Jesse James
1847-1882

Jesse James was called "America's Robin Hood" by Teddy Roosevelt. The public tended to make outlaw's into folk heros — In reality, Jesse, along with his brother Frank, often killed defenseless bystanders during their robberies with no regard.

During the Civil War, Jesse and Frank joined the Confederate guerrillas and joined in bloody raids in Missouri against the Union. Jesse suffered severe wounds on two occasions but recovered.

For a decade, the James-Younger gang robbed banks, stores, stagecoaches, and trains, often killing the people they robbed. Jesse met his death at the hands of Bob Ford, who had joined Jesse's new gang with the intention of collecting $50,000 in reward. He shot Jesse in the back of the head as he stepped up on a chair to straighten a picture in his living room. Frank James soon surrendered himself to the Governor of Missouri and lived and honest life. He later set up the James-Younger Wild West Show with his old partners in crime.

Gunfighter Statistics:
Number of Gunfights: 9
Number of Killings: 1
Number of Possible or Assisted Killings: 3

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