The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1882-04-13
KILLED IN HIS TRACKS.
Jesse James, the Sovereign Brlgand,
Shot Dead in q Shanty at St.
Joseph, No.,
BY q Former Confederate In Crime
Who Sought But Feared to At.
tempt His Capture.
Review Of the Train Robbers Bloody
Career, With His Memorable Re-
verse in Minnesota.

o'clock, by two brothers named Ford They
had been here 4 week intending to arrest him,
but were afraid to try ii, and concluded to kin
hin, without taking the chances on the arrest.
Charles and Robert Ford are their names
Charles was in the Blue cut robbery, and is the
man who killed the expressman. Robert was
IN the Winston robbery. They say Jesse James
was in the Blue cut robbery, but not in the
Winston robbery. The wife Of Jesse James
was soon At the scene Of the killing, and wept
loud and long over the fate OF her husband
She has two beautiful children, = boy OF seven
and girl Of four years. The Ford BOYS havo
surrendered to the officers, and are now in the
marshars custody There seems to be not a
doubt that this is the veritable Jesse Men
who know him say they recognized the body at
at once. Many here know the two Ford boys
ST. JOSEPH Mo-, April 3-The $5O, 600 reward
offered By the State for Jesse James, dead or alive
will probably go to Robert Ford. who killed him.
Theno Ia little doubt that the killing was the result
OF plan formed by Robert and Charles Ford
several months ago. Charles had been all accom-
pilce of Jesse James since the Sd of last Novem-
Der, and entirely possessed his confidence Robert
KS brother. Joined Jesse near the house of Mrs
samuels, mother Of the James brothers. last
Erday week ago, and accompanied Jesse and
Charles TO this city Sunday, March %
Jesse had his wife and two children removed from
fansas City-where they had lived several months
until they feared their whereabouts would be
s55{Siss s5,I; { hers Nc Sevsassr - iss1. @ as:
on the corner Of Lafayette and Twenty first street,
where they stayed two months. when they secured
the house No 1913 Lafayette street, paying $l4
amonth Tor 1t and giving the ltame OF Mrs Howard.
ihe house Is one story cottage, painted whito
with green shutters and romantical!y situated
On On tue brow Of lofty emine1ce east OF the city.
East Of the house is deep gulch like ravine, aud
beyond q broad oYcanse Of Opeu country backed hy
belt Of timber. The house. except from the west
side can be seen for several milss. There is large
has Keeping two horses " lch we're found there
WATCHING THEIR CHANCE
Charles aud Robert Ford have been occupying
one OF the rooms in the rear Of the dwelling, and
have secretly had an understanding to kill
time ago. ssfore RoSet hsa opaa James the e
ter proposed to rob the bank at Platte City. He
said the Burgess, murder trial would commence
there to-day, and his plan was It they could get
the situation Of the Platte City bank. and while
arguments were being heard in the murder case,
which would engage the attention Of the citizens.
boldly execute one Of his raids. Charles Ford ap-
proved ofthe plan aud his brother Robert
as companion worthy Of sharing the enterprise
with them. Jesse had met Robert at the latter's
mouse near Richmond three years ago aud consented
70 see him The two men accordingly arranged with
Robert to accompany them to Platte City. The
Il three ,e came to ST. Joe On Sunday They remained
The boys had been with Jssse tey had es ratchsi 6sS
for all opportunity to shoot him, but he was always
SO heavily armed that it was
IMPOSSIBLE TO DRAW UPON HIM
without his seeing it. They declare they had no
idea OF taking him alive, considering the under
taking suicide. The opportunity they had long
wished for came this morning. Breakfast was
over and Ford and Jesse James had been in the
sSos sb r sars the horses preparao,y to tho
ort Ford was. Jesse said: ITS an awful hot day."
He pulled Of his coat and vest and tossed them
as oh oea 1 rnS9 Dsos ss Ssq ;q fsa fqsss a
see them II l walk in the yard He led the
Det in which he & carried the forty-dye ealibre re-
Colt and laid them on the bed With his his coat % and
vest. He then picked up dusting brush, with the
intention Of busting some pictures which hung
on es :hS wall His Ps back do was this he uigea se On
the brothers, who silently stepped between
Jesse and his revovers. and at . motion from.
Charles. both drew their guns Robert was the
viii the mnzzIe no more than an fo"r S'H
!S Tee. from the back Of the outlaws head: Even in
ot the hunted man; Hs made a
%eS S of Ina. spds sp ns .oun si But ;S
too late A nervous pressure on the trigger, a
quick fash sharp report and the we'll directed bah
There was no outcry, just swaying of the body,
and it fell heavily back upon the carpet. The shot
had heen fatal and all the bullets ia the chamber Of
could not have more efectually decided the fate OF
the greatest bandit and freebooter that ever
figured in the pages Of the country's history.
MRS. JAMES
was 10 the kitchen when the shooting was done.
s.SS raEe1y ~. occnssed snas 1y dining room: she
duties ran into the front room. She saw her hus-
band lying on his back and his sayers each holding
hs revolver IN his hand and making for
scSa ths 5ss sn vas s0f n
to door and calling to him Robert. yon have done
God I did not" They returned to where she stood.
Mrs James ran to the side OF her husband and
lifted up bis head. Life was not extinct and when
wanted to cay something. but could net.
THE NQUEs3.
Al 3 O'Clock the remains were moved to the cir
cult court room where the inquest was held Mrs
having previously left her two children, aged
seven and three, = boy and g,rl Ct the house
an@ She eaT, was rsnSSs
sses Ct e 5s, ioSs she gre 5o!. be dspsse
Nothing IN the appearance OF the tEemens 1ndl-
Gated the desperate character Of the man or the
many bloody scenes Of which he had been an
actor. Only the lower part Of the face
the sqaars cheek bones tho stout prominent chin
closed lips in measure betrayed the determined
win and iron courage OF tho dead
oues On Ss s& side 'e
the breast, within three inches OF the nipple, bull
let wound in the leg and the absence OF the middle
coroner repaired to . the court room. withes
Craic, and the, tw9 Ford boys. both heavily
apartments until the jury announced themselves
ready to hear testimony. The witnesses examined
were Mrs. James. the Ford boys and James Little
The James boys were reared in Clay county
within twelve miles Of Liberty: the YounRers IN
jackson county, within four miles Of Independence
their homes, for liberty and independence with
them have been carried beyond the limits Of Grim.
inal license. Frank James was born IN Kentucky
Their father was the Rev. Robert James, a prom.
!nent and eloquent Baptist minister. pleasant and
courteous gentleman, possessed Of more education
in the frontier days of'i s4s 10 Missouri. When the
James family moved from Kentucky to Clay county
H one Of coese the first ssS'tsSs % M
oniy onI ffo% 1s4s to- 1s'as is4 he % bs, left
kindly remembrance Of himself .znoug tho GID set'
forna, and there died in 1851. To this daY the ole
settlers about the James home say. and It has be-
come tradition. that the Rev: Robert James wa'
driven from home by his wife, The James boys
mother is still alive and vigorous and resides on
cultivated farm four miles east Of Kearney.
station on the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad
seventeen miles northeast Of Kansrs City. She wa
a Miss Zereda Cole Of Scott county, KY. and, al
though she has attained the advanced age OF hfty-
eight she wears the traces still Of what in her younl
womanhood must have made her the famed beauty
In all the country rould about. Her neighbors say
that Aunt Zezel, as she was commonly called. has
transmitted to the boys all the deviltry they pos
sess. II 80. what an exuberant abundance she
must have had in her day. She IL dfty-eght years
DID, we'll preserved. vigorous In body - we'll as In
s!atey blue. her face is long oval, se. of by a
firm. determined expression about the mouth,
marked by few lines Of age and flushed with q
ruddy glow Of health. In figure she is command
ing woman. weighing fully 40 pounds, and is six
feet high-away above the average run of woman
kind. She y shrewd, has dsuutless courage, and