"The Antlers" saloon in Salinas Kansas Quantrill's connection.

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To the left is an image of William "Bud" McDaniels &  Joesph "Eph" Gooch.

I've been doing research on this for many years, and finally found a photograph of the saloon. It was owned by the father of two men who rode with the James Brothers. The saloon was called "The Antlers." In 1867. Bill Dalton erected the building. He rented the building to a fellow by the name of Pat Cunningham for a saloon and a few months later it passed into the hands of Henry McDaniel. In the rear of the building was a garret chamber--a room 15x25 feet that was reached by a narrow stairway. In the partition which separated this place from the main part of the saloon was a crescent opening and the occupants of the garret could see who entered the room below without being seen. This "peephole" was later boarded up by T.W. Carlin after he bought the building in 1886. While McDaniel used the first floor as a saloon , the upstairs room was a gambling apartment and, since there was a bed available as well as the means of observing all who entered the saloon, a  hide-out for criminals.                                          

After the North field raid in 1876, two travelers rode up to the livery stable and secured stalls and feel for their horses and then went to the McDaniels saloon. They were Frank and Jesse James. Both were escorted to the garret room where they were for three days. Bud and Tom McDaniel carried meals to the fugitives and no other person was admitted to the hiding place. Not more than 48 hours after the James boys departed Pinkerton detectives were in Salina looking for them.
 
So the story goes. It's been a part of Salinas history since that time. I also found an early, but undated newspaper clipping about the above story which also told of the deaths of both Bud and Tom McDaniels.    Below is an image of "The Antlers" Saloon.                                                                

 Rick Mack

Rick Mack © 2013 Quantrillsguerrillas.com. "Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this copyrighted essay and or image."