During the gang's escape from the town, an innocent bystander, 17-year-old George C. "Jolly" Wymore, a student at William Jewell College, was shot dead on the street.[21]. [68], J. Frank Dalton claimed to be Jesse James. 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 left with $2,000 cash from the second robbery and took shelter in abandoned cabins on the Kemp Plantation south of St. Joseph, Louisiana. But he was forced to leave there too. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Jesse was born in Clay County, Missouri, on September 5, 1847, to Zerelda and Robert James, hemp farmers who owned six slaves. Local violence continued to increase in the state; Governor Thomas Clement Fletcher had recently ordered a company of militia into Johnson County to suppress guerrilla activity. Initially buried outside his mother's home near Kearney, Missouri, beneath the epitaph "In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here," he now lies next to his wife in Kearney's Mount Olivet Cemetery. Overheated after moving around, James shed his coat and vest and, after worrying out loud that a neighbor might spot his weapons, also removed his gun belt. [15], After "Bloody Bill" Anderson was killed in an ambush in October, the James brothers separated. Web. He was buried in Granbury Cemetery, where the headstone bears the name of "Jesse Woodson James". Robert Ford was born in 1862 in Ray County, Missouri, to James Thomas and Mary Bruin Ford as the youngest of seven siblings. After the passage of the KansasNebraska Act in 1854, Clay County became the scene of great turmoil as the question of whether slavery would be expanded into the neighboring Kansas Territory bred tension and hostility. [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]. They continued in crime for several years afterward, recruiting new members, but came under increasing pressure from law enforcement seeking to bring them to justice. All Rights Reserved. He was of English and Scottish descent. He spent the next two years repeatedly changing his identity and moving from place to place. 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. Public opinion turned against the Fords for betraying their gang leader, and Robert was seen as a coward and traitor for killing James. He turned around and noticed a dusty picture above the mantle, and stood on a chair to clean it. [10], The JamesSamuel family sided with the Confederates at the outbreak of war. He was just 18, and along with his older brother, Charles, he joined the James Gang. Adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship between Jesse James (Brad Pitt) and Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), focusing on the events that lead up to the titular killing. Ten years after James's death, Ford was himself the victim of a fatal shot to the neck by Edward Capehart O'Kelley in Creede, Colorado, dying at only 30 years old. 23 Now these be the last words of David. After breakfast, they moved into the sitting room to discuss Jesses plan to rob the Platte City, Missouri Bank. Some filmmakers portrayed the former outlaw as a revenger, replacing "social with exclusively personal motives. Jesse James remains a controversial symbol, one who can always be reinterpreted in various ways according to cultural tensions and needs. Between his days as a teenage Confederate guerrilla and his murder at age 34, James became one of Americas most notorious outlaws. Quotes.net. [1] By that time, Bob Ford had conducted secret negotiations with Missouri Governor Thomas T. Crittenden, planning to bring in the famous outlaw. Displaced by Reconstruction, the antebellum political leadership mythologized the James Gang's exploits.
. Jesse's Own Words Jesse James took a hand in building his own . 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. There is no evidence that he shared the loot of his robberies with anyone other than his gang members; they alone enjoyed the riches with him. We strive for accuracy and fairness. He was tended to by his first cousin, Zerelda "Zee" Mimms, named after Jesse's mother. [53] Although Charley had been out on raids with James, Bob Ford was an eager new recruit. When silver was found in Creede, Ford closed his saloon and opened one there. [14] Others have argued that Jesse was at the time still bedridden with his wound and could not have participated. Their escape from a botched robbery in Northfield, Minnesota, in September 1876 that wiped out the rest of the gang seemingly bolstered the myth that the brothers were beyond the reach of the law. 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. [53] Crittenden had made capture of the James brothers his top priority; in his inaugural address he declared that no political motives could be allowed to keep them from justice. Frank was enjoying the straight life as a farmer and family man. Richmond Missouri As to the money, he received only a fraction of the reward. Ford was also promised the $5,000 bounty placed on James head. James noticed that a picture was hanging crooked on the wall, and turned his back on Bob to adjust it. [18][19], Jesse recovered from his chest wound at his uncle's boardinghouse in Harlem, Missouri (north across the Missouri River from the City of Kansas's River Quay [changed to Kansas City in 1889]). Jesse James (Brad Pitt) was the most notorious outlaw of his time, wanted by the law in 10 states yet celebrated as a Robin Hood in newspapers and dime novels. A deputy sheriff named Edwin Daniels also died in the skirmish. Joseph Whicher, an agent dispatched to infiltrate Zerelda Samuel's farm, was soon found killed. Jesse is believed to have shot and killed the cashier, Captain John Sheets, mistakenly believing him to be Samuel P. Cox, the militia officer who had killed "Bloody Bill" Anderson during the Civil War. Jesse James : [last words] Don't that picture look dusty? Ford's brother Charley is believed to have taken part in the JamesYounger gang's Blue Cut train robbery[1] in Jackson County, west of Glendale, Missouri (renamed Selsa and now part of Independence), on September 7, 1881.[2][3]. To carry out the robbery, the gang divided into two groups. On the night of January 25, 1875, he staged a raid on the homestead. The Ford Brothers Indicted, Plead Guilty, Sentenced To Be Hanged, And Pardoned All In One Day", "Jesse James's Assassination and the Ford Boys", "Bob Ford's Narrow Escape. Adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship between Jesse , The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, More The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford quotes, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford's quote. As a young man, Ford came to admire Jesse James for his Civil War record and criminal exploits, eventually getting to meet him in 1880 at the age of 18. Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War by T.J. Stiles. dead and in coffin, 1882. The agents threw an incendiary device into the farmhouse, setting off an explosion that fatally wounded Jesse and Franks 8-year-old half-brother and caused their mother, Zerelda, to lose part of her arm. After the train robbery, Jamess brother Frank James had also decided to retire from crime and moved East, settling in Lynchburg, Virginia.[4]. Robert Ford : I ain't never seen you without your guns, neither. The audience would have nothing of it and they jeered and threatened Ford. The notorious robber was killed by a would-be gang member while plotting his next heist. Another less glamorous claim is that Robert Ford was a pariah, and the few customers that did turn up, only did so to pick fights. Meanwhile, Bob Ford became an unwanted celebrity. James's original grave was on his family property, but he was later moved to a cemetery in Kearney. 1875) and Mary Susan James (later Barr, b. Frank Triplett wrote about James as a "progressive neo-aristocrat" with "purity of race". 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. Published in 1993, this book by T.J. Stiles is about how the Civil War made Jesse James the man that he was. After the James brothers successfully conducted other robberies and became legendary, some observers retroactively credited them with being the leaders of the robbery. I shot Jesse James!. Frank and Jesse failed to appear in court, and Smoote won his case against them. Despite public sentiment toward the gang's crimes, there is no evidence that the James gang ever shared any of the robbery money outside their personal circle. Robert Newton Ford (January 31, 1862 - June 8, 1892) was an American outlaw who killed fellow outlaw Jesse James on April 3, 1882. Suffering from tuberculosis (then incurable) and a morphine addiction, Charley Ford committed suicide on May 6, 1884, in Richmond, Missouri. When Robert Ford pulled the trigger of his six-gun killing Jesse James, he hadnt killed an outlaw, he had killed a hero. The approach of the American Civil War loomed large in the JamesSamuel household. Yet, it is the last four letters in James, the "ames" that bears a strong likeness to Jesse's. Read one of Jesse's original stories here: http://jessejamesphotoalbum.com/a-deck-of-cards/ James moved his family to St. Joseph, Missouri, in November 1881, not far from where he had been born and reared. Jesse James Facts According to his brother, Frank, teenaged guerrilla Jesse James killed Major Johnston. Ford had his back to Kelly. As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson, they were accused of committing atrocities against Union soldiers and civilian abolitionists, including the Centralia Massacre in 1864. Wikimedia CommonsJesse James open casket funeral. Hoping to conceal the crime, he buried Hites body a mile from the house. This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 15:20. Three men entered the bank, two guarded the door outside, and three remained near a bridge across an adjacent square. [citation needed]. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Pablo Escobar. For a period, Robert earned money by posing for photographs as "the man who killed Jesse James" in dime museums. Audiences would chant lyrics from a popular song of the day at Fords events. 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. Many people from Missouri migrated to Kansas to try to influence its future. He became "the man who killed the man who killed Jesse James". 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. The James gang had been reduced to the two of them. According to witnesses, Ford's back was turned. [31] This was the beginning of an alliance between James and John Newman Edwards, editor and founder of the Kansas City Times. [11] These tales have received little credence, then or since. Ford was promised the $5,000 bounty once he killed James, but received only a fraction of the amount when he did. In early January 1882, Bolton met with Crittenden, who agreed to spare Liddil from prosecution for his testimony against the James boys. 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. Bob remained at the cottage and slyly migrated from room to room. He is known to have returned to Missouri in the spring. Meanwhile, James' legend continued to . After Jesse's death, a good watch taken from one of the stage passengers was found among his effects. "[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]. In one day, the Ford brothers were indicted, pleaded guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging, but two hours later Crittenden granted them a full pardon.[11]. [73] Some historians credit James's myth as contributing to the rise of former Confederates to dominance in Missouri politics. Inside, the outlaws turned to flee. 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. 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. On the afternoon of September 7, 1876, Jesse and Frank James, along with Cole, Jim and Robert Younger and three other associates, tried to rob the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. At last all doubt is cleared up -- the bank robbers at Northfield, Minnesota were the James-Younger "boys." . 49K views 10 months ago #IWasThere After a botched robbery in 1876, Jessie James becomes one of the most famous outlaws in town - which soon leads to his demise, in this clip from Season 1, "The. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik. Teenaged Robert Ford (Casey. [4] Clay County in particular was strongly influenced by the Southern culture of its rural pioneer families. At the time, James was already mythologized as an American Robin Hood, while Ford was viewed as a traitor who turned on James for a bounty. Meanwhile, former Union officer Thomas Crittenden began his tenure as Missouri governor in 1881 with a promise to bring James to justice. [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. Barred by law from offering a sufficiently large reward, he had turned to the railroad and express corporations to put up a $5,000 bounty for the delivery of each of them and an additional $5,000 for the conviction of either of them. Unarmed, he mounted a chair to dust off a picture on the wall, his back to the brothers as they cocked their pistols. Jesse James "I'm not afraid. A bitter conflict ensued, resulting in an escalating cycle of atrocities committed by both sides. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. James's mother Zerelda Samuel wrote the following epitaph for him: "In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here. [60][75][76] However, renewed cultural battles over the place of the Civil War in American history have replaced the long-standing interpretation of James as a Western frontier hero. Senators from the state, former Confederate military commander Francis Cockrell, and former Confederate Congressman George Graham Vest, were identified with the Confederate cause. Following the raid, public support for Jesse and Frank increased, and the Missouri state legislature even came close to passing a bill offering the men amnesty. But for James, at least, it also marked the start of a slow countdown to when the way of the gun would finally catch up with him. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. When the Civil War came, young Jesse watched his older brother Frank . The report, prepared by Anne C. Stone, Ph.D., James E. Starrs, L.L.M., and Mark Stoneking, Ph.D., confirmed that the mtDNA recovered from the remains was consistent with the mtDNA of one of James's relatives in the female line. Missouri governor Thomas T. Crittenden assured Ford that he would receive a full pardon for the murder of Hite and James. In March 1874, after the agency took on the case of the James gang, a Pinkerton detective searching for Jesse and Frank in Missouri wound up dead, while a Pinkerton agent who pursued the brothers fellow gang members Cole and Robert Younger in another part of the state also was killed. [3] This area of Missouri was largely settled by people from the Upper South, especially Kentucky and Tennessee, and became known as Little Dixie for this reason. 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. Jesse James: [last words] Don't that picture look dusty? Allan Pinkerton never pursued his hunt for Jesse and Frank any further. 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. This influenced how the population acted during and for a period of time after the war. A substantial manhunt ensued. Museums and sites devoted to Jesse James: The Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield, Minnesota, is among the largest outdoor celebrations in the state. Jesse James did not become well known until December 7, 1869, when he (and most likely Frank) robbed the Daviess County Savings Association in Gallatin, Missouri. Charley Ford committed suicide in 1884, while Bob Ford was shot to death in 1894 in a Colorado saloon. [33], Jesse and his cousin Zee married on April 24, 1874. When Jesse James was still alive, America already loved him, for, in him, there was an adventure in an otherwise dull, slowly turning-scientific age. 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