[With his gang nearly annihilated, James trusted only the Ford brothers, Charley and Robert.[46] Although Charley had been out on raids with James, Bob was an eager new recruit. For protection, James asked the Ford brothers to move in with him and his family. James had often stayed with their sister Martha Bolton and, according to rumor, he was "smitten" with her.[2] James did not know that Bob Ford had been conducting secret negotiations with Thomas T. Crittenden, the Missouri governor, to bring in the famous outlaw.[46] Crittenden had made capture of the James brothers his top priority; in his inaugural address he declared that no political motives could be allowed to keep them from justice. Barred by law from offering a sufficiently large reward, he had turned to the railroad and express corporations to put up a $5,000 bounty for each of them.[2]
On April 3, 1882, after eating breakfast, the Fords and James prepared to depart for another robbery. They went in and out of the house to ready the horses. As it was an unusually hot day, James removed his coat, then declared that he should remove his firearms as well, lest he look suspicious. Noticing a dusty picture on the wall, he stood on a chair to clean it. Bob Ford shot James in the back of the head.[47][48][49] James' two previous bullet wounds and partially missing middle finger served to positively identify the body.[12]
The murder of Jesse James was a national sensation. The Fords made no attempt to hide their role. Indeed, Robert Ford wired the governor to claim his reward. Crowds pressed into the little house in St. Joseph to see the dead bandit, even while the Ford brothers surrendered to the authorities but they were dismayed to find that they were charged with first degree murder. In the course of a single day, the Ford brothers were indicted, pleaded guilty, were sentenced to death by hanging, and two hours later were granted a full pardon by Governor Crittenden.[50]
The governor's quick pardon suggested that he knew that the brothers intended to kill James rather than capture him. Like many who knew James, the Ford brothers never believed it was practical to try to take him into custody.[citation needed] The implication that the chief executive of Missouri conspired to kill a private citizen startled the public and added to James' notoriety.[51][52][53]
After receiving a small portion of the reward, the Fords fled Missouri. Law enforcement officials active in the plan also shared the bounty. Later the Ford brothers starred in a touring stage show in which they reenacted the shooting.[54][55]
Suffering from tuberculosis (then incurable) and a morphine addiction, Charley Ford committed suicide on May 6, 1884, in Richmond, Missouri. Bob Ford operated a tent saloon in Creede, Colorado. On June 8, 1892, a man named Edward O'Kelley, went to Creede on a personal vendetta with avenging James. He loaded a double barrel shotgun, entered Ford's saloon and said "Hello, Bob" before shooting Bob Ford in the throat, killing him instantly. O'Kelley was sentenced to life in prison. O'Kelley's sentence was subsequently commuted because of a 7,000 signature petition in favor of his release. The governor pardoned him on October 3, 1902.[56]
James' mother Zerelda Samuel wrote the following epitaph for him: In Loving Memory of my Beloved Son, Murdered by a Traitor and Coward Whose Name is not Worthy to Appear Here.[46] James's widow Zee died alone and in poverty.]
A. Ralph Epperson contends in his book "The Unseen Hand" (pages 162 and 163) that:
[Jesse James, a 33rd degree Mason, lived to be 107 years old. He claimed
that his secret to his long life was that he changed his name frequently after
first locating a cowboy with approximately his same physical characteristics.
He then would kill or have him killed by shooting him in the face. He would
then plant some items known to be his on the body, such as jewelry or
clothing. His next step would be to have a known relative or a close friend
identify the body as being that of Jesse James. Since there were no other
means of identifying the body such as pictures or fingerprints, the public
assumed that the relative or friend knew what they were saying when they
identified the body. Grateful townspeople were happy to think that the
notorious bankrobber, or any or his dangerous aliases, was dead, so they
tended to believe that the identification was correct. Jesse claimed mat it was
by mis method that he assumed the identities or aliases of some seventy-diree
individuals. In fact, he claimed that one of his aliases he used in later years
was that of William A. Clark, the copper king and later a U.S. Senator from
the Las Vegas area of Nevada. It is after Senator Clark that Clark County,
Nevada is named.]
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