Ninetoes takes a look at the death of legendary outlaw Jesse James, and asks if James would rather die than be taken in.
Hey there, true crime lovers! It is your favorite investigator, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ, and I am on the beat with the Case of Jesse James. I have my notebook in hand and coffee in my system, so let’s get to it!
Just to clear things up, this article is not about all of the crimes committed by the James-Younger gang. This article is looking at the death of Jesse James.
After the Northfield Raid in 1876, the James-Younger gang was no more. The James brothers and the Younger brothers went their separate ways. Jesse and Frank moved east to Nashville, Tennessee, and assumed the names Thomas Howard (Jesse) and B.J. Woodson (Frank). Frank was quite content to settle down, but Jesse grew restless. So much so that in 1879, he formed a new gang and resumed his life of crime. After several train robberies, this gang was soon at each other’s throats and split up.
In 1881, Jesse moved his family back to St. Joseph, Missouri, close to where he grew up. Jesse did not trust very many people at this point. In fact, he only trusted Charley and Robert Ford. Charley had been on several raids with Jesse, and Robert was a relatively new recruit. For protection purposes, Jesse had the Ford brothers move in with him.
What Jesse did not know is he had a snake in his garden. Robert Ford was in secret negotiations with the governor of Missouri, Thomas T. Crittenden, to bring in Jesse. Crittenden made the capture of the James brothers his top priority. In his inaugural address, he claimed that no political motives would keep the brothers from being brought to justice. He went as far as to have the railroad and express corporations give a $5,000 reward for the capture, and an additional $5,000 for a conviction for both brothers.
On April 3, 1882, after eating breakfast, Jesse and the Ford brothers went to the living room after eating breakfast. Jesse had read an article in the newspaper that gang member Dick Liddil had confessed to participating in Wood Hite’s murder. He was suspicious that the Ford brothers did not mention this to him. Rather than confront the brothers, Jesse laid his pistols on the sofa and turned around. He noticed a dusty picture above the fireplace, got on a chair to clean it, and Robert Ford drew his weapon and shot Jesse in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Jesse’s previous two bullet wounds and a partially missing middle finger were used to identify him.
The Ford brothers did not try to hide their role in the death of Jesse James. They turned themselves in to the authorities, and you can imagine their surprise when they were charged with first-degree murder. In the span of a single day, the Ford brothers were indicted, pleaded guilty, were sentenced to hang, and in the end, they were granted a full pardon by Governor Crittenden.
The fact that Governor Crittenden gave the Ford brothers a full pardon suggested to people that he knew the Fords were going to kill the infamous outlaw. The fact that Missouri’s chief executive conspired to kill a private citizen of the state alarmed its citizens and only added to the notoriety of Jesse James.
The Ford brothers only got a portion of the reward and fled the state.
Charley Ford, suffering from tuberculosis and a morphine addiction, committed suicide on May 6, 1884.
Robert Ford ran a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado. On June 8, 1892, a man named Edward O’Kelley went to Creede and walked into Ford’s tent. He said, “Hello, Bob.” Then shot Ford in the throat with is double barrel shotgun, killing him instantly. O’Kelley was sentenced to life in prison, but the sentence was commuted because of a 7,000-signature petition. The governor of Colorado pardoned him in 1902.
Until the next time, keep your pencils sharp and your paper dry! I bid you successful investigating.
Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.
PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.