Written by Aaron-Michael Fox. 

It was a Monday afternoon on September 6, 1875. The Bank of Huntington had been open less than a year when four men rode up on horseback. Two of the men stayed outside with the horses while the other two men entered the bank with guns drawn.

The cashier was alone in the bank and turned over nearly $20,000 for fear of his life.

The robbers mounted their horses, fired their pistols into the air, and rode off into the hills south of town heading toward Wayne County. A posse followed.

One of the bandits was captured in Kentucky, tried, and found guilty. Another was shot and later died of his wounds.

Two men, however, and a large portion of the loot, were never recovered. According to local folklore, the two men who got away were Frank James and Cole Younger of the infamous James-Younger Gang. If this is true, the Bank of Huntington would be the easternmost bank robbed by the James Gang.

Legends persist of Frank James spending the last half of his life hiding out in Wayne County under the alias “Frank Morris.” Furniture alleged to be made by Frank James has been passed down in Wayne County families for generations.

Is this story true? After this many years, who can say.