The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-04-06


and managed the matter In a creditable
manner. The court room was crowded
to suffocation, there being no standing
room inside, and crowds stood in the
corriuors outside unable TO gain admit
lance. The most intense interest was
manifested, and the closest attention
was paid to the testimony.
III. III. Craig, police commissioner of
Kansas City. was the first witness sworn
He SAID the body corresponds with the
description Of Jesse James. At know
the Fords. Robt Ford assisted Sheriff
Undertake and myself. Ford was not
commissioned. Robt. Ford acted
through our instructions. Charles was
not acting under our Instructions
Sheriff Tlmberlake testified that he
was acquainted with Jesse James, and
recognized the body. They were per-
sonally acquainted. Saw him last in
1870. / knew his face. He had a fin-
ger off. l told Ford to get his brother
to assist him.
Dick Little was sworn: 81 have seen
the body and recognize it as the body of
Jesse James. l have no doubt of it. The
general appearance is that of Jesse
James. His finger is off as James was,
and recognize the scars in the side and
thigh"
OAaAlCS lCSlAACQ Sud6 AG
was not acquainted with the deceased,
but saw him and traded horses with
him two weeks ago. Ford came TO look
at a horse for his uncle and bought it.
James Finley testified that he was not
acquainted with Jesse James. al went
to the house after the shooting and
found two horses. ! sent two officers at
ter the Johnsons, as they were then
called. Ford came in and acknowledged
the shooting. He described the wounds
on the body and claimed that the man
was Jesse James. Ford told me that
there were watches and jewelry at the
house. found watches, jewelry, pis-
tolls, cartridges and apurse. gave the
change in it. A scarf pin was found
with the marks IS. w. j. on it'
Mrs. Samuels. mother of Jesse, was
then called. As she entered the room
all eyes were turned up her. Men
stood on the shots, craned their necks
and used every endeavor to gain a view
of the woman who, although the mother
of an outlaw, had the respect of every
man in the room. She moved with q
slow step and bowed head to the witness
| stand. She IS large woman with a
kindly face and eyes and rather prom
inent nose. Her hair is black. sprinkled
| with gray. She was dressed in black,
| with black straw hat and black veil
| that partly covered her face. When
she took the stand her face had a reso-
| lutte appearance, but as the examination
progressed that disappeared and she was
very much affected. She testified that
| she was the mother of Jesse James, and
| that she had seen the body but q few
moments before. as that the body OF
your son ?" asked the coroner. alt ISL
she answered, and then sobbed out
| would to God it was not" Placing
her hands upon the heads of the little
son and daughter of Jesse James, who
were standing just in front of her, she
| continued: "And these are his orphan
moved to tears. Mrs. James was asked
| to raise her veil, and as she did so Mrs
| Samuels was asked if she recognized
| her. She answered that she did, and
that it was the widow of Jesse James
Mrs. James testified that she recOg.
nized the preceding witness as Mrs
! Samuels. When Mrs. Samuels retired
| from the court room thrilling incident
| occurred. Dick Little was standing neal
the door, and as she neared the opening
| she saw him; her eye rested upon him
q moment, and then she turned upon
him with the ferocity of tiger. Traitor
| traitor, traitor" she exclaimed excited
ly; "God will send vengeance on you
for this. You are the cause OF all this
| Oh, you villainl would rather be in my
poor boys place than ia yours" Little
coWed like whipped dog before the
| towering rays of the bereaYed mother
and turned pale and red by turns. 81
| did not hurt HIM he answered; 81
thought you knew who killed him.
Mrs. Samuels' only reply was. "Oh, God
my poor boy, my poor boy" See then
retired from the room, and the jury re-
tired to make up its verdict. The jury
returned the following verdict:
"We, the jury, find that the deceased
is Jesse James, and that he came to his
| death by pistol shot, at the hands oil
| Robert Ford"
The two Ford brothers are confined
| in Jail, charged with murder, under q
warrant sworn out by Mrs. James
| They will not be interviewed, and the
| Sheriff refuses admittance to all corners
The Fords live in Ray county, near
Richmond, where they were born and
raised. Robert, who did the shooting,
is twenty-five years old, and Charley is
| twenty. The boys worked on their faith
er's farm until the spring of 1880, when
Robert went to Richmond to work in
| the store of an elder brother. He Jeff
in July last to engage IN the detective
| business at Kansas City. He soon got
his credentials as detective and began
to hunt for Jesse James. Charles en-
gagged to help him, and the latter fell in
with James, and when he moved to st
Joseph with his family, accompanied
him hither, passing himself as Johnson
a nephew of Mrs. James. Charles has
lived here with the family since No
vember 9th. A little over a week age
| Robert came, and as he was well &C
| quainted with Jesse he went there and
| put up with the outlaw, and they have
watched an opportunity to fix him
The one who did the shooting is rather
slender, not over robust, yet wiry and
certainly capable of great endurance
as well as shreWd and brave
| His eyes are sunken and of hazel color,
large, restless and piercing. His
forehead is rather bald and high and
his hair is thin, short and of a light
brown cslor. He is twenty-one years OF
/ age, about five feet eight inches high,
and wears a nut brown suit and a sack
coat. His hands are long and slender
with tapering fingers. He would never
be singled out of crowd as youth of
| any extraordinary quality worthy of
| special notice. Yet he would be taken
for a man of an iron will and courage of
a lion, and abundance of selfcontrol.
The brother, Charles, is considerably
larger, taller and broader. His hair is
dark, eyes dark brown and is dishfaced +;
his lower jaw protrudes, and he has a
decidedly bulldog look, and is, if any
thing, more brutal and drawer than
Robert. 1t IS evident that Charles
would be a bad man in fight. But
while Robert is perhaps the slickest and
i ha aak II l.
cold-blooded and brutal work. The
boys are cool, self-possessed, and move
| with an upright, firm and solid tread.
It is understood that the body of Jesse
James is to be delivered over to Mrs.
Samuels, his mother, who will bury it
at her home in Clay county.
The city is full of strangers, who have
been attracted from every direction by
the news of the tragic death of the noto-
rious outlaw.
KANSAS CRY, April 4.-Living apart
from the rest of mankind the celebrated
outlaws may be said to have lost con-
fidence in their fellow men, and in many
instances have even looked upon their
companions in crime with q suspicious
eye, and only in their selfconfdence in
the use of their trusty weapons, which
they never went without, did they ever
find any rest. They are temperate to
the extent of total abstinence, and
learned wariness and caution ia the
rugged school of experience. Frank,
naturally of studious nature, had re-
ceived a good education before he en-
tered Quantrell's guerrilla band, and
those who have known him agree that
he has never permitted an opportunity
to pass to add to his requirements. On
the contrary, Jesse was but lad of 16
when ne left his home to enter his
WILD CAREER OF CRIME,
and caring nothing for learning, he has
never taken any pains to supply the de
ficiencies in his early schooling. Both,
however, travelled, mixed with all kinds
Of society, naturally acquiring gentle
manly bearing and easy powers Of con-
yersation. Frank is quiet and reserved;