This week in history

Jesse James was born on September 5, 1847. As a teenager, he was a guerilla fighter for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. At war’s end, he returned to Missouri and became the leader of an outlaw gang. With his older brother, Frank and several ex-Confederates, including the Cole brothers, they robbed their way into the hearts of many; romanticized by eastern journalists.

It all ended abruptly when a bullet was fired into James’s head by Robert Ford, a fellow gang member. Ford hoped to claim a bounty of $10,000 for his deed. He only got a small portion of that bounty and long-lived notoriety.

Source(s): National Geographic Education

Compiled by Bob Valen