Jesse James: A Legendary Outlaw And Figure In American History

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Jesse James The name Jesse James is amongst the first few when speaking of iconic American outlaws. Unlike others that hailed from a life crime Jesse’s criminal accomplishments set him apart as a legendary outlaw and figure in American history. When talked about there are several images that broadcast themselves into the minds of the individuals. Of the more popular images of Jesse James is his role as leader of the James Gang and his role as a soldier in the Confederate army. Unlike most criminals Jesse was not hailed from a life of crime but instead he was son of Baptist minister Reverend Robert James, born in Clay County, Missouri on September 5, 1847 an educated man in a family of farmers. The James family farm was viciously attacked …show more content…

Bob Ford had met with Missouri’s governor in search of the reward and had the assistance of his older brother to help him plan the traitorous act. Jesse James had survived the confederate war, and multiple gun fights throughout various crimes. He did not die in a hail of gunfire during a daring escape after a bank robbery or while holding up a stagecoach, but instead he died at the hand of a man he allowed into his home, that ate at his dinner table with himself and his family. April 3, 1882 just after breakfast Jesse turned to straighten a picture hanging on the wall of his home when Bob Ford shot him in the back of the head. Jesse died instantly at the age of 34 and the rain of the infamous Jesse James came to an end. The Fords announced they had taken down the notorious outlaw Jesse James to the authorities and were convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hanging; however, the governor quickly pardoned them. The people of Missouri where outraged with the methods utilized to take him down and considered it a cowardly assassination. The Fords began traveling the country reenacting the death of Jesse James to the obsessed public until Charlie Ford committed suicide in the 1884, Bob Ford was shot and killed 10 years later. Six months after the murder of Jesse his brother Frank surrendered in Missouri and stood trial over the next several months for crimes in Missouri and Alabama only to be acquitted. Frank continued out his life in quiet, holding several jobs from a door greeter, to livestock trader. Frank James died in the 1915 at a ripe old age of 72 on the farm he had taken over after his mother had passed away a few years