The End of Jesse James
The legend of Jesse James came to an end on April 3, 1882. Due to his paranoia, he trusted very few people, two of which were Charley and Robert Ford. The Ford brothers, for safety reasons, were invited to stay with James and his family.
Unknown at the time, Robert Ford had been dealing secretly with the Missouri governor, Thomas T. Crittenden. They’d been planning to bring James in to pay for his crimes, with Crittenden putting up a large reward bounty.
On the day of his death, James had been planning another robbery with the Ford brothers. As the brothers went out, James was distracted by a dusty painting and climbed a chair to quickly clean it. Robert, who had been waiting, came in and shot James in the back of the head.
Both Ford brothers were convicted and sentenced to death, but the governor quickly pardoned them. The quick turnabout led many people to believe that the governor had a hand in the death of James, and they were outraged.
Neither brother lasted long after they were pardoned, even though they moved away. Charley Ford contracted tuberculosis and killed himself on May 6, 1884. Legend says he felt guilty for betraying James. Robert Ford, on the other hand, carried on until 1892 when a man named Edward O’Kelley shot him in Ford’s own saloon. Although sentenced for murder, a petition carrying seven thousand signatures resulted in him being released, and O’Kelley was pardoned.