The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-08-13
JESSE JAMES ALIVE.
Positive Statement of an Old
Member of the James
Gang.

Philadelphia, Pa, Aug. 6.-Jesse
James, the Western desperate, is still
>liye, and, under another name, is leading
an honest life in a thriving Western city.
At least this is what one of his old COM
rades says, who, under an alias, is now
living quietly in Philadelphia, the hus.
band of an intelligent woman, who does
not suspect that her husband was once
desperate and an outlaw, and the father
of three interesting children. La this
mornings paper there appeared special
dispatch from Cincinnati, in which ole
"R. Smith" positively asserts that the m an
killed by Bob Ford was not Jesse james,
but Sam Hill, one of the members of the
James gang who closely resembered
Jesse. The story was shown TO this man,
who was once a member of the James
gang He real the dispatch through
carefully, and, after a momeRt's hesitation,
said
eff you'll promise no! to use my name,
nor identity me 10 any way, I'll tell you
all know about it."
The promise was givea, AMI be at once
went on.
81 ut yer heard Of r. Smith before, but
what be says about Jesse James and the
UllsldkS TIE TOIOs IL kbSpSi
You know very we'll that if Jesse had
really been killed by the Fords they would
not now be numbering the earth. Frank
would have killed them. Ii h hadn't |
and fifty others would, and ten years ago,
when / married. took a solemn oath
never to pack six.shooter az ain. No, sir,
Jesse james is still alive and well and re-
spected by the people among whom he
lives. There is not many In the secret,
and those who are will never betrsy him.
The man who WAS killed by Bob Ford was
Sam Hill. You can state that as a posi-
tive truth. Hill was about Jesse's age,
and h looked very much like him. At
one me had photographs of them both
taken together-snd you can not tell one
from the other"
He opned an album which was lying on
the table, and displayed photograph of
two men taken together. The pictures were
cabinet size, but bad handiwoIk could no;
conceal the striking resemblance between
them.
u correspond regularly with Jesse and
Frank James," continued the eX-despersdo,
and less than ten days ago / received let
ter from jesse. In old Clay County, Mo. ;,
we played together when boys, and | often
slept in the same bed with Frank and
Jesse. They were good friends of mine,
and during all the years that we were asso-
ciated never had reason to 60 back on
them. Their step father, old DR.. Reuben
was an excellent man and their mother,
Mrs. Samuels, is a woman that any man
might be proud of. / know the whole fam
lily well, and the newspapers and the de-
tectives have terribly wronged them.
81 was with Quantrill, and the James
boys, the Youngers and the Shepherds.
Jim White and Russ Horton were nv
messmates. was with them when the
bank at Russellville, KY, was robbed, ann
got my share of the $4,000 that We car.
ried away on that occasion. / was after
wards with them on the Rio Grande, in
Texas, in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Mime
sofa, Indian Territory and other places. l
left them shortly after the Blue Cut affair,
but we parted friends, and have been in
constant correspondence ever since. The
Ford boys killed Sam Hill to get the re.
ward and notoriety. The household eff
fects of the man that was killed by them
were sold at auction. Everything went,
but among the entire lot there was not a
single article, scrap of paper or letter
that identified the owner as Jesse. 1 know
he is alive