Legends of the Old West - JESSE JAMES D.C. Ep. 9 | "Assassination"

Episode Date: March 4, 2020

In the Season Finale, Jesse and Frank rob one final train. One by one, the members of Jesse's gang disappear or die. The governor of Missouri announces unprecedented bounties for the capture of the James boys, and the money tempts Charley and Robert Ford to take drastic action. Join Black Barrel+ for bingeable seasons with no commercials: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more details, visit our website www.blackbarrelmedia.com and check out our social media pages. We’re @OldWestPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Let's go seize the night. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Visit amex.ca slash yamex. Benefits vary by car and other conditions apply. This episode is brought to you by Lego Fortnite. Lego Fortnite is the ultimate survival crafting game found within Fortnite. It's not just Fortnite Battle Royale with minifigures. It's an entirely new experience that combines the best of Lego play and

Fortnite created to give players of all ages, including kids and families, a safe digital space to play in. Download Fortnite on consoles, PC, cloud services, or Android and play Lego Fortnite for free. Rated ESRB E10+. Missouri Governor Thomas Crittenden examined the winds of change in his state, and he saw an opportunity.

After the James Gang killed a conductor and a passenger in its latest robbery, its support from the populace collapsed. Farmers in the countryside now complained loudly about their situations. They didn't want to support the James boys by giving them food and shelter, but they felt they had no choice. They weren't crazy enough to say no to Jesse James when he was standing in front of them with loaded guns. crazy enough to say no to Jesse James when he was standing in front of them with loaded guns. And the people in the town of Kearney, the hometown of the James family, now openly called for the brothers to be caught and hanged. Governor Crittenden heard all these things, and he took stock of the new gang Jesse had assembled. The new men did not share the bond of loyalty that was shared by the members of the James

Younger gang. The new guys were in it for money and fame, so Crittenden offered them loads of money. He quietly solicited sizable donations from businessmen who had vested interests in seeing the outlaws stopped. Then, at the end of July, 1881, the governor made the James boys the most wanted men in America. He offered a $10,000 reward for each brother and $5,000 for each of the other men involved in the Winston train robbery that happened two weeks earlier. Handbills were printed and circulated throughout Missouri. The amount was staggering.

And in the short term, It gave Jesse exactly what he wanted Headlines He was re-energized And ready to get back to work At the time He had no way of knowing That his next robbery would be his last Or that the massive reward

Would prove too tempting to pass up For Charlie and Robert Ford From Black Barrel Media prove too tempting to pass up for Charlie and Robert Ford. From Black Barrel Media, this is Season 7 of the Legends of the Old West podcast. I'm your host, Chris Wimmer, and this is the season finale of Jesse James, Director's Cut. This is Episode 9, Assassination. And easy with Shopify. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell and grow at every stage of your business. From the launch your online shop stage all the way to the did we just hit a million orders stage. Whether you're selling scented soap or offering outdoor outfits, Shopify helps you sell everywhere. They have an all-in-one e-commerce platform and in-person POS system.

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Shopify.com slash realm. And if it's not fresh, it's free. Yes, you heard that right. From the crispest lettuce to the juiciest apples, Loblaws is committed to fresh, so you get the best fruits and veggies. Look for new value programs when you shop at Loblaws, in-store and online. Conditions may apply. See in-store for details. It had been eight years since the James boys robbed their first train. That job had happened in a rural area outside Adair, Iowa. The brothers chose the spot because there was a sharp bend in the railroad tracks and the train would be forced to slow down to make the

turn. For the robbery that turned out to be their last, they used the same strategy. They returned to the village of Glendale, Missouri, and chose a spot called Blue Cut outside town. They targeted the Chicago and Alton Railroad, again, and staged their ambush at a place where the train would be forced to slow down for a curve. It was Wednesday night, September 7, 1881, exactly five years to the day after the Northfield raid. Six men waited in the deepening darkness near the Blue Cut excavation site. Frank and Jesse led the group, and they had three men from the Winston robbery, plus one more, three men from the Winston robbery, plus one more, the newest member, Charlie Ford.

The train chugged through the wilderness with a single headlight on the front to cut through the night. It made the slow turn toward Blue Cut. The train's engineer saw a man in the distance waving a red lantern. The signal meant there was trouble ahead and the train should stop. The signal meant there was trouble ahead and the train should stop. The engineer was not surprised. Trains often stalled making the turn and the engineer initially thought this was what had happened. He thought there was a stalled train on the tracks somewhere ahead. But then he saw the man set the lantern on stones that were piled on the tracks and he knew they were about to be robbed. As the engineer slowed the train to avoid crashing into the pile of stones, bandits rushed up to the cars

from both sides of the tracks. They were armed with rifles and pistols. They dragged the engineer back to the express car and made him break down the door. They ordered the express messenger to open the safe and when he moved too slowly, they bashed him over the head with a gun. When he finally opened the safe, it contained less than $400.

For just the second time in Jesse's career, he ordered his men to rob the passengers. As Jesse walked through the cars relieving people of their valuables, he was back to his old self. walked through the cars relieving people of their valuables, he was back to his old self. He talked the whole time, sometimes quoting the Bible, sometimes threatening action that he might take in the future, and all the while, reveling in the attention from his audience. When the robbery was complete, he gave a deep bow and said, goodbye. This is the last time you will ever see Jesse James. In the hours after the raid, posses poured over the ground around the robbery site. Governor Crittenden issued a statement of outrage that called on all the people of Missouri to rise up against the outlaws. And as the heat ramped up, Frank and Jesse may have found out that they had once again

left money behind on the train. They had taken $400 from a safe in the express car, but they didn't know there was another safe hidden under a cluster of chicken coops. Railroads couldn't stop the outlaws from attacking the trains, but they were starting to outsmart them. The money from the safe netted them less than $70 per man, and there was more bad news on the way. The Irishman Bill Ryan was found guilty of the Glendale train robbery. He was the first member of the New James gang to be convicted by a jury, and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. On the heels of the verdict, there was more bad news, and this piece would have been particularly painful to Frank and Jesse. A group of former Confederate

soldiers issued a statement that condemned the actions of the gang, and the soldiers went further. They said they wanted nothing less than the extermination of men like the James boys, whom they called enemies of society. The gang started to crack. Jesse watched every man with a suspicious eye. His cousin, Wood Hite, and his protege, Dick Little, began a feud that escalated quickly. They were both interested in Martha Bolton, the sister of Bob and Charlie Ford. A couple weeks after the Blue Cut robbery, Jesse summoned them to the farm of Wood Heights' father in Kentucky. They were supposed to discuss plans for another train robbery. But Wood and Little pushed each other beyond the point of

no return. They got into a fierce argument and stormed out into the yard. They pulled their guns and fired at each other, but they were both so angry, they missed badly. At that point, Little left the gang and traveled back to Missouri. Back to the home of Martha Bolton and Bob and Charlie Ford. And this was the end of the road for Frank James. He hadn't wanted to get back into the outlaw life. He'd been dragged back in by Jesse. Now he had an unprecedented bounty on his head, and the gang was falling apart, and the last robbery had cost them far more than they had earned. Frank James left the gang and the area. In October 1881, he and his family took a train to Kentucky, and from there to Tennessee, and then on to Virginia.

They roamed through Virginia and North Carolina, looking for a place to settle, before finally deciding on Lynchburg, Virginia. They roamed through Virginia and North Carolina, looking for a place to settle, before finally deciding on Lynchburg, Virginia. This was where Frank spent his time as events in Missouri spiraled out of control. In November of 1881, a month after Frank left Missouri, Jesse moved out of Kansas City with the help of Charlie Ford. They moved Jesse's family to St. Joseph, where Jesse rented a house on the corner of Lafayette and 21st Street under the name of Thomas Howard. The family, plus Charlie, settled in for the rest of November and most of December.

The family, plus Charlie, settled in for the rest of November and most of December. On the morning of December 4th, in Martha Bolton's home 75 miles away, Dick Little walked downstairs for breakfast. He found his rival, Wood Hite, sitting at the table. They immediately started arguing, and Wood jumped up with a gun in his hand. The two men stood at either end of the table firing at each other as fast as they could both pull the triggers. Wood shot Little in the right leg. Then Wood's head snapped back.

He slumped to the floor, dead from a headshot. Robert Ford later claimed he fired the bullet that killed Jesse's cousin. But whoever did it, the result was the same. Dick Little or Bob Ford had murdered a close relative of Jesse James. Now they were in a race against time. If Jesse found out, they were dead men. They buried Wood's body in a shallow grave in the timber behind the house. On Christmas Eve, Jesse and Charlie moved Jesse's

family one final time. Jesse wanted a house on a hill that commanded a view in all directions. He found it at 1318 Lafayette Street, one block north of the Patey House Hotel, which was called the World's Hotel at that time. The week after Christmas, Jesse took Charlie to Martha's house. He wanted to see Dick Little, and he was alarmed to discover that Little was not his usual self. Little was sullen and edgy and nervous. Jesse didn't understand the change in his friend's behavior, and he didn't like it either.

And something else fueled Jesse's anxiety. His cousin Wood had suddenly disappeared, but he didn't yet associate Wood's absence with Little's strange behavior. After the odd sequence of events, Jesse and Charlie returned to St. Joseph, and Jesse's world started to collapse. Jesse's world started to collapse. In early January 1882, the sheriff of Clay County stormed Martha Bolton's house with a posse. They were looking for Dick Little,

but he slipped out a back door and hid in a field all night and the next day. He could either face the authorities or face Jesse James. He chose the authorities. He sent Martha to secretly meet with the governor. Governor Crittenden offered Little a deal. Surrender and testify against the James boys and you won't be prosecuted. Little accepted and turned himself in on January 24th His surrender was kept secret from Jesse For the moment And Martha wasn't done negotiating with the governor She whispered a second offer to the governor during their meeting

Her brother Bob had information about Jesse And a plan he could carry out For the right price. One week later, Governor Crittenden attended a ball at the St. James Hotel in Kansas City. He was told that a young man was waiting in another room. The governor slipped away from the festivities and met Robert Ford face to face. They quickly came to an agreement. Bob would receive the reward money and a full pardon for what he was about to do, and the governor would receive Jesse James. Bob was one week away from his 20th birthday. away from his 20th birthday. Shortly after Bob turned 20 years old, the governor put Bob's information into action.

In early February, lawmen stormed the farm of Jesse's uncle, George Hite, who was the father of Clarence and Wood. Clarence was captured in the process. Officials raced him back to Missouri, and he pled guilty to the Winston train robbery. At that point, Jesse's paranoia must have been sky high. One-time gang member Daniel Basham had already flipped and testified against Bill Ryan, and Bill was now in prison. Jesse didn't know that Dick Little had surrendered and was now working with the governor, but Little's absence was suspicious in and of itself, and now Wood Heights' younger brother Clarence had been captured,

and Wood himself was still nowhere to be found. Only Dick Little and Bob Ford knew he was buried in a field behind Martha Bolton's house. The walls were closing in on Jesse. There were just two men left around him, Bob and Charlie Ford. In the final week of March 1882, Jesse told Bob to move into his house on the hill in St. Joseph. Jesse was planning a bank robbery in his home state for the first time in 13 years. And then, on March 31st, the news of Dick Little's surrender hit the newspapers. Jesse had been an avid reader of the papers his whole life, and Bob and Charlie knew there was no way to hide the information from him. Jesse's suspicions of everyone and everything skyrocketed. Bob knew he couldn't wait any longer. Little's surrender was now public,

and the governor was waiting impatiently for Bob to carry out his part of the plan. The biggest problem was, Bob and Charlie were scared. Jesse never took off his guns, and they were terrified to try something while he was armed. But two days later, they got their chance. It was Monday morning, April 3rd, 1882. It was hot that morning. After breakfast, Jesse and Charlie went out to the stable to feed and curry the horses.

When they returned to the house, Jesse took off his coat and vest. With those two garments removed, he decided to take off his gun belt too. He said he was worried that people might see him walking around heavily armed and they'd become suspicious. In the parlor, Jesse noticed a picture on the wall that looked dusty. He picked up a brush and stepped up onto a chair to clean the picture. Z was in the kitchen with the children and didn't know her husband busied himself with housework in the other room. His back was turned to Bob and Charlie Ford. As Jesse dusted the photo, he heard two noises he knew very well. Bob and Charlie racked back the hammers of their pistols.

Charlie winked at Bob that it was time to do it. Bob pulled the trigger first. He fired one shot, and the bullet tore through the back of Jesse's head above his left ear. Charlie didn't fire at all. Jesse toppled off the chair and crashed to the floor. Zee rushed in from the kitchen. toppled off the chair and crashed to the floor. Zee rushed in from the kitchen. Charlie tried to say that a gun had gone off by accident, but he and Bob were already running from the house. They sprinted to the telegraph office and sent a wire to the governor.

They had done it. They had killed Jesse James. Cash back at Sephora, Old Navy, Expedia, and other stores you love. You can even stack sales on top of cash back. Just start your shopping with Rakuten to save money at over 750 stores. Join for free at Rakuten.ca or get the Rakuten app. That's R-A-K-U-T-E-N. St. Joseph, Missouri was bedlam as word spread that Mr. Thomas Howard, who lived on the hill at the top of Lafayette Street, was really the legendary outlaw Jesse James. Zerelda James, her son Jesse, and her daughter Mary could not stay in their home. It was swarmed by law enforcement and random people from everywhere, and there was

still blood on the parlor floor. They checked into the World's Hotel a block away. They had nowhere else to go as the chaos swirled around them, and now Z had to have several difficult discussions with her children. She had to tell her six-year-old son that his name was not Tim Howard, as he'd always believed. His name was actually Jesse Edwards James. And his father's name was not Tom Howard. It was Jesse James. In time, young Jesse would learn that his father's trade was not whatever he'd been told it was. In reality, his father was arguably the most famous outlaw who ever walked the earth.

Three days after the murder, Jesse James was buried in his hometown of Kearney, and 2,000 people attended the ceremony. For the next month, the newspapers in Missouri wrote of almost nothing but the life and death of Jesse James. The murder was called a tragedy. In the aftermath, Bob and Charlie Ford were arrested in accordance with their deal with the governor, and the governor lived up to his end of the bargain. Governor Crittenden pardoned them for the murder of Jesse James and gave them some of the reward money. Much to their chagrin, they had to split it with various lawmen.

As events played out, the governor distanced himself from the Ford brothers. He maintained for the rest of his life that he never sanctioned the murder of Jesse James. His deal with Bob was for the capture of the outlaw. But the thing was done now, and there was no taking it back. law. But the thing was done now, and there was no taking it back. Frank James learned of his brother's murder through the newspapers within days of the event. For the next several months, he negotiated his surrender with Governor Crittenden. In the end, it was Jesse's old friend John Newman Edwards, the newspaperman, who helped get it done. After Jesse's death, the newspapermen who helped get it done.

After Jesse's death, Edwards had railed against the act and the Ford brothers in the Sedalia Democrat newspaper. On October 5th, 1882, Edwards brought Frank James into the governor's office for a formal surrender ceremony. Frank was cool and collected. He introduced himself and calmly unbuckled his gun belt. His weapons were unloaded, and he handed them to the governor. That day in October, the most celebrated outlaw gang in the West officially came to an end. 16 years and 228 days after they robbed their first bank.

Over the next four years, Frank James was scheduled to have four trials. Only two happened, and he was acquitted in both. The prosecution dropped the other two cases. By the spring of 1885, there was only one possible legal matter pending, Frank's participation in the Northfield raid. Frank stayed clear of Minnesota for the rest of his life, and he was never prosecuted for the raid, which would have been tough anyway because the younger brothers were loyal to their friends. They never admitted Frank and Jesse had been on the raid. Bob Younger died in Stillwater Prison of Tuberculosis in 1899 at the age of 35. John Newman Edwards died of a heart attack the same year.

Cole and Jim were paroled two years later after having their sentences reduced. Jim took his own life in a St. Paul hotel room in 1902. Cole wrote a memoir of his time as an outlaw in which he admitted to only one crime, the Northfield Raid. In 1903, he reunited with Frank and they traveled with a stage show called the Cole Younger and Frank James Wild West Show. Both men finished their lives in their home state of Missouri. Frank gave tours of his family's homestead for 50 cents apiece before he passed away February 18, 1915. Cole followed him one year later, March 21, 1916 Just five years later, in 1921, the first movie about Jesse James was made

With his son playing the role of the father Jim Cummins had fled Jesse's orbit in 1881 After he became convinced Jesse had killed their friend Ed Miller Jim just disappeared, which caused Frank and Jesse to leave Tennessee and return to Missouri. Jim stayed on the run for 25 years. When he died in 1929, he was believed to be the last surviving member of the James Gang era. Jesse James became big business the moment he was killed. He left his family destitute,

and Z was forced to auction their possessions to make money. Photographers sold pictures of Jesse's body, and you can see those pictures online today. Visitors flocked to Jesse's home in St. Joseph. They marveled at the bullet hole in the wall by the picture he had been adjusting when he was shot. None of them knew it was a true oddity, because the bullet never hit the wall. It was found in Jesse's brain during the autopsy.

The firing of that bullet was reenacted night after night for sold-out audiences up and down the East Coast and throughout the Midwest. For almost two years, Bob and Charlie Ford performed a stage play about their assassination of the famous outlaw. They were received well in New York, but audiences in Louisville, Kentucky booed and hissed and called them murderers and robbers. Audiences in Louisville, Kentucky booed and hissed and called them murderers and robbers. Charlie sank into a dark place. He became addicted to morphine and came down with tuberculosis. On May 4, 1884, he shot himself in the chest. Bob drifted down to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he opened a saloon and then became a city policeman.

But his reputation as a man who shot people in the back drove him out of Las Vegas. He moved north to Colorado and opened saloons in Walsenburg and Pueblo before finally settling in Creed. On June 8, 1892, ten years and two months after he killed Jesse James, Robert Ford was shot down in his own saloon. A man named Edward Kelly, or Edward O. Kelly, walked into the bar with a sawed-off shotgun and pulled both triggers. Bob was initially buried in Creed and then moved to his hometown of Richmond, Missouri. His tombstone reads simply, The Man Who Shot Jesse James. Jesse's original tombstone featured an epitaph written by his mother that read, In loving memory of my beloved son,

murdered by a traitor and a coward whose name is not worthy to appear here. His current tombstone in the Mount Olive Cemetery in Kearney, Missouri, features just one descriptor, assassinated. To be continued... re-envisioned story of Jesse James. If this is your first experience with the show, I hope you liked it, and there are lots more stories waiting for you in the back catalog. We're going to take a short break and return with a new season on April 1st, which will also be the two-year anniversary of the show. The next season will feature an all-time classic of American history, the story of the iconic family feud between the Hatfields and McCoys.

Original music by Rob Valliere. Music editing and sound design by Dave Harrison. I'm your writer and host, Chris Wimmer. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening. Please visit our website, blackbarrelmedia.com, for more details, and join us on social media. We're Black Barrel Media on Facebook and Instagram, and BBarrel Media on Twitter. And if you want to contribute to the production of our shows and receive discounts on merchandise, please visit our Patreon page. That's patreon.com slash blackbarrelmedia.

Thanks for listening. We'll see you April 1st.