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

guns. Robert was the quickest of the
two. In one motion he had the long
weapon to level with his eye, with the
muZzle less than two and not more than
four feet from the back of the outlaws
head. Even in that motion, quick as
thought, there was something that did
not escape the acute ears of the haunted
man. He made motion as If to turn
his head To ascertain the cause of that
suspicious sound,
BUT Too LATE
A nervous pressure on the trigger. a
quick flash, sharp report, and the well
directed ball crashed through abe out
laws skull. There was no ouicry, just
a swaying of the body, and it fell heavi
ly backwards upon the carpeted floor.
The shot had been fatal and all the bull
lets in the chambers of Charley's revolt
vers, still directed at Jesse's head, could
not more effectually have decided the
fate of the greatest bandit and freebooter
that ever figured in the pages of coun-
try's history. The ball had entered the
skull, and made its way out through the
forehead over the left eye. It had been
fired out Of Colts 45, improved pat
tern, silver-mounted and pearl handl-
ed, 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 oc-
CURED by the dining room. She heard
the shot. and dropping her household
duties ran into the front room. She saw
her husband lying extended on his back
and his slayers, each holding his revOl-
yer in his hand, moving for the fence IN
the rear of the house. Robert had
reached the Enclosure and was in the act
of scaling it. when she stepped 10 the
door and called to him:
"Robert, you have done this. Come
back"
Robert answered: 81 swear TO God
didn't"
They returned to where she stood
Mrs. James ran to the side OF her hus
band and lifted up his head, life was moi
yet extinct, and when she asked him il
he was hurt, it seemed to her that
HE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING,
but could not. She tried to wash away
the blood that was coursing over his
face from the hole in the forehead, buI
it seemed to her that the blood
would come faster than she could wipt
it away. In her hands Jesse James died
Charles Ford explained to Mrs. jaime:
that "a pistol had accidentally went off. ,
"Yes," said Mrs. James, 81 guess i
went off on purpose"
Meanwhile Charley had gone back in
to the house and brought out two hat
and the two boys left the house. They
went to the telegraph office and sent
message to Sheriff Timberlake, of C1sy
county, Governor Crittenden and othe
officers, and then
SURRENDERED THEMSELVES TO MARSHAL
CRAIG.
When the Ford boys appeared at tn
police station they were told by an OF
ficer that Mashal Craig aud a posse o
offices had gone in the direction of tn,
James residence, and they started aftel
them and surrendered themselves.
They accompanied the officers to TIT
house and returned in custody of thu
police to the marshal's headquarters
where they were furnished with dinner
and about three O'Clock they were re
moved TO the old circuit court room
where the inquest was held in tn,
presence of an immense crowd.
Mrs. James accompanied the officer
to the hall, having previously left he
two children, aged seven and three, 8
boy and girl, at the house of Mrs
Turnal, who had known the Jamese'
under their assumed name of Howard
joining house. She was
GREATLY AFFECTED BY THE TRAGEDY
and her heart-rending means and ex
pressions of grief were sorrOwful evi
dences of the love she bore the deaC
desperate.
The report of the killing of the motto
rious outlaw spread like wild fir
through the city AS usual, the repOr
assumed every variety of form and color
Very few accredited the news, however
and simply laughed at the idea tina
Jesse James was really the dead man
Nevertheless, the excitement ran high
and when one confirming report sue
ceeded the other, crowds of hundred!
gathered at the undertaking establish
ment where lay the body, at the CITY
hall, at the court house, and, in fact, OF
every street corner, the almost incredi
BILE news constituting the sole object o
conversation to the exclusion of tn
barely less engrOssing topic of the com
ing city election.
Coroner Holdings was notified ant
Undertaken Sidenfaden instructed to re
move the body to his establishment
This was about 10 O'Clock. A larg
morgue, but only the wife and a repoI
ter were admitted. The body lay in
remote room of the building. II haG
been taken out of the casket and place.
upon a table.
THE FEATURES APPEARED NATURAL,
but were disfigured by the bloody hOl
over the left eye. The body was neatly
and clearly dressed. In fact nothing il
the appearance of the remains indicates
the desperate career of the man or tn
many bloody scenes of which he hat
been the hero. The large, courageou
eyes were closed as in calm slumber
Only the lower part of the face, tn
square cheek bones, the stout, promin
ent chin, covered with a soft sand,
beard, and the thin, firmly closed lips
in a measure betrayed the determined
will and iron courage of the man.
A further inspection of the body re
vealed two large bullet holes on tn
right side of the breast within tire
inches of the nipple, bullet wound il
the leg ana the absence OF the tip OF tn
middle finger of the left hand. Afte
viewing the remains the coroner repair
| ed TO the court house, whittier soon afte
Mrs. James in custody of Marshal Grail
and the two Ford boys, both heavil,
armed, followed. They were kept ii
separate apartments until the jury an
nouncsd itself ready TO hear the testi
mony.
THE JURY
was impaneled as follows:
w. II. Claiming,
j. w. Moore,
Warren Samuel,
Thos. Norris,
VIM. Turner,
VIM. II. George.
The witnesses examined were Mrs
James, the Ford boys and James A. Lii
tie. The inquest will be continued to
day.
KANSAS CITY, April 4-There are nc
new developments at this point to-day
about the killing of Jesse James. Gov
Crittenden arrived here this morning
and concluded not to go on to st. 10
seph. He has ordered the officials at st
Joe. to turn over the body to his wifi
and mother, as it has been fully identi
fed as that of Jesse James.
KANSAS CITY, April 4.-The death o.
Jesse James, the great Missouri bandit
is now beyond question, a fact. Gov
ernor CrIttenden arrived here this morn
ing, and says, positively, that it is he
and that his death is the result of ar
understanding between the authorities
and Bob Ford, who killed him, and
Dick Little, who surrendered himself tC
Sheriff Timberlake at the same time
that Ford did.
The inquest at st. Joe was concluded
at noon to-day. Mrs. Samuels, the
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