The magazine is still excellent after all these years. Keep up the good work. The two men were related, however. Missouri's Kearney reportedly got its name from a man who had spent a lot of time at Nebraska's Fort Kearny. While I can't discount the possibility that Courtney may have been involved in some sort of criminal enterprise, I don't think that he was Jesse James, the Missouri outlaw.
Readers can decide for themselves, as did the judge, the validity of the case.
While there has already been more ink spilled in this matter than blood in the Northfield bank raid, it would be interesting if you could find some way to provide the other Courtney relatives with equal time to present photos and other relevant documentary material concerning this claim in Wild West for readers who lack an internet connection. But rest assured, I will again try for an exhumation, and this time I believe I'll be successful. The Clay County Parks Department owns and operates the James Farm and Museum in Kearney. Exhumation project leader Professor James Starrs has never published the report of his findings, even though five years have passed since the exhumation. History and bloodlines are at stake.