Matt Swofford will play Frank James and John Bohannon will play Jesse James.
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The 2019 Gallatin Chautauqua marks the 150th anniversary of the Frank & Jesse James robbery of the Daviess County Savings Association, which occurred in 1869. A re-enactment will recapture the moment and is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. The event will take place on the northwest corner of the square, in the direction of Pierce Auto and the Farmer’s Bank.
Although originally planned to take place on location on the southwest corner of the square, a conflict in scheduling has prevented that. The actual robbery in 1869 happened in the building that now houses Missouri Land Title.
“We do what we have to do,” says Elaine Bohannon, Director, who took the late-notice switch of location in stride.
This year’s re-enactment will be done a little differently, from a raised stage being built by John Hommertzheim of rural Gallatin, so the building itself isn’t as important, anyway. A version of the bank robbery performed 25 years ago took place inside the closed building. The audience couldn’t see what was happening.
“We’ve built the skeletal frame of a set so it will be more like watching the robbery on a stage,” says Mrs. Bohannon. “Our stage will be open so the audience can see Mr. Sheets, the cashier, get shot and Jesse James take the money and run. The stage is not a perfect reproduction of the inside of the bank. People will have to use their imagination.”
Spectators will watch from a roped-off area. A public address system will be set up, so everybody should be able to hear. The re-enactment is expected to last from 20 to 30 minutes.
About 25 volunteers make up the actors. Eight are cowboys and there are 17 townspeople, including a few children. The cast from the Gallatin Theater League will double as townspeople
“They’re already in period clothing and they know how to react; they don’t need much direction,” Ms. Bohannon says.
Wes Gay will serve as narrator. The historical narrative was written by Darryl Wilkinson and edited for time by Ms. Bohannon.
The audience should expect an action packed performance — horses galloping, guns blazing (blanks, of course), people exclaiming.
“It won’t be totally historically accurate,” Mrs. Bohannon says. “Jesse James got hung up in a stirrup and drug during the getaway; his horse got loose; and he rode out double. We’re not going to have a horse running loose if can help it.”
John Bohannon, Elaine’s oldest son, will play Jesse James. Matt Swofford will play Frank.
The James brothers will also be riding in the Chautauqua parade as grand marshals, along with all the rest of the gang.
“It’s fun to be in costume, play it up a bit, and celebrate our outlaw heritage,” says Mrs. Bohannon. “The James brothers are worth remembering. Not because they were robbers. But because the robbery was historical and it happened here in Gallatin. Not everybody can say that.”
For her as director, the project turned out to be bigger than she was expecting.
“I thought they’d just ride in, rob the bank, and ride out,” she says. “It’s grown into quite a deal, building the stage, finding actors, getting a sound system, getting the music.”
She says the most difficult part is not being able to rehearse on site.
“We can’t just block off the streets in town and run through with horses,” she says. “We will rehearse at Dockery Park.”
Everyone involved in the re-enactment is a volunteer.
“We’ve got one shot and we hope it’s good,” she says. “We hope everybody comes and enjoys the tale. We’ll give it our best shot.”