The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-06-12
DIED WITH HIS BOOTS ON
Four Melodramas Condensed Into Brief
but Comprehensive Narrative.
Killing of Bob Ford, the Slayer Of Jesse James,
the Leader ola Gang Who Killed Thou
sand People and Stole $lO,O00.0OO.

Brooklyn Eagle.
Bob" Ford kept dance ball at Crede,
Col. Kept" is in the past tense. Its use
mplIes not that the dance-hall is no more,
but that Bob" Ford Is no more. A dis
patch from Creole tells that on Wednesday
Deputy Sheriff Kelly was seen standing at
the door of FOTd's saloon. A man handed
him a shotgun. He took it and entered the
saloon say ing as he entered: Hello. Bob
On that Bob turned round with his hand
on his hip pocket to draw his pistol. but he
was too late for Kelley discharged the con-
tents of the gun into his neck. The gun
was loaded with buckshot Ford's jugular
vein and other veins were cut in two. He
died instantly. Kelly surrendered himself
to a police justice and refuses to be inter-
viewed"
About four melodramas are condensed in
that story. Those who know what the an
tecedents to 1t are would probably increase
the null Der of the melodramas by eleht OF
ten. Bob" Ford was the brother of the
late Charley" Ford. The late Charley"
Ford. about four years ago, blew his brains
out in Kansas City hotel. He did so be-
cause he was constantly pursued by those
memory held with graphic tenacity the de-
tails OF a deed extraordinary in the annals
of Missouri-but that is another story.
The story is this: During the war, near
the town of Sedalia, in southwestern Mis-,
souri,, lived Baptist preacher named
James whose family comprised wife,
daughter and two sons, named Jesse and
Frank. Jesse was fifteen and Frank thr-
teen years old. That country was border
land between the Union and the Confeder-
called n
selves guerrillae, raided and robbed the
country In the name OF the Confederacy.
Creatures as vlle W no called themselves jay
hawkers raided and robbed the country IN
the name of the Union. A horse was worth
good deal more than O man, so hfe-tak-
ing and DEMONSTRATING were the Occupa-
lions of both sets of land pirates One
day some Jay hawkers swooped down on
the James place. The father was killed.
Better for the sister that she had been
killed. The boys were whipped, kicked
and told to get out. The demonstrating
mother was knocked down and made hear
the foulest language that tcould be adj
dressed to her. What horses were there
were stolen. In the country of which the
boast was the consideration shown TO
women, this occurrence might be thought
exceptional, but it was not.
TRAINING UNDER QUANTRELL-
The boys did as they were told. They got
out They joined guerrilla gang, headed
by q man Infamous for his ferocity, named
Quantrell. Under him they grew To man.
hood. GOODNESS and brutality, by the close
of the war. An incident will explain this
assertion. AT the town of ST. Joseph,
near the western extreme of Missouri,
was hospital for the soldiers of the
Union army. AS fast as they improved
they were taken across the State by rail-
road to convalescent camp on one OF
the islands in the Mississippi below st.
Louis. On an occasion siXty-twO OF such
| valescentS were put on train 8nd
the train was captured by QuantrelFs gang
at the town of Mexico, Mo. The sixty-twO
| prisoners were placed In a line on their
| knees. bliIdfolded, on q green sward which
station at that town. Thus placed, they
| were all killed by pistol shots, and to Jesse
Jane, at bis own request, was awarded The
right TO kill all of them. When he had
shot little over forty the older men of the
| gang, sickeDed at his ferOcity, pulled him
back, and finished the job themselves. HIS
brother Frank was his constant companion
| In this guerrilla service.
At the close Of the war the two brothers.
| Jesse James as the leader, organized the
| most famous band of robbers which this
country has ever known. They held Mis-
| souri,, Arkansas and the Indian Territory
cepting Jesse and Frank James, the
! personnel of the gang. which was never
large changed about every five years. In
that time the members would either get
| killed of, in conflict with authority
| or among themselves. or Jesse James
| would take them one by one out in
the woods alone and SUDDENLY shoot them.
Dead men told no tales. His theory was
| would learn enough about him To render
the rewards every where offered for him,
dead or alive, temptation which they
could not resist. TO preserve their fidelity,
Ne rst n &oIy hatr linz.
| The operations of this gang extended
southeast as far as Nashville. and north
west into Nebraska and up to Still
water. MINI. The favOrite occupation was
| to hold mp railroad trains. so as to rob the
money car. the express safe and the pas
sengers. Another method was to ride into
@ small town, terrOriZe the inhabitants and
seize all the deposits in any bank or bank
them.
BY the year 1888 it was statistcally cal
culated that the Jease James gang had
acquired or destroyed moro than So
oOU thousand people hA and had aI pas
on Missouri an embargo against in
| tending investment and settlement W hich
the railroad men and the government rated
would have been worth SS00,000,00O TO the
State. Governor Crittenden in vain tried
to break mp and capture the gang. He
pressed II so hard. however that 1t tenn
pOrarily dispersed itself, and all but four
of IL won't into retirement.
WHO THEY WERE.
The four were Frank James. who lived
IN seclusion in Kansas City, and Jesse
James, Bob" Ford and Charley" Ford,
who took house outside of st.
Joseph. No., which stood on quite
o high ihill and which commanded
q view from every quarter. q view
which was unobstructed by the fact that
no other habItation was near. The three
| lived here under assumed names in appar-
emit peace and harmlessness. They were
planning. however, to rob a bank in Omaha
and to hold up pay train in the Indian
Territory. A lawyer in st. Joseph al
this time received a letter from Bob
| Ford and got treaty terms with
HIM and Charley" He contracted
with them for Governor Crittenden tC
hand over the body of Jesse James
dead or alive. TO the authorities. stipu
| lating to them a pardon in full and $40. SOC
reward. The $500 was all the State con
stitutiOn permitted the Governor to offer
| The $4,000 some of the sum put in bis
hands by the railroad companies, who
wanted to extermin nate Jesse James.
| One morning. whiie Jesse James was on
q step-ladder adjusting the hanging of q
cheap Autograph picture to the wall
Charley" Ford shot him through
the neck with o revolver. while
to finish the job OF TO defend his brother. il
necessary. Prompt as their action was tn.
click of Charley" Ford's pistol caused
Jesse James TO turn half way round on the
step-ladder and in the act of turning tow b
| onf his own nistol which HIS "a,