Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-11-18

| have on the place.
"Jesse and the two Fords went
away that night and rode on horse,
back TO st. Joe. I never saw him
again till they sent me word that
the Fords had murdered him and I
went to st. Joe snd saw him in his
coffin. | brought him here and
buried him."
"Wby did you bury him in your
yard ?"
s'I was afraid they would steal
his body and / wanted him where I
could watch over his grave"
cswsrdsss u His Murdsrsrs.
"Did you ever meet either Of the
Ford boys after the killing ?"
eyes, | vent to the Jail 10 Sc.
Joe and demanded to see them in
their cells, but they begged the
jailer not to let me in. They said
they could face cannon, but not the
mother and widow Of man they
had killed"
"Two or three years after the
murder Of JESSE" continued Mrs.
Samuels, ''I and young Jesse here
were walking up North Main street
in Kansas City. He was 0 years
old then. All at once he said to
me:
" 'Oh, grandma here comes the
man that killed my papa
"I looked up and saw Charley
Ford coming down the street to-
ward me. As soon as I saw him
my knees trembled under me and
| became so weak that / had to sit
down on o box in front Of shoe
store. Charley saw me, but he went
past me with his head down. said /:
"'You don't know me, Charley?'
YES he said. i know you.
You are Mrs. Samuels.'
you killed my brave boy, you
murdered him for money. fought
to Kill yoa,' / said.
F." Mrs. Samuels, don't say that.
II you only knew what am suffer
ing you wouldn't talk to me in that
way
"<And what have you made me
and mine suffer p said l to him.
Mrs. Samuels,' he said. Il
have been in the blacklist hell of re.
morse ever since it was done. But
didn't kill him. II was Bob
Yes, and you knew Bob in
tended to it when YOU brought him
to my house. You ate bread un-
der my roof with blacklist murder
in your heart, and murder for mon
ey, too. Oh, Charley, there will
come day of reckoning for you. ,
There can't come worse reck-
oning than what I am suffering
now
Forgiveness and Suicide.
"Oharley told me that he did not
know that Bob intended to kill
Jesse till they got to st. Joe, and
then Bob told him il he did not
consent to it he would kill him
along with Jesse. He repeated
over and over again that he
was suffering the worse agonies
OF remorse and he looked like it.
The perspiration was pouring down
his face, the cords of his neck stood
out and he wiped with his fingers
the tears from his eyes. lie begged
me to forgive him aud when | saw
what be was suffering oil the hatred
in my heart for him wen: out and ]
said
4" Charley, it God can forgive
you | will
"He said again that he was in a
hell OF remorse, and / told him
thought he would End a worse hell
at the end.
Pm tempted to try that hell;
it can't be worse than the one I'm
in he said.
What did you do with the
SEQ. 900 you got for numbering nv
boy?' ] asked him. you know
you owed Jesse's widow board bill
Of s140 when you killed him. Why
don't you pay that +? You know
she had a hard time to get along
"He looked me straight in the
eyes for the first time. and said
TAs Reward and Jesse IRIS Oath.
Mrs. Samuels, before God we
never got but q few hundred dol
lars OF the reward. They cheated
NJ out of it.
"When we parted little Jess said
to me: Grandma, IL ever get to
IA q man I'm roinn 70 lii liz;