The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-05-10
DEAD JESSE.
His Widow DisclOses some In
teresting Points Concern
ing His Past Life.

, A st. Louis Gl0be.DemOcrdt re
porter visited Mrs. Jesse James Oh
her arrival from Kansas City, and il
an hours interview with the deaC
bandits wife gained the following
facts concerning their past career:
The first impression on meeting
Mrs. James isone of disappointment
and those who have allowed their
Imagination to picture her as a WON.
an physically strong and dashing
with any of the charms of face and
figure that the wild pens of the
novelists have ever interviewer with
the hYes of freebooters, should at
once disabuse themselves all such
fancies, as she is neither the one nor
the other. In fact, she is of medium
size, utterly wanting in the attrac-
tive contour and round development
looked for in her sex, her face carry
ing a weary, broken look, as though
all her life had been one of anxiety
and mental agony. She is a blonde,
with thin face, light gray eyes,
and complexion inclined to sallow.
Apparently she is every year of for
ty, and each word and glance tells
volume of strain and trial. Before
she has conversed five minutes, it is
evident that she has schooled her
self to restrain every expression of
emotion, or reflection of thoughts,
until she is an impenetrable mask to
what is passing within. In the
room with her, as the porter entered,
was plump, faxen-haired littleone
who called Mrs. James mother"
but could not be induced to speak in
any way to the caller. This was a
daughter and youngest child of Mrs.
James, her other, boy ofsix, being
left with his grandmother at Kan
sas City.
Il don't know" was Mrs. James
answer to an inquiry as to when she
expected to return home. The re-
porter then asked if she had been in
st. Louis recently, eliciting the re-
ply:
"Last spring"
Delicate iuterrogatories then made
as to whether her husband was with
her, and the direction she was go
ing, met with no satisfactory re-
spOnse, although later she said she
called on friends in St. Louis, as
they had great many. Succeed
ing this, she told in answer to nu-
merous questions, that for the great
er part were replied to by afirma-
tive and negative monysyllables,
the following:
"All the reputed interviews with
me that have been published since
my husbands death, have been
false, with the exception of one in
the GiObe-Democrat, on April 18th.
L have never had n word with any
reporter of any other paper. Ihave
been bored to death by them coming
to see me, but have never had any
talk with them. They would come,
look at me, then go away and write
anything. Last winter Jesse went
into Nebraska to see about getting
a farm where he could go and settle
down. He never would say any
thing to me about what he was 90
ing 10 do when he went out. l did
not go out much myself, my chill
dren being my only companion.
Jesse was born September 3, 1S41,
and had known him from a child.
A great many who have claimed to
have known him, do not believe
ever saw him. We knew the Fords
only few months, and Jesse be-
lieved them his true friends. Five
years ago we were on a farm in
Tennessee, under the name of How
ard, but couldn't make it pay, as
the rent was too high. Jesse did
not pass through st. Louis about two
weeks before the Minnesota affair as
the papers said, and l am sure he
didn't buy a pistol here, as he had
his own pistols, and had them for
years. They are still in my posses
sion. He used to call them his best
friends. He never had anything to
do with stealing horses, he wouldn't
stoop to such thing. lie always
had a good horse of his own, as it
was necessary"
Here Mrs. James hesitated, and
the reporter asked wherein Jesse
found it necessary to have a good
beast.
"He wanted a good one when he
went training was her answer
this being her peculiar term for his
train-robbing exploits, aMd she con-
tinued; "He was al Us fond of
his children and homo, kind and af-
fectionate 10 all. His last horse was
named Dick, and Jesse was very
careful of him. When in the house
he was always playing with his boy
who is named after him, and telling