In the spring of 1882, Jesse Woodson James, a male of 34 years, was living in a small house in Saint-Joseph, Missouri, with his wife and two children under the alias of Tom Howard. His life as one of America's most notorious outlaws, a leader of the James-Younger Gang known for robbing banks and trains, had forced him into a clandestine existence. By this time, the original gang was largely dismantled, with most members either dead or imprisoned, and Governor Tom Crittenden of Missouri had
offered a substantial $10,000 reward for James's capture. This bounty would prove to be a fatal lure for new recruits to his dwindling gang, brothers Robert and Charley Ford.
Jesse had invited the Ford brothers to live in his home, trusting them as he planned a robbery of the Platte City bank. Unbeknownst to him, Robert Ford had been in secret communication with Governor Crittenden, striking a deal to kill the infamous outlaw in exchange for the reward money and a full pardon for his own crimes. The Ford brothers became guests in the James household, waiting for the opportune moment to betray their leader, a man known for his sharp instincts and for always being armed.
On the morning of April 3, 1882, after the family had finished breakfast, the moment the Fords had been waiting for arrived. As they gathered in the living room, James, feeling the warmth of the day, removed his coat and, uncharacteristically, his pistols, laying them on a sofa. He then noticed a dusty picture on the wall and, stepping onto a chair to clean it, turned his back to the room. Seizing this rare instance of vulnerability, Robert Ford drew his pistol and fired a single shot into the back of Jesse James's head, killing him instantly.
Following the shooting, the Ford brothers did not flee. Instead, they immediately wired the governor to claim their reward and surrendered to the authorities. In a whirlwind of legal proceedings that took place in a single day, Robert and Charley Ford were indicted for murder, pleaded guilty, and were sentenced to death by hanging. However, as promised, Governor Crittenden issued a full pardon just two hours later. The brothers received only a fraction of the reward money. Public opinion turned against them, branding them as cowards for the assassination. Haunted by guilt and public scorn, Charley Ford took his own life two years later. Robert Ford capitalized on his notoriety for a time, reenacting the murder on stage, but was himself shot and killed in a Colorado saloon in 1892 by a man named Edward O'Kelley.
