
sister knew nothing of her brother’s participation in the fight with the
robbers until he was carried back into the coach, when she
prostrated herself in affectionate embrace over his body, from which
life was fast ebbing away. The scene was an agonizing and affecting
one.
The unerring aim of the robber had sent three shots through the
body of young Hughes, all entering the stomach within a radius of six
inches, and the unfortunate but daring young fellow lived only a few
minutes. The same train on which he had erstwhile embarked in the
vigor of health and buoyant spirits, bore his lifeless form to the home
of his widowed mother at Jackson, Tenn.
The Southern Express Company and the Illinois Central Railway
promptly presented his grief-stricken mother with a fitting testimonial
of appreciation for the heroic conduct of her son. While

“On Fame’s eternal camping ground


Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards, with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead,”
the name of Chester Hughes will be enrolled among the bravest of
the brave.
The whole country was electrified with horror at the brutal
murder of a passenger on one of the great trunk lines of railway, in
one of the most populous districts of the South, by train robbers, and
it was determined that no expense or labor should be spared in
bringing the criminals to justice. General Manager C. A. Beck and
Superintendent J. G. Mann, of the Illinois Central Railway, were in
Memphis in a special car at the time. During the night a violent and
very general rain storm had prevailed, and the telegraph wires were
down in many places. The news of the robbery did not, therefore,
reach Memphis until about midnight. The railroad and express
officials remained at the telegraph office all night, seeking the details,
and left about daylight for the scene of the robbery. The aid of the
Pinkertons was again summoned, and several of the most expert
detectives of the Chicago agency soon arrived at Duck Hill.
About a month prior to the Duck Hill robbery the United States
Express Company had been robbed at Derby, Miss., a station sixty-
five miles north of New Orleans, on the Queen and Crescent
Railway, by Eugene Bunch, a man who is supposed by some
persons, even at this day, to be identical with Rube Burrow. Eugene
Bunch, a native of Louisiana, and long a resident of Texas, bore a
remarkable resemblance to Rube Burrow. The description, about
thirty-six years old, weight one hundred and seventy pounds, height
six feet one inch, light complexion, auburn hair, long, drooping
mustache, blue eyes, raw-boned and stoop-shouldered, would fit
either Rube Burrow or Eugene Bunch. Apart from this personal
resemblance they bore nothing else in common except the title of
train robber. Their habits and methods of life were strikingly
dissimilar. Bunch was a man of some education, had taught school
in Louisiana and Texas, and was for a long period of time a County
Court Clerk in Texas, while Burrow was a coarse, unlettered fellow,
and it may be stated, as a certainty, that these men never had any
association as train robbers or otherwise.
The Pinkerton detectives, on their arrival at Duck Hill, were
unable to find a trace of the robbers. There was no clew from which
to begin a search for them. Whence the robbers came, whither they
had gone, whether on horseback or afoot, was not known. At this
juncture Detective D. C. Hennessey, of New Orleans, who recently
met his death at the hands of assassins in that city, and a man of
undoubted ability in his profession, having received a descriptive
circular of the robbers, telegraphed the officials of the Southern
Express Company as follows: “Description of the robbers received. I
am well aware as to who they are, and am satisfied I can get them.”
A conference was at once arranged with Hennessey, who
declared the Duck Hill robbery to be the work of Eugene Bunch. An
unfortunate combination of circumstances here ensued to
corroborate Hennessey’s view. Bunch answered Burrow’s
description with great exactness. The former was reliably
ascertained to have been in northern Louisiana a few days prior to
the robbery, and, therefore, within easy reach of Duck Hill; Bunch
had an intimate friend who answered Engineer Law’s description of
the smaller man who stood guard over him at Duck Hill.
The detectives had, meantime, traced two men riding out south
from the scene of the robbery in the direction of Honey Island, in the
Pearl River, a favorite resort with Bunch; and, still more remarkable,
one of the horses ridden corresponded with the one owned by
Bunch’s comrade in Louisiana, who was known to have assisted him
in his flight from Derby, Miss. The chase that followed, therefore,
under the leadership of the Pinkertons, was organized to find Bunch,
and not Burrow. From New Orleans to Texas, to Monterey and
Mexico City, to Los Angeles and San Diego, and even to San
Francisco, the detectives pursued Bunch until, just as his capture
seemed certain at San Francisco, he eluded the detectives by taking
a Pacific coast steamer. The chase was then, after months of labor,
abandoned.
Meantime, in a quiet way, the detectives of the Southern Express
Company were at work on the theory that Rube Burrow was the
leader in the robbery at Duck Hill. It was discovered that Rube
Burrow and Joe Jackson rode away from the farm of Fletcher
Stevens in Tate County, Miss., on December 1, 1888, and after
paying a visit to Rube’s brother-in-law, Berryhill, who lives eighteen
miles from Oxford, proceeded to Water Valley, Miss., where they
spent the night; and that going thence to Duck Hill they robbed the
train in the manner described. After mounting their horses, tethered
in the woods some half a mile from the spot on which the robbery
occurred, they rode through a drenching rain a distance of forty miles
by daylight. The next day they camped in the brush, divided the
spoils of the robbery, and at sundown resumed their journey. After
another hard night’s ride they reached the vicinity of the Pearl River,
near Philadelphia, Miss. Here, fearing the news of the deed at Duck
Hill had preceded them, and that the detectives might be in waiting
at the bridge, they turned their horses into the swamps and two miles
north of the bridge swam the swollen current of Pearl River.
Reaching the opposite bank, they continued their journey through
the wilds of the forest for a few miles, and turning from the
southwesterly course on which they had ridden for two days, they
rode in a northeasterly direction, traveling most of the distance at
night, until they reached Lamar County. Here they remained in quiet
seclusion until the tragic event recorded in the next chapter
occurred.
CHAPTER XI.
THE COLD-BLOODED MURDER OF MOSES GRAVES, THE
POSTMASTER OF JEWELL, ALABAMA.

THE reader may well ask what the detectives of the Southern
Express Company were doing while these men remained in Lamar
County and the adjacent country, from the time of the Duck Hill
robbery until the summer of 1889.
In the contiguous counties of Lamar, Fayette and Marion the
kindred of the Burrow family abounded on every hand. The homes of
his kinsmen, notably Cash, Terry, Barker, Smith and Hankins, not
only furnished a safe refuge for the robbers, but they were worshiped
as heroes, and each household vied with the other in its fealty and
loyalty to the robber chief. “Rube never robs a poor man,” they were
often wont to say, forgetting that one never gets blood out of a turnip.
These people were of a thriftless, restive spirit, and among them
were many shrewd and cunning natures, who became the paid
scouts of the outlaws. A code of signals was established, and the
appearance of a detective or a stranger of any kind in that section
was at once ascertained, and the information conveyed to the
outlaws. The firing of a gun in a certain locality, the cracking of a
whip, the blowing of a horn, and the deep-toned “ah-hoo,” as well as
scores of other signals, all had their meaning. They gave the
fugitives warning of the approach of danger; and so, when
occasional raids were made, a house was surrounded, a trail was
covered, or some solitary scout from among Rube’s clansmen was
encountered, the stillness of the air would be broken by a signal
which plainly told the detectives that their presence was known and
the robbers were on the alert. It was even impossible to trail the
messengers who carried rations to the robbers while in camp, for
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