Started By
Message
Today In History
Posted on 4/3/19 at 3:16 pm
Posted on 4/3/19 at 3:16 pm
April 3, 1882
Jesse James murdered by his cousin Bob Ford.
The heat was on back in the early spring of 1882. Jesse and family were laying low in a small house in St. Joe. He rented it under the name Mr. Howard, an alias he’d used before. The James Gang had fallen on hard times and Jesse was trying to (in modern terminology) “put the band back together” for a criminal comeback. But with many original members dead or in prison, it was time for new blood.
Brothers Bob and Charley Ford were in their early 20s. They were also snakes. While they were worming their way into Jesse James’ world, they were also secretly negotiating with Missouri’s governor for the $5,000 reward on James’ head. A deal was cut: Kill James and get the cash, plus a full pardon.
April 3, 1882, was an unusually warm Monday. After finishing breakfast in the little rented house, James noticed a picture was hanging crooked on a wall. With his guns resting on a nearby table, he was straightening it when Bob Ford shot him from behind.
Jesse James was no hero, but shooting an unarmed man from behind was the ultimate in cowardice. Conspiring to collect $5,000 for it added a Judas Iscariot quality, too.
But while Jesse James’ story was over, Bob and Charley Ford’s tale was just beginning. They wired the governor to collect their ill-gotten gain, then surrendered themselves to authorities. Imagine their surprise when they were indicted for murder, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to hang, all in just one day!
Two hours later, the governor spared them from the gallows with a full pardon. But he ripped them off on the reward by paying only $500, a far cry from the $5,000 they were promised. (Thievery wasn’t limited to outlaws back then.)
Washington Examiner
Jesse James murdered by his cousin Bob Ford.
The heat was on back in the early spring of 1882. Jesse and family were laying low in a small house in St. Joe. He rented it under the name Mr. Howard, an alias he’d used before. The James Gang had fallen on hard times and Jesse was trying to (in modern terminology) “put the band back together” for a criminal comeback. But with many original members dead or in prison, it was time for new blood.
Brothers Bob and Charley Ford were in their early 20s. They were also snakes. While they were worming their way into Jesse James’ world, they were also secretly negotiating with Missouri’s governor for the $5,000 reward on James’ head. A deal was cut: Kill James and get the cash, plus a full pardon.
April 3, 1882, was an unusually warm Monday. After finishing breakfast in the little rented house, James noticed a picture was hanging crooked on a wall. With his guns resting on a nearby table, he was straightening it when Bob Ford shot him from behind.
Jesse James was no hero, but shooting an unarmed man from behind was the ultimate in cowardice. Conspiring to collect $5,000 for it added a Judas Iscariot quality, too.
But while Jesse James’ story was over, Bob and Charley Ford’s tale was just beginning. They wired the governor to collect their ill-gotten gain, then surrendered themselves to authorities. Imagine their surprise when they were indicted for murder, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to hang, all in just one day!
Two hours later, the governor spared them from the gallows with a full pardon. But he ripped them off on the reward by paying only $500, a far cry from the $5,000 they were promised. (Thievery wasn’t limited to outlaws back then.)
Washington Examiner
2
Posted on 4/3/19 at 3:39 pm to Trumansfangs
That coward Robert Ford.
Posted on 4/3/19 at 4:15 pm to Trumansfangs
I have a compulsion to straighten crooked pictures, too. Never thought about getting shot though. Poor Jesse. We all have snakes in the family.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News