St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-07
Story Of His Life in Rich
mond and on the Hap-
bison Farm.
The Ford Brothers Deter
mined to Kill Jesse James
for Revenge.
Jesse James Killed Wilbur
Ford for Disobeying
an Order.

incidents in Ford's career not generally
known by the public, and now told for
the first time. During the fall of 'S2
the Ford boys. Cap and Bob, opened a
little restaurant and oyster parlOr Oh the
Richmond, Mo. Both of the boys
were well known in that commu
nifty, having lived near that place for
long time previous to embarking in
business. There were two other boys
in the family, Charlie and Wilbor. The
restaurant business apparently was not
glowing success, yet Notwithstanding
this fact the institution survived. To
these who were cognizant Of the situa-
ton it was known that the Ford boys
had money at all times. Charlie was
absent about this time much of his
time, and it was not known what bust
ness he was engaged In.
A Mysterious Fruit Tree Man.
Later developments opened the eyes
of the staid, steady old town. Strange
men were to be seen around the little
restaurant. and one in particular, a
fruit tree agent by the name of Inward,
who had a stock of fruit trees Oh sale in
a lot adjacent. Howard made but few
attempts to sell fruit tree stock, but yet
was always supplied with readycash.
His disappearance occasionally were
noted, and invariably his absence was
followed by the temporary closing OF
the Ford restaurant, and the balance OF
the strangers who made the restaurant
their headquarters were likewise con-
spicuous by their absence. While it
was limited time and again that James
and his gang were i'll the neighborhood,
few if any of the people knew of tn e
character of Mr.. Howard or his cOnfed-
crates.
One day the restaurant was closed,
and within ten hours came the report
than an express train on the Hannibal
& st. Joe railway had been held up,
the conductor killed and the company
robbed of a vast sum of money. The
day following the little restaurants
door was again opened and Bob Ford
was behind the counter. 1t was then
youngest member of the family, was
lying dangerously ill at his fathers
farm northeast of Richmond. The local
physicians pronounced his disease
pneumonia. but men who sat by the
bedside of the sick man in weary
watches saw where bullet had plOwed
its way through the boys body, and
death was the result shortly after,
They Go to Farming.
After Wilbur's death the restaurant
was closed, sold out and the boys rented
the Harrison farm. which afterwards
became famous in the annals of The
James gang. 1t was here that several
of the last exploits of the famous gang
were concocted, here where the spoils
were divided, and here where one of
the gang, Wood Hite. went down to his
death with bullet through his brain,
was to be avenged, and then it was only
question of time as to when the Ford
boys or Jesse James would be killed.
Fob ForG's Story.
Sitting one day at the Clay county
approach of the Hannibal d st. 10
railway bridge over the Missouri river
at Kansas City, Bob Ford unbosomed
| himself and gave the writer a history
complete in detail of the terrible drama
| in which he played so conspicuous a
part. He said that after Wilbur's death
Charlie and himself agreed to kill
James, as it was he that fired the shot
| that killed their brother. He claimed
that James shot Wilbur without provo
cation, merely for disobeying an order
| while the train was being robbed. After
James, Wood and Clarence Hite, Bill
Ryan, Dick Liddel and Jim Cummins
| went to Kentucky and there awaited
| the excitement to pass over. While
there Wood Hite and Llddel had row
| over a woman, and pistols were drawn.
| but the intervention of friends pre-
vented bloodshed. Liddel left for Mis-
| souri,, came directly through and
stopped again at the old rendezvous,
| the HARRISON farm. After the excite
ment of the Winston robbery had passed
| Cummins and Ryan left for Missouri
horseback. They separated, and Wood
| Hite left his brother in Carroll county,
going direct to Kearney, in Clay county,
| where Wood branched off and went
west over to the HARRISON farE:. Dick
| Liddel was standing on the back porch
making his morning toilet when, just
in the gray of early dawn, he discerned
some one ride up to the barn. Bob
| Ford was at the barn and carried the
news to the house. Liddel stepped
back into the room with a pistol in his
hand, knowing full we'll what a meet
| walked up the path TO the house.
A Shooting Match.
He entered the room where Liddel
was standing and there discovered his
enemy. Hite reached for his pistol just
as Liddel fired and missed. Hite
promptly returned the fire and Liddel
| went down with a broken hip. Hite
| fired two more shots, while Liddel was
working double-action revolver wildly.
Bob Ford stepped in the door, when
Hite fired at him, barely missing his
head. Ford returned the fire. the first
shot breaking Hite's pistol arm and his
icfa al fol 70 M al, Il
his man, thrust his pistol against
Hite's right temple and pressed the
trigger. Hite fell forward with his
brains spattered all over the room. The
body was carried up stairs and placed
| in a room on the floor. Liddle was
placed in bed and his wound attended
to as best the self-cOnstituted surgeon
could. Daylight shut out the idea of
| the burial of Hite, and the body laid up
| over Liddel's room all day. When
night approached Hite was wrapped in
an OLD horse blanket and the body
thrown into an old spring, and huge
stones gathered and thrown in upon the
unfortunate who had met his death Sc
suddenly.
Jesse James appeared the next morn
| ing. inquired for Hite. but nothing was
known of his whereabouts. Liddel.
knowing that should James find him
wounded, another shooting match was
necessary, crippled as he was, crawled
out of bed, and with pistol in his
mouth ready for instant action, he made
his way down through the orchard to a
branch. where he remained all day
James left for Kearney that day, and
Hite's strange disappearance was al
ways mystery, and he supposed that
Wood had deserted and gone away from
Missouri.
Ryan was shortly afterwards arrested
and through him and the desire for re
venge on the Ford boys, Jesse James
was killed. Ford received about $4,000
for the deed, and as he was the acme Of
prodigality, the money did him but lit
tie good. Later Charley Ford placed {
pistol to his breast and fired a shot di
rectly through his heart, dying in hi:
aged parents arms, not mile from
where Hite's body was bid. Remorst
and bad health were the cause of the
act.
Bob went from bad to worse, and hi.