St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-04-29
THE SHOOTING OF JESSE JAMES.

ST. JOSEPH MO-, Aprll o.
| A great sensation was created i'll this city
! this morning by the announcement that Jesse
James, the notorious bandit and train-robber,
had been shot and killed here in st. Joseph.
The news spread with great rapidity, but most
| people received it with doubts until investiga-
ton established the fact beyond question.
i Then the excitement became more ana more
| intense, and crowds of people rushed to that
| quarter of the city where the shooting took
| place, anxious to view the body OF the dead
| outlaw and to learn the particulars.
The body of Jesse James was conveyed 10 an
undertake r's where it was prepared fof purl-
al, and where photograph was taken. James
wife has telegraphed to his mother the news
of h death. A number of men nave ldehti-
fed the body, and there is no question ABOUT lt
being Jesse james. A Herald reporter viewed
the body at the undcrtallcr's when 1t was be-
ing photographed. Jesse WAS hnc looking
man, apparently forty years Old with proao
forehead. and his phySiognomy was that OF an
Intelligent as well as a resolute and daring
man.
Jesse was in the habit of wearing two belts,
with It brace Of very fine revolvcrs and TWEEN
ty-ve extra cartridges. In a small stable
near by were discovered several fine horses,
the property of james. The Ford brothers
claim that they are detectives, and that they
have been on james track for a long time 1t
is believed they were with James Ill the
"Rue CUT robbery, and that they were inf1u-
enced in killing him by the hope of getting
the big reward which has been offered for
James, dead or alive by the Governor and by
the express and railroad companies
Charles Ford had been an accompice OF
Jesse James since the Sd of last November,
and entirely possessed his confidence. Rob-
"ycG CIV,
els house, last Friday a week ago, and accom-
panied Jessie and Charles to this city Sunday,
March %. Jesse his wife and two children
removed from Kansas City, where they had
lived several months until they feared their
whereabouts would be suspected, in a
wagon to this city, arriving here November s.,
1851, accompanied by Charles Ford, and rented
q house on the corner Of Lafayette and Twen-
ty-iirst streets, where they stayed two months,
when they secured the house No. 1878 Lafay-
ettc street.
Charles and Robert have been occupying one
of the rooms in the rear of the dwelling and
have secretly had an understanding to kill
Jesse ever since last fall. A short time ago.
before Robert had Joined James, the latter
proposed to rob the bank at Platte City. He
said the Burgess murder trial would COM
mence there to-day, and his plan was if they
the situation of the Platte City Bank, and
while arguments were being heard in the MUIR
der case, which would engage the attention OF
the citizens. boldly execute one of his favorite
raids. Charles Ford approved of the plan, and
suggested his brother Robert as a companion,
worthy of sharing tho enterprise with them.
Ever since the boys had been with Jesse they
had watched for an opportunity to shoot him,
but he was always SO heavily armed that it was
impossible to draw weapon without him see
ing it. They declare they had no idea of tax
ing him alive, considering the undertaking
SUI cdal The opportunity they had long
wished for came this morning. Breakfast was
over. Charles Ford and Jesse James had been
in the stable currying their horses preparatory
where Robert was Jesse said: Its an awfully
hot day" He pulled off his coat and vest and
tossed them on the bed. Then he said: Il
guess I'll take off my pistols, for fear some
body will see them if walk in the yard He
unbucked the belt in which he carried two
forty-tive calber reyolvers, one Smith g.
them on the bed with his coat and vest. He
then picked up busting brush, with the in
tention OF busting some pictures which hung
on the wall. TO do this he got on a chair. His
back was turned to the brothers, who silently
stepped between Jesse and his revolvers. and,
at motion from Charlie, both drew their guns.
Robert was the quicker of the two. In one
moment he had long weapon to level with
his eye, with the muzzle no more than four
feet from the back of the outlaws head. Even
in that motion, quick rs thought, there was
ears of the hunted man. He made a
motion as if to turn his head to ascer-
tain the cause of that suspicious sound,
but too late A nervous pressure on the trig-
ger, quick flash, sharp report, and a we'll
directed bail crashed through the outlaws
skull. There was no cutlery, just swaying of
the body, and it fell heavily back upon the
carpet. The shot had been fatal, and all the
bullets in the chamber of Chlrley's revolver,
still directed at Jesses head. could not more
erectually have decided the fate of the great
est bandit and freebooter that ever figured in
the pages Of the country's history. The bail
had entered the base of the skull and made
its way out through the forehead. over the left
eye. 1t had been fired out Of Colts 45, i'm
proved pattern, silver mounted and pearl
handled. presented by the dead man to his
slayer only few days ago.
Mrs. James was in the kitchen when the
shooting was done, divided from the room in
which the bloody tragedy occurred by the
dining-room. She heard the shot, and drop
ping her household duties ran into the front
room. She saw her husband lying on his back
and his slayers, each holding his revolver in
hand, making for the fence in the rear of the
house. Robert had reached the Enclosure aud
was in the act of scaling it when she stepped
to the door and called to him. "Robert you
have done this, come back" Robert
swerea: II swear to God | did not" They
then returned to where she stood. Mrs. James
ran to the side of her husband and lifted
up his head. Life was not extinct, and when
dskeu IL Ht was Hul IL seelneu W ner tnat GSs
wanted to say something but could not. She
tried to wash away the blood that was coursng
over his face from the hole in the forehead,
but it seemed to her " that the blood would
come faster than she could wash it away
and in her hands Jesse James died Charles
Ford explained TO Mrs. James that "a pistol
had accidentally gone Off" Yes" said Mrs.
James, Il guess it went off on purpose" and
meanwhile Charley had gone back into the
house and brought out two hats, and the two
boys left the house. They went to the telegraph
and sent a message q Tim.
berlake County, to Governor Crittenden, and
other officers, and then surrendered themselves
to Marshal Craig.
When the Ford boys appeared at the police
shall Craig and posse of officers had gone in
the direction of the James residence. and they
started after them and surrendered them
selves. They accompanied the officers to the
house and returned in the custody of the police
to the Marshal s headquarters, where they We're
furnished with dinner, and about three