The Fate Of Jesse James

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32352, 18 July 1970, Page 5

The Fate Of Jesse James

(R'J

JUDSON BENNETT)

For years, historians and western enthusiasts have argued over the fate of the infamous Wild West outlaw, Jesse James. Now, it seems, the mystery is over. It has been cleared up by three of the outlaw’s presentday relatives and, they have won themselves 810,000 —a haul Jesse himself would have been proud of in his gun-totin’ days. The relatives won their prize in a recent court action. The relatives went to court to prove conclusively that Jesse was killed on April 3, 1882. The trial took place in Franklin County, Missouri, and all because of Rudy Turilli. the owner of the Jesse James Museum in the nearby town of Stanton. For years he has been claiming that Jesse lived to the ripe old age of 103. dying peacefully at Granbury, Texas in 1951. He offered a $lO,OOO reward to anyone who could disprove the theory. Indeed, Mr Turilli went as far as to say he had met the real James in 1948. It was at this point that the current generation of the James family rode into town to nut the record traight. They were headed by Stella James, aged 85. widow of Jesse’s son. and her two daughters. Ethel and Estelle. And they produced evidence —including the Jesse James's family Bible which bore the date of 1882 and which, the

women claimed, had been taken from Jesse immediately after his death. But Mr Turilli still was not satisfied and refused to pay the reward. So Stella, Ethel and Estelle took the matter to law. . . . The court upheld their case. The evidence, it decided, was most satisfactory, and that Mr Turilli must pay up. But though the law has chosen to believe it, it’s doubtful whether western enthusiasts will be impressed. For the circumstances of Jesse James’s death have always been the key factor in the arguments. The museum owner's original claim was that Jesse—under the alias of Howard — was not shot by the “dirty rotten coward” Bob Ford, his cousin. On the contrary, Turilli claims, Ford shot Charles Bigelow, another member of the outlaw gang, so Jesse could escape: this, although another member of the James family plainly gave his version of what happened in 1960.

And of everyone who has spoken on the subject, Elmer James should have been the one who knew. For he was alive in 1882.

Elmer emerged from the shadows of the Toronto race track where he worked, and told on television what, he said, was the true story of the notorious brothers.

Elmer was Jesse’s nephew and his verdict was that Hollywood had “got it all wrong.” Legend has it that the James brothers took the trail as outlaws because the railroad stole their farm in Missouri.

Elmer’s version was that neighbouring farmers got drunk in the saloon one night and decided to take revenge on the brothers because they hadn’t fought for either side in the Civil War. Instead, he said, they had ridden with the infamous Quantrell’s Raiders, who. robbed and murdered while pretending to fight. When the farmers arrived at the James farm, Jesse and his brother, Frank (Elmer’s father), were not at home. But intent on getting their vengeance, the farmers shot all the livestock, strung up the boys’ father, and beat up the mother. The father, said Elmer, was rescued. Then Jesse and Frank returned. Immediately they buckled on their guns and rode into town. Then,, walking into the saloon, they men. It was from that moment, said Elmer, that they were outlaws. Elmer also confirmed that Bob Ford shot Jesse in. the back at the age of 35. He also said that his father, who had earlier been ■ wounded in a gun battle, escaped and headed for Mexico. But he only got as far as Texas, where he took refuge with a settlement of Chocteau Indians. Later, Frank was pardoned, became deputy sheriff of Dallas, and died in Texas in 1915 at the age of 72. With that, having put the facts right in his own mind, Elmer returned into obscurity. Clearly, however, the facts are still being disputed. Whatever the truth, it seems, the western fans have no intention of stopping their arguing, f ?