Jesse James who was a hero to many. taken down by “the rotten little coward who shot Mister Howard” According to the song sung by Woody Guthrie
On this date in 1882, legendary outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed in St. Joseph, MO by an outlaw named Bob Ford. Ford and his brother Charley attempted to claim a reward that had been offered for James, but the only reward they received was arrest and indictment for murder. They pled guilty and were sentenced to death, but a pardon from the governor spared them the hangman’s noose.
Charley Ford, suffering from tuberculosis, committed suicide in 1884. Bob was killed in 1892, shot in the back by a man named Edward O’Kelley. Sounds like poetic justice to me.
Further reading:
Legends of America: Jesse James – Folklore Hero or Cold-Blooded Killer?
St. Joseph History – Jesse James
Wikipedia – Robert Ford (outlaw)
Damaged Skull Writer 