Smyrna times., 1882-04-12
Jesse James Dead.

Che past TWO years, seems to be really dead
now, without the shadow of doubt. He
has been killed so often in print and then
turned up again in some daring exploit of
deVlltry, that the more recent accounts of
his taking of were read with extreme in
credulity.' He has turned out on several
occasions to be the most troublesome dead
man on record. But there is little doubt
OF the identity of the corpse this time.
The testimony of his wife and mother has
! established the fact that the man who has
! heeiI terror to the Southwest has at last.
III frontier parlance, "gone over the
range. ii" was shot dead in a room of
ms own home, i'll st. Joseph, Missouri. on
! Monday morning of last week, hy Robert
Ford, one of two brothers who were lod0-
ing with him and at the same time WATCH
ing an opportunity TO take his life. The
t0rds claim to be detectives and that the
shooting was done in accordance with an
! understanding between them and Govern
Crittenden, by which the assassin was to
! receive reward immunity. They made
Jesse believe they were train robbers and
horse thieves, and, to gain his confidence,
engaged with him in plotting to rob \
bank ia a neighboring town. Jesse al
! ways went well armed and it was not an
easy matter to get the drop on him. .
but the FOrds hided their time ACCENTED
of his hospitality ate at his board and
watched for chance to take him oif'with-
cut any risk to themselves. Monday
morning the three men were together in
the front room of Jesse's house. and JeSso
complaining of being warm, took off his
coat and pistol belt, and got upon q chair
10 dust picture. Whilst in that position
with his back 10 the Ford's, Robert. the
younger of the two. drew heavy pistol
handsomely mounted weapoA ANA a gift
from the man he had engaged to assassi.
nate, and without a movement save the
cautious and deliberate raising of his arm
shot the noted train and bank robbe,
through the brain. He swayed slowly
from side to side and then fell, Just as his
wife, who is young and pretty and was
much attached to her husband. rushed
from another room and caught him in her
arms. There is something romantic
about the death of this noted desperate
and he will be a handy hero for the blood
and-thunder novelist for years to come
The career of the James boys of which
there is but one left has been one of the
most remarkable in the annals of crime
Their father was Baptist minister and
they were raised in Clay county
Missouri. The atrocities of the war in
Missouri made outlaws Of them. Frank
the eldest, Joined Quantrell's guerrilIas
and soon became noted for his daring. In
1862 DR.. Samuels, the step-father of the
boys, was hung up by Federal soldiers
but his wife cut him down in time to save
MS life. After this, Jesse, who was then
mere boy, also joined Quantrell's band
with which he continued until the end o.
the war. The daring robberies of the
James boys began in 1868, when Jesse
with three other desperadoes, dashed into
Russellville, Kentucky, and robbed the
bank of 81, 400. The band next robbed
the bank at Gallatin, Missouri, shooting
the cashier dead. In 1870 the boys were
unexpectedly heard of in Iowa, where
they robbed the bank of Corydon of $40,
600. Their next exploit was at Columbia
Kentucky, where they shot the cashier
and relieved the bank of all the cash in it:
vaults In the fall of the same year they
rode up to the box office of the Kansa:
City agricultural fair ground during al
exciting race. Jesse thrust a pisto
through the window, demanding tht
money, and the cash box, containing $40,
600, was handed out. The outlaws were
/ pursued for short distance, but escaped
with the money Jesse James has beer
tn leading spirit in all the noted trair
rObberries of the Southwest. In 1873 hi
, band stopped train ON the Chicago
) Rock Island and Pacific road and robbed
the express messenger of $1,000 They
side tracked and took possession of a trair
/ On the Iron Mountain railroad, and robbeC
the passengers and express car of $1I, 500
In 1874 they robbed train on the Kansas
Pacific Of $24 900. Two years later a trai,
on the Missouri Pacific was stopped BY
the outlaws and the express car robbed
$4,000. One of the gang was captured
after this robbery and confessed
: aNd all concerned were killed say,
! the James boys. In 1876 the boys gath
cred new band of outlaws and planned
| an expedition to rob the bank at North
field, Minnesota. They dashed into tn,
, town in midday and took possession ofth,
bank, but the citizens opened such a live
ly fire upon them that they had to flee TO
their lives. Again the boys escaped
though pursued nearly five hundred miles
, The remainder of the band were killed o.
: captured. The boys have led several re
cent train rObberies. the particulars o
which are doubtless fresh in the mind O
the reader.-Niddteto,Vn Transcript
D The Presidents veto, as was to hav,
, been expected, creates considerable ex
citement on the pacific coast but ther
: are signs that he sober second though
Y will succeed and that it will be under
! stood that the President simply desires t,
to make the law conform to the treaty
Q A bill suspending Chinese labor immigra
t ton for ten years will probably be passe,
5 and will promptly be signed.
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