The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-31

| NteJ l Jealousy because of pretty woman led to the f1nal. breaking up of the James gang and the death of Jesse James, the outlaw. Matte Collins was the woman.
 The James gang had been making its 1 headquarters in Kentucky in the late seventies and early eighties. The gang was then composed of Jesse James. Bob and Charles Ford, Wood Hite, a cousin of Jesse James; Dick Liddle and Jim Cummings
 Frank James had not been member of the gang for years before that tune. With shrewd foresight he had realized that the end of the gang was near, he had married good woman and had tired to persuade Jesse to give up outlawry. | Failing in that, he had gone alone under | an assumed name, to a remote part of the l southwest and was farming when Jesse James was killed.
 While the James gang was resting in | Kentucky Dick Liddle and Wood lite both became enamored of Hattie Collins, and their jealousy of each other de- veloned into 6, bitter hate. so deep and ] nurdetens that other members Of the z---sI.'~ s3 osur, Ia .-s4z-- -'4 e. make peace between the members or lis gang, but he could not. and he real! ize that unless it disbanded murder would be done and this would lead to dis covery of the gang. To prevent this he dishanded the gang and he came to st. Joseph, Mo-, where his wife and two cnil- dreu joined him. and they rented a cot | tage in the outskirts of the city and lived there quietly under the name of Howard. Dick Liddle and Hattie Collins, Bob | and Charlie Ford came to the home of Captain Ford, an uncle of Bob and Char He. near ARichmond, Ray county. and went into hiding there.
 Wood HIits, infiamed with anger. aud jealousy because Liddle had won the woman, followed them to Missouri and found out their hiding place.
 1 One morning while the Fords and Lid I dle and the Collins woman were at break 1 fast the front door was suddenly pushed open from without and Wood Hite en- 1 tered with a revolver in each hand He opened fire on Liddle. who was sitting beside the Collins woman at the table. | I.iddle jumped to his feet, drawing his revolver as he arose. and returned the fire of Hite but all the shots fired went wide of their mark.
 | Then Bob Ford drew his revolver and | fired and his bullet hit Hite in the head and he fell, seriously injured He was | carried to a room upstairs and left there | A little while afterward a neighbor was | seen walking toward the house. Hite was grooming so loudly upstairs that he could be heard all over the house and the outlaws were fearful that the neigh ! bor would hear him, so Bob Ford went 1 upstairs and stuffed Hite's mo,th full of ! rags and, choked him to death. That night the outlaws carried the body out | and threw it into spring and covered | it over with stones.
 | All of these facts were brought out later at the trial of Bob Ford for the murder in Clinton county. where the case wen | on a changs of venue.
 Jesse James, in hiding in St. Joseph ! Fnt word that his cousin, Wood Hite haf been killed by Dick Liddle, and he sen word 10 Liddle that he would kill nin on sight.
 Bob Ford knew that it was only a oues tion of time when Jesse James woul( learn that it was his shot, and not Lid 1 dle's, that had killed Hite, and he knew too. that Jesse would kill him when h' did discover 1t.
 Soon after this Hattie Collins went {, l Governor Crittenden to make terms fo | the surrender of Dick I4iddle, and as ( result of the interview Liddle surrendere, secretly to Sheriff Timberlake upon prom ise of immunity if he would do all in hi 1 power to cause the arrest and conviction | of Jesse James.
 Three weeks after this, when no on but the Fords and the officers of the law knew that Liddle had surrendered. Jess James rode up one night to the For home and told Bob and Charlie Ford tha
 he wanted them to go with him to St Joseph, where they would rest awhile
 and then would rob the bank in Platt' | City. The Fords did not dare to refus, and they went with him to St. Joseph. Bob Ford told afterward to his mos intimate friends to his, lawyers and t, the authorities, and it was believed by
 Slave is scheduled to appear at the Bio,
 next week.
 Back in 1882 Battley Campbell wros, his famous drama. Of, the. south. ''Th' l White Slave" anu Walter Buiridge, tit>;