Jesse James Rides Again

Jesse James Rides Again! History books say that Jesse Woodson James was killed on April 3, 1882, but others believe differently. (Hall) I believe Jesse James died in 1951 in Grandbury, Texas at the age of 103. Between 1882 and 1948 he went by many different names but mainly went by J. Frank Dalton. From the Civil War to Jesse James supposed death in 1882, Jesse was a major outlaw. After 1882 Jesse led a normal life and had many different professions.

Jesse Woodson James was born on September 5, 1847 in Western Missouri. Jesse’s father, a Baptist minister, Robert Salle James and his mother Zerelda Cole. Jesse had one whole brother Frank James and other half and step siblings. Jesse’s father died when he was a young boy and his mother remarried more than once. When Jesse was 17 he married a young girl, who was also his first cousin, named Zerelda Mimms. They had 2 children, Jesse Jr. and Mary. (O’Brien)

When Jesse was 14 years old, his brother Frank went off to fight in the war and joined the Quantrill’s Guerrillas. The Quantrill’s Guerrillas was a group of men from Missouri that formed a company of the Confederate Army. These men would hide in the bushes and woods and then ambush Union soldiers. The name bushwhackers came from these men. One day while Jesse was doing his farm work, many Union soldiers came to Jesse’s house. They tore up his house and attempted to hang his step-father, Dr. Samuels to try to get information out of them about the Quantrill’s Guerrillas. Jesse and his family didn’t tell where they were so the soldiers left. This made Jesse very angry. He went and found Frank and the Guerrillas and talked them in to letting him join at the age of 14. He rode

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with the Guerrillas through many battles until they surrender at the end of the Civil War. He was wounded more than once while riding with the Guerrillas. Jesse rode with many different outlaws while with the Guerrillas, such as Bloody Bill Anderson, his cousins the Younger brothers, and many other men. (O’Brien)

After the Civil War, Jesse was an Outlaw. He rode with Frank, his cousins the Younger brothers, and many other men such as Bob and Charlie Ford, Jesse’s supposed killers. They called themselves the James’ Gang because Jesse and Frank was the head of the gang. Some people saw them as stone cold killers, as others seen them as more of a Robin Hood gang. Men who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. The James’ Gang robbed many banks and trains. They were constantly on the run from the authorities. Allan Pickerton and his detectives were assigned to the James’ Gang by the state of Missouri. Pickerton was after the gang for a long time and captured some of the gang but never got Jesse or Frank. (O’Brien)

A man by the name of Charlie Bigelow was calling himself Jesse James. This was causing a lot of attention to Jesse and his town that he didn’t want. So Jesse, Frank, Bob Ford, Charlie Ford and some of the member of the gang came up with a plan. Jesse was good family friends with the newly elected Governor of Missouri, Tom Crittenden. Since there was a price on Jesse’s head they came up with a plan that would get rid of the problem of Charlie Bigelow and the price on Jesse’s head. So they made a plan with the Governor that if he went along with the killing, that Jesse could fake his death and live a

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normal life. Since Bob Ford was going to kill Bigelow he would get the reward money. They gave most of the money to the Governor and they split the rest between Bob and Jesse. So on April 3, 1882 Jesse sent Bob and Charlie Ford to take care of this problem with Charlie Bigelow. The history books say that Jesse James was shot in the back of the head while hanging a picture. Actually what happened was Bob Ford shot Bigelow in his barn. Charlie and Bob then moved the body in to the house, made the picture sideways, and shot a bullet in the wall. This is one part that proves that this was not Jesse James. When Charlie and Bob moved the body in the house they put a bullet in the wall so they would have a better story. But the autopsy said that the bullet was still in the head of Jesse James (Charlie Bigelow). Also in the picture of the body of Charlie Bigelow there were no exit wounds so there is no way there could be a bullet in the wall. Another part that says Jesse was not killed on April 3, 1882 is the doctor that did the autopsy on Charlie Bigelow was Jesse’s doctor. This doctor’s name was Dr. J.S. Preston. Dr. Preston knew that Jesse had conjunctivitis in his eyes. When Dr. Preston did the autopsy on Jesse James supposed body he did not have conjunctivitis. Dr. Preston stated after the autopsy that “if that was Jesse James…. He was the Queen of May”. (Turilli)