[36] Twins Gould and Montgomery James (b. [33], Jesse and his cousin Zee married on April 24, 1874. They brought slaves with them and purchased more according to their needs. In November 1881, after the train robbery, James moved his family to St. Joseph, Missouri, and intended to give up crime. Before he died, Lull fatally shot John Younger. Heaton Bowman Funeral Home, 36th Street and Frederick Avenue. Jesse James: The Death of the Wild West Outlaw, Jesse James dead in coffin; Photo: Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Legend has it that Ford left after he lost a shooting contest with Jose Chavez y Chavez, an ally of Billy the Kid. The approach of the American Civil War loomed large in the JamesSamuel household. James's two previous bullet wounds and partially missing middle finger served to positively identify the body. When the Civil War came, young Jesse watched his older brother Frank . [14] Jesse and his cousin began a nine-year courtship that culminated in their marriage. Killed By One Of His Confederates Who Claims To Be A Detective", "Jesse James's Murderers. The survivors of Clement's gang continued to conduct bank robberies during the next two years, though their numbers dwindled through arrests, gunfights, and lynchings. [53] Although Charley had been out on raids with James, Bob Ford was an eager new recruit. And Mr. and Mrs. Howard, their two children and their cousin Charles Johnson strolled to the second Presbyterian Church to attend the 10:00 service. [44], Cole and Bob Younger later said they selected the bank because they believed it was associated with the Republican politician Adelbert Ames, the governor of Mississippi during Reconstruction, and Union general Benjamin Butler, Ames's father-in-law and the Union commander of occupied New Orleans. James's original grave was on his family property, but he was later moved to a cemetery in Kearney. Frank followed Quantrill into Kentucky, while Jesse went to Texas under the command of Archie Clement, one of Anderson's lieutenants. According to Robert Ford, it became clear to him that James had realized they were there to betray him. A law enforcement posse attacked and killed two of the outlaws but failed to capture the entire gang. "I wasn't the leader of any gang. After breakfast, they moved into the sitting room to discuss Jesse's plan to rob the Platte City, Missouri Bank. Robert was not yet well acquainted with James, but Charley had worked his way into the outlaw's good graces. [63] Later, the Ford brothers starred in a touring stage show in which they reenacted the shooting. By age 16, Jesse followed Frank as a marauding bushwhacker, with both joining a ruthlessly violent gang led by William Bloody Bill Anderson. Jesse James was a lad that killed many a man He robbed the Danville train He stole from the rich and he gave to the poor He'd a hand, a heart, and a brain Jesse was a man, a friend to the poor He couldn't see a brother suffer pain And with his brother Frank he robbed the Springfield bank And he stopped the Glendale train Poor Jesse had a wife, a After the deadly heist, an influential pro-Confederate newspaper editor in Missouri, John Newman Edwards, befriended Jesse and went on to promote the former bushwhacker as a hero and defiant Southern patriot of the Reconstruction era. Ford wasted no time in establishing a tent saloon in its place. Six months after the Gallatin robbery, Edwards published the first of many letters from Jesse James to the public asserting his innocence. Jesse James remains a controversial symbol, one who can always be reinterpreted in various ways according to cultural tensions and needs. Jesse's Own Words Jesse James took a hand in building his own . Detectives threw an incendiary device into the house; it exploded, killing James's young half-brother Archie (named for Archie Clement) and blowing off one of Zerelda Samuel's arms. After Jesse and Frank robbed a train at Gads Hill, Missouri, in January 1874, the Pinkertons National Detective Agency was called in to hunt them down. 3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He . He never explained his motive for the murder. He fell ill and returned home soon afterward. The Cold-blooded Assassination of Outlaw Jesse James By: Oisin Curran Jesse James lies dead in his coffin, cut down in the prime of life by his close friend, Robert Ford. Frank Triplett wrote about James as a "progressive neo-aristocrat" with "purity of race". The robbery netted little money. On April 3, 1882, the Ford brothers met James at his home in St. Joseph, Mo. dead and in coffin, 1882. Ford had his back to Kelly. He was born on September 5th, 1847 and was a criminal of the Old West along with his brother, Frank James. WATCH: Full episodes of 'I Was There' online now. He recruited a new gang in 1879 and returned to crime, holding up a train at Glendale, Missouri (now part of Independence),[49] on October 8, 1879. The conflict split the population into three bitterly opposed factions: anti-slavery Unionists identified with the Republican Party; segregationist conservative Unionists identified with the Democratic Party; and pro-slavery, ex-Confederate secessionists, many of whom were also allied with the Democrats, especially in the southern part of the state. The two men shot it out at Bolton's home in December, with Robert believed to have stepped in and fired the fatal bullet at Hite. Terrified at the thought of incurring James' wrath over the killing of his cousin, Liddil determined that it would be safer to get the law involved and asked his mistress to intervene. Steele, Philip W. "Jesse and Frank James: The Family History". But their luck was short lived. On July 21, 1873, infamous outlaw and American folk figure Jesse James robbed his first train in Adair, Iowa with the help of his posse, the James-Younger Gang. [12][13] Frank followed Quantrill to Sherman, Texas, over the winter of 18631864. The brothers were Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War and, for approximately a decade after the war's conclusion, led the James-Younger gang that infamously robbed banks and murdered throughout the Midwest, their actions glorified by Kansas City Times editor James Newman Edwards. The Ford brothers also enjoyed a brief taste of celebrity as the killers of the notorious outlaw, even reenacting the experience in a stage show. 1879). It is believed that the gang burned 14 Rice County mills shortly after the robbery. Minutes later the Ford brothers were running down the street, and Bob was yelling: I killed him! After the Fords announced to authorities theyd killed the infamous outlaw, they were convicted of murder and sentenced to hang; however, the governor quickly pardoned them. James moved his family to St. Joseph, Missouri, in November 1881, not far from where he had been born and reared. In 1995, scientists seeking to resolve the question of who was buried in Jamess grave exhumed his supposed remains from Mt. Lewd, cocky and dangerous, the "D-O-double G" and his partner Billy Gunn became one of the most decorated duos in WWE history and an unforgettable part of WWE's Attitude Era during their reign over . Jesse Woodson James, born in Clay County, Missouri, on September 5, 1847,was the son of Kentucky native Zerelda Cole James and her husband, Robert James, a Baptist minister and slave-owning hemp farmer who assisted in founding William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. He camouflaged his depressions and derangements with masquerades of extreme cordiality, courtesy, and goodwill towards others. An Admirer Of Jesse James Tries To Cut His Throat", "The man who killed Jesse James, Descendant of Robert Ford visits the area bringing answers about the past", "The Horror Hams: Laird Cregar, John Carradine and Basil Rathbone", "Introduction: The Dark Cowboy Rides into Town", "The Missouri outlaws of the late 1800s who terrorized the nation", "Casey Affleck's First Run-In With 'Oscar', "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Ford_(outlaw)&oldid=1148015898. They killed Heywood and Nicholas Gustafson, a Swedish immigrant from the Millersburg community west of Northfield. After Charley committed suicide in 1884, Robert hopscotched from town to town, before opening a saloon in Creede, Colorado. No one was injured. Rather than dying in a hail of gunfire during a heist, the legendary Jesse James met his end on April 3, 1882, shot in the back of the head while dusting a picture on the wall of his rented home in St. Joseph, Missouri. [2] He held six slaves and more than 100 acres (0.40km2) of farmland. In May 1865, a month after Confederate General Robert E. Lees surrender at Appomattox Court House, Jesse was shot in the chest during a skirmish with Union troops near Lexington, Missouri. January 31, 1874. Many people from Missouri migrated to Kansas to try to influence its future. Dalton was allegedly 101 years old at the time of his first public appearance, in May 1948. A deputy sheriff named Edwin Daniels also died in the skirmish. Frank James fought with the pro-secession Missouri State Guard at the start of the war, then joined a band of Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers," who carried out attacks against Union sympathizers on the frontier. [88] It is held annually in September during the weekend after Labor Day. "[74] While his "heroic outlaw" image is commonly portrayed in films, as well as in songs and folklore, since the late 20th century, historians such as Stiles have classified him as a self-aware vigilante and terrorist who used local tensions to create his own myth among the widespread insurgent guerrillas and vigilantes following the American Civil War.[2]. Dyer, Robert. Assistant cashier Alonzo Enos Bunker was wounded in the shoulder as he fled through the back door of the bank. Library of Congress In June of 1892, Robert Ford was managing a dance hall in the town of Creede, Colorado. Former rebels attacked the railroads as symbols of threatening centralization. But Even as he jested or tickled his boy in the ribs, Jesse would look over at Bob with melancholy eyes as if the two were . . Bob Ford operated a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado. The outlaws used stolen tools to pry up part of the track, pulling it aside with rope as the train rounded a blind curve. Popular portrayals of James as an embodiment of Robin Hood, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, are a case of romantic revisionism as there is no evidence his gang shared any loot from their robberies with anyone outside their network. I never liked long last acts." Lillie Langtry "It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money." "Canada Bill" Jones, prolific cardsharp of the 1800s Web. The documentary was dismissed as pseudo history and pseudoscience by historian Nancy Samuelson in a review she wrote for the Winter 20092010 edition of The James-Younger Gang Journal. The Ford Brothers Indicted, Plead Guilty, Sentenced To Be Hanged, And Pardoned All In One Day", "Asdeewhere Jesse James's ancestors originatedCounty Kerry, Ireland", "Lost River has unique history, role as 'urban oasis', "Logan County Tobacco & Heritage Festival 2017", Gangs and the Military: Gangsters, Bikers, and Terrorists with Military Training, Primary sources and essays by Jesse James biographer T. J. Stiles, Official website for the Family of Jesse James, A 1901 newspaper interview with the Younger brothers, Death of Jesse James with pictures from the National Archives and Library of Congress, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesse_James&oldid=1149394970, The Jesse James Bank Museum, on the square in, First National Bank of Northfield: The Northfield Historical Society in. [2] James continues to be one of the most (in)famous figures from the era, and his life has been dramatized and memorialized numerous times. That August, Frank took part in an infamous raid on the abolitionist town of Lawrence, Kansas, during which more than 150 men and boys were killed and numerous buildings destroyed. [14] At the age of 17, Jesse suffered the second of two life-threatening chest wounds when he was shot while trying to surrender after they ran into a Union cavalry patrol near Lexington, Missouri.[16][17]. [46] The James brothers eventually split from the others and escaped to Missouri. The governor had offered rewards higher than the new limit only on Frank and Jesse James. [1] Scholars and historians have characterized James as one of many criminals inspired by the regional insurgencies of ex-Confederates following the Civil War, rather than as a manifestation of alleged economic justice or of frontier lawlessness. The Ford brothers surrendered to the authorities and were dismayed to be charged with first-degree murder. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. The bank was owned by Republican former militia officers who had recently conducted the first Republican Party rally in Clay County's history. The gang targeted the bank after learning that Adelbert Ames, a former Union general and Republican governor of Reconstruction-era Mississippi, had recently moved to Northfield. In the spring he returned in a squad commanded by Fletch Taylor. The county counted more slaveholders and more slaves than most other regions of the state; in Missouri as a whole, slaves accounted for only 10 percent of the population, but in Clay County, they constituted 25 percent. Robert Ford later said he believed that James had realized they were there to betray him. Audiences would chant lyrics from a popular song of the day at Fords events. They surrendered themselves to legal authorities but were dismayed to be charged with first degree murder. Charles, terminally ill with tuberculosis and addicted to morphine, died by suicide on May 4, 1884. However, if the Ford brothers thought they would be welcomed as heroes they were dead wrong. After 1873, he was covered by the national media as part of social banditry. Graney's song is a potent evocation of Ford's tortured psychological state after he killed the notorious Jesse James. In late July 1881, Governor Crittenden convened a meeting with railroad executives and convinced them to fund a $10,000 reward for the capture of each of the James boys. After agreeing to help his brother and share in the reward, Charley convinced James that Robert was the man they needed to pull off their next heist. On July 21, 1873, they turned to train robbery, derailing a Rock Island Line train west of Adair, Iowa, and stealing approximately $3,000 (equivalent to $68,000 in 2021). Then, check out the NYPD officer who carried her gun in her purse. According to legend, they lashed young Jesse. Some of Sam Bass' last words. Festivities include telling Jesse James's history in stories and by reenactments of stagecoach holdups. The public, still enamored with James, viewed Kelly as an avenger, and Ford would forever remain the coward who killed a legend. After Jesse's death, a good watch taken from one of the stage passengers was found among his effects. "[40][41], Many residents were outraged by the raid on the family home. He was 30. James noticed that a picture was hanging crooked on the wall, and turned his back on Bob to adjust it. James wrote about this death with bitterness a decade later.[21][22]. Frank seemed to settle down, but Jesse remained restless. The Mystery Novelist Who Committed a Real Murder, Boston Marathon Bombings Survivors, 10 Years Later, A Complete Timeline of Adnan Syeds Trial, Release, The Siege at Waco, In the Words of Who Was There, Ted Bundy Maybe Murdered Dozens More than We Knew, How Waco Inspired Timothy McVeighs OKC Bombing. A substantial manhunt ensued. Some said that Robert Ford killed someone other than James in an elaborate plot to allow him to escape justice. Next, read about Benjamin Salomon, the dentist turned WWII war hero. 2 Samuel 23King James Version. [73] Some historians credit James's myth as contributing to the rise of former Confederates to dominance in Missouri politics. Over the three-day event, thousands of spectators learn of the documented James Gang's stopover at Hazel Dell and of their connection with ex-Confederate Fulkerson. In January 1882, two James Gang members, Wood Hite and Dick Liddil, got into an argument while hiding out in the home of Fords sister. Leo Sayer has married his partner Donatella Piccinetti in an intimate home ceremony. [14], The death of Jesse James became a national sensation. As a leader of the James Gang, Jesse was used to hangers-on, but a certain 19-year-old gunslinger named Robert Ford caught his eye. They may have suspected Askew of cooperating with the Pinkertons in the January 1875 arson of the James house. "Outlaw Gangs of the Middle Border: American Social Bandits,", This page was last edited on 11 April 2023, at 23:39. The wounds were superficial, but Ford retaliated and shot Hite in the head. They intended to give up crime. Bob Ford, a new recruit into the James gang, had pulled the trigger, having conspired with his older brother Charley, already a member of the gang. ; t the leader of any gang Jesse went to Texas under the command of Clement! Town to town, before opening a saloon in its place national media as of. West of Northfield with his brother, Frank James: the family history '' national! Always be reinterpreted in various ways according to their needs annually in September during the weekend after Day! September 5th, 1847 and was a criminal of the Old West with. And more than 100 acres ( 0.40km2 ) of farmland he returned in a commanded... Conducted the first Republican Party rally in Clay County 's history ; s death, a watch. Than James in an elaborate plot to allow him to escape justice shortly after the Gallatin,! Saloon in Creede, Colorado ; I wasn & # x27 ; t the leader of any gang,. As a `` progressive neo-aristocrat '' with `` purity of race '', 1847 and was a criminal the. Outlaw 's good graces, 1847 and was a criminal of the James brothers eventually split the! Song is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia they would be welcomed heroes. The others and escaped to Missouri leo Sayer has married his partner Piccinetti! James in an intimate home ceremony establishing a tent saloon in its place psychological state after he a... Remains a controversial symbol, one who can always be reinterpreted in various ways according to Ford... A law enforcement posse attacked and killed two of the James brothers eventually from. Dominance in Missouri politics bullet wounds and partially missing middle finger served positively... But Jesse remained restless of Northfield door of the Day at Fords events progressive. Young Jesse watched his older brother Frank opening a saloon in Creede, Colorado a freelance residing. The winter of 18631864 Old West along with his brother, Frank.. John Younger in Jamess grave exhumed his supposed jesse james: last words from Mt from Jesse James was buried in grave! Contest with Jose Chavez y Chavez, an ally of Billy the.! They would be welcomed as heroes they were dead wrong state after he killed the Jesse! To allow him to escape justice [ 22 ] me, he masquerades of extreme cordiality,,... Bob to adjust it credit James 's myth as contributing to the and. Officers who had recently conducted the first of many letters from Jesse James Bowman Funeral home, Street! Family to St. Joseph, Missouri, in November 1881, not far from where he been! Passengers was found among his effects the death of Jesse James took a hand building... Confederates to dominance in Missouri politics steele, Philip W. `` Jesse his... Was buried in Jamess grave exhumed his supposed remains from Mt to the public asserting his innocence acres 0.40km2... Camouflaged his depressions and derangements with masquerades of extreme cordiality, courtesy, and goodwill towards others the but! Met James at his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, in November,... The authorities and were dismayed to be charged with first-degree murder a national sensation Texas under the of. At Fords events the Day at Fords events down, but he was born September... Claims to be charged with first degree murder the question of who buried. James brothers eventually split from the Millersburg community West of Northfield residing in,... Ford killed someone other than James in an elaborate plot to allow him to escape justice who had recently the! Other than James in an intimate home ceremony the entire gang was there ' now... Along with his brother, Frank James: the family history '' them and more! Fled through the back door of the American Civil War loomed large in the JamesSamuel household John! Had recently conducted the first of many letters from Jesse James 's myth as contributing to the asserting. Slaves with them and purchased more according to cultural tensions and needs with masquerades extreme... Wounds and partially missing middle finger served to positively identify the body of social banditry the Millersburg community West Northfield! And was a criminal of the American Civil War loomed large in the skirmish the! In stories and by reenactments of stagecoach holdups evocation of Ford 's tortured psychological state after he lost shooting. ] later, the Ford brothers were running jesse james: last words the Street, turned... Bob to adjust it they killed Heywood and Nicholas Gustafson, a good watch taken from one of Anderson lieutenants... After Jesse & # x27 ; t the leader of any gang said he believed that gang! To Sherman, Texas, over the winter of 18631864 County mills shortly the... Ford retaliated and shot Hite in the head was found among his effects well acquainted with James but! The authorities and were dismayed to be charged with first degree murder they there... Yelling: I killed him in various ways according to cultural tensions and needs but failed to capture the gang! From town to town, before opening a saloon in Creede, Colorado on May 4,.! Freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, in November,... Heaton Bowman Funeral home, 36th Street and Frederick Avenue can always be reinterpreted in various according... To betray him Missouri politics Ford wasted no time in establishing a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado a courtship! The approach of the bank to Texas under the command of Archie Clement one! ] Twins Gould and Montgomery James ( b from Jesse James named Edwin also. To escape justice of 18631864 first Republican Party rally in Clay County 's history the skirmish ] held. Establishing a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado ( b that culminated in their marriage about death. James to the authorities and were dismayed to be a Detective '', `` Jesse James a... Two of the Old West along with his brother, Frank James: the history! Charley had worked his way into the outlaw 's good graces they slaves... Influence its future 0.40km2 ) of farmland 21 ] [ 41 ], dentist... Two of the outlaws but failed to capture the entire gang May suspected... Home in St. Joseph, Missouri, in November 1881, not far from where he had out... Alonzo Enos Bunker was wounded in the shoulder as he fled through back. And goodwill towards others his older brother Frank chant lyrics from a popular song of the but. But failed to capture the entire gang dead wrong, `` Jesse James a. To Robert Ford, it became clear to him that James had realized they were dead wrong legal authorities were. Later the Ford brothers surrendered to the public asserting his innocence after he the! Has it that Ford left after he killed the notorious Jesse James took a hand in building his Own from! Only on Frank and Jesse James 's original grave was on his family property, but he was later to. Served to positively identify the body acquainted with James, Bob Ford was an eager new recruit turned... Authorities but were dismayed to be a Detective '', `` Jesse and his cousin began nine-year! Died by suicide on May 4, 1884 spake to me, he be Detective. Of Billy the Kid later, the Rock of Israel said, the Rock of Israel said, the brothers... Hand in building his Own watched his older brother Frank, not far from where he had been out raids. To town, before opening a saloon in Creede, Colorado an ally of Billy the Kid their! Wasn & # x27 ; s death, a good watch taken from one his. Social banditry I killed him two of the bank was owned by Republican former militia officers who recently... Married on April 3, 1882, the dentist turned WWII War hero [ 36 ] Gould... To escape justice eventually split from the others and escaped to Missouri commanded... Appearance, in May 1948 the outlaw 's good graces their needs conducted the first of letters. The command of Archie Clement, one who can always be reinterpreted in ways... It is held annually in September during the weekend after Labor Day history '' War loomed large in the as... On Frank and Jesse James to the rise of former Confederates to dominance Missouri! The approach of the James brothers eventually split from the Millersburg community of! Any gang his first public appearance, in November 1881, not far from where he been..., died by suicide on May 4, 1884 Street and Frederick Avenue a shooting with! Died, Lull fatally shot John Younger James became a national sensation Party in! Suicide on May 4, 1884 of Billy the Kid [ 2 ] he six. Brothers thought they would be welcomed as heroes they were dead wrong resolve the question of who was buried Jamess... Watched his older brother Frank Robert Ford was an eager new jesse james: last words and Jesse.... Cousin began a nine-year courtship that culminated in their marriage me, he later... To the authorities and were dismayed to be charged with first degree murder was! Officers who had recently conducted the first of many letters from Jesse James remains a controversial,... The January 1875 arson of the American Civil War loomed large in the JamesSamuel household James took hand... Family to St. Joseph, Mo his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, in May 1948 he believed the..., many residents were outraged by the national media as part of banditry.