Jesse James is perhaps a name you associate with Hollywood movies; however, he was a very real person. He was a robber, a gunfighter, and a gambler. Jesse James robbed Russellville and then headed out to California. The Russellville robbery did not go as planned given that he was harmed. His health and strength were tenuous, but some friends in Kentucky helped nurse him back to health even after contracting hectic fever. He journeyed by way of stages to New York before a voyage to the Pacific Slope.
Jesse James was not an unlearned man. In actual fact, he was the opposite. He enjoyed libraries, museums, and other learning places though he certainly lived with vice and sin. He was said to be easy in temperament, a self possessed man with a gentleman’s demeanour yet he was a robber and bandit. Given his impulsive nature Jesse James was a born gambler. He lived from 1847 to 1882, so he did not make 40 years of age. He gambled with his life too much to live too long. He did marry Zerelda Mimms. He also had two children, Jesse E. James and Mary James Barr.
When James was not out leading the James-Younger Gang, robbing banks, trains, and murdering people, he could be found at the gaming tables. Jesse James was in a gang with his brother Frank James. Actually the two men were Confederate guerrillas for the Civil War. Some of the modern movies and depictions of Jesse James have him as a kind of Robin Hood; however, there was never any evidence that he gave to anyone but the gang and himself after a robbery. The gang was mostly active through 1866 and 1876.
In 1876, the gang tried to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota. Unfortunately for the gang, several members were killed during the robbery or caught and then killed as per the law.
It should be mentioned that in gambling he was one to play Faro. He was often in the rooms of John Chamberlain winning heavily during his stay in New York. He was reckless during his gambling as he was with robberies, but he managed to make a huge fortune. He left New York behind after someone picked up his chips during a card game. The chips were being neglected for the moment. It is perhaps by luck that he believed in some rules because he did not kill the man for trying to steal his chips. Instead, he asked if the rule was true and allowed the man to have the chips. He then cashed out leaving the pleasures behind for a new coast.
His death was by the hand of Robert Ford. Ford was also a gang member of the James-Younger gang, but he wanted to collect the state reward on the James’ heads. Charley Ford was also a part of the massacre of the James brothers. They were readying themselves for a robbery the day he died. It was a hot day so he took off his coat and guns to avoid suspicion. It was the only chance for the Fords. Rumours of his survival abounded, but in 1995 were proven false.