Jesse James Is Assassinated

On April 3, 1882, after eating breakfast, the Fords and James prepared to depart for another robbery. They went in and out of the house to ready the horses. As it was an unusually hot day, James removed his coat, then declared that he should remove his firearms as well, lest he look suspicious. Noticing a dusty picture on the wall, he stood on a chair to clean it. Bob Ford shot James in the back of the head. James' two previous bullet wounds and partially missing middle finger served to positively identify the body.

Robert Newton "Bob" Ford (January 31, 1862 – June 8, 1892) was a Ray County, Missouri born American outlaw who gained fame by killing his gang leader Jesse James in 1882. Ford was shot to death by Edward O'Kelley in his tent saloon with a shotgun blast to the front upper body. He was buried in Creede, later reburied at Richmond Cemetery in Ray County, with "The man that shot Jesse James" inscribed on his grave marker.