Jasper County Deputy Sheriff Payton, who’d gone to Short Creek on Sunday evening, told a Joplin Herald reporter the next day, “I saw Shepherd, and he said he was positive he had killed Jesse James, but for all that I do not believe he did.” [3], *At the time of this writing, we had no photographs of Wood Hite* To the best of my knowledge there are no known historically accepted photographs of Wood Hite alive that have been published, but I believe the reported death photos of “Jesse James” are actually the death photos of Wood Hite. The Jesse James Bank Museum in Liberty, Missouri, is a repository of myth and legend about the notorious 19th century outlaws Frank and Jesse James. His map to the treasure shows it was buried five feet underground, close to an oak tree with two eagle wings carved on it. And there were indeed two bodies found within two days of each other — Jesse James’ on April 3, 1882 and Wood Hite’s on April 5, 1882. But a Winchester rifle Model 1873 retrieved from the house at 1318 Lafayette St., St. Joseph, Missouri on the very day Jesse James was reportedly shot, indicates that instead of Jesse James using the alias of Thomas Howard it was probably Wood Hite. And what a “coincidence” that Wood’s body just happened to be found on April 5 — the night before “Jesse James” was reportedly buried! J.B. Pritzker gives a coronavirus update, After Twitter outcry, 5 women detail Chris D’Elia’s alleged sexual improprieties. As far back as 1882 there have been reports that Jesse James was living in Texas at the time of his reported death. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee during the height of Jesse James' career as an outlaw. As stated earlier a special dispatch from Richmond, Missouri to the Kansas City Journal reports that “Gibson”, a hired hand, “disappeared about the same time Hite was killed and is supposed by many to have gone the same way.”  The St. Joseph Herald reported on April 6, 1882: “A man by the name of Gibson has never been seen or heard from since the morning after Wood Hite’s murder.”. His father was still alive in Kentucky. Another thing that smacks of a cover up is the fact that Gov. Jesse James’ body was buried at his family’s property and later on moved to the town’s cemetery. Records show that when Dalton turned 100 in 1948, he revealed himself to the Lawton Constitution as Jesse James. Most of those houses are forgotten -- and yet his last home, known simply as the Jesse James Home, has become a bona fide tourist attraction. Descendant of Jesse James, author Daniel J Duke, uses a template, encoded with Kabbalah gematria and provided by the American Civil War secret society, Knights of the Golden Circle, to link sites of lost treasures, not just buried by his great-great-grandfather, but going as far back as the Knights Templar, the eight-century ‘Seven Cities of Gold’ searched for by Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez … I find it more than just coincidence that the description of wounds on Wood Hite’s body are identical to the coroner’s description of the wounds on Jesse James’s reported body – both shot in the head, both had shattered skulls, and both had wounds over an eye. Jesse Edwards "Tim" James (August 31, 1875 – March 26, 1951) was the only surviving son of American outlaw Jesse Woodson James. [5]  The teeth Professor Starrs exhumed from the purported grave of Jesse James in 1995 were badly stained and decayed — as one can clearly see this finding exactly fits the description of Wood Hite’s teeth. By Larry Wood. May be that I'm an old soul. No one knows for sure if he really “went the same way Hite did”, what his full name was, or anything else about him, except that he was reportedly never seen again the day after Wood Hite was shot dead. At least 106 people shot, 14 fatally, in Chicago weekend violence, Watch live: Gov. No reward offered for his dead body.’ — T. T.              Crittenden. The Jesse James grave is located in a family plot belonging to Sam Rash, who befriended the old man, also known as J. Frank Dalton. [2]  Pretty convenient timing to do some body switching before the funeral. The historically accepted description of Jesse James does not fit his description from those who knew him best. The house was a two-room log cabin with a furnished upstairs. My former belief was based on the striking similarities in the reported descriptions of wounds on the corpses claimed to be those of Jesse James’ and Wood Hite’s. Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Truth about America's most famous Old West Outlaw. Whether or not the hired hand Gibson used tobacco and had corroded and stained teeth is not known. As a bold headline in the Galena Miner playfully stated a week later, the question that faced an excited public was “Whether JESSE JAMES, the Robber Chief Lies Dead, or George Shepherd Lies Living.”  The general consensus around the Joplin-Galena area favored the latter conclusion. Certainly not the famous outlaw, according to Jesse James IV, a carpenter from Leander, Texas, who says he is … The story goes, it was buried behind the blacksmith's shop. The notorious outlaw Jesse James is entrenched in American folklore, and his reputation is firmly embedded in Missouri history. The Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen & Outlaws states that Jesse James was killed in 1882 at age 34 by Bob Ford, an erstwhile member of his gang who wanted the $10,000 in reward money. His mother, older brother, aunt, and comrades described him as tall and well built with sandy-colored hair and blue eyes. The inquest will be finished to-morrow and the body buried. Jesse James IV said he would submit blood for comparison in DNA tests planned for the body buried in Missouri, and then perhaps seek the exhumation of the body buried in Granbury. in one corner of the room. A thorough investigation will be  made.”. "Jesse James was born in 1847 in Missouri and sang at his own (Bigelow's) funeral around 1882. Liddil dressed himself and came into the room prepared for breakfast; Hite came dressed, but desired to wash his face. With Jesse James as the most public face of the gang (though with operational leadership likely shared among the group), the gang carried out a string of robberies from Iowa to Texas, and from Kansas to West Virginia. [4] His mother, older brother, aunt, and comrades also later said that he did not die in 1882. [9] Ross, James R., I, Jesse James, Dragon Publishing Corp., 1988. His father heeding a calling left for California with the intent of preaching to gold miners but contracted cholera and died. View all posts by Jesse. The man Gibson, referred to as a work hand, disappeared about the same time that Hite  was killed, and is said by many supposed to have gone the same way. But, as stated earlier, I have come to believe that there were two bodies needed to pull of Jesse James’ death hoax – Wood Hite’s and the hired hand Gibson’s. Jesse James left behind secret diaries and coded treasure maps. After the assassination of Jesse James by fellow gang member Bob Ford in 1882 at St. Joseph, Missouri, his body was brought to the James family farm home near Kearney, Missouri and buried in the yard near the house. The outlaw Jesse James had parents of strong vintage, yet with troubles in their own lives. St. Joseph, Missouri. He was buried at the family farm near Kearney. Change ). He was a Confederate guerilla in the U.S. Civil War. Love the #WildWest. He does  not want the pure air of the state tainted with a gamey train robber, and while he is evidently  saddened at the disappointment which he must inflict upon John C. Morris, constable, he  does all he can to lighten his burden and to release him from his unhygienic watch and ward. Jesse James was born September 5, 1847. [3] Wild West magazine, June 2005 “Western Lore”, pages 64&65, George Shepherd ‘killed’ JESSE JAMES…at least that’s what the ex-bushwhacker and ‘gang member’ claimed. Mrs. Bolton testified that the killing occurred about the first of last December, that Hite, who was only known to her as Robert Grimes, came there and had been there for two weeks when the tragedy occurred; that. Versions of the James brothers' murderous rampages and robberies throughout the Midwest are documented in articles, books and … Jesse James made two signs pointing to the gold: He emptied two six-shooters into a cottonwood tree, and he nailed a horseshoe into the trunk of another cottonwood tree. He has covered the wrong “stiff,”  as it were, and the governor has dealt a split on him. ). [5] The University of Texas at Austin, The Life And Trial Of Frank James Eighth Day’s Trial, Tarleton Law Library: http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/james/eighthday.htm; and Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws by Jay Robert Nash, Sept, 1994. was taken to an upper room and kept until night, when it was buried as described by the Ford boys. Did Ford even do the dirty deed? The hired hand Gibson was employed by the Fords and reportedly disappeared about the same time Wood Hite did. Did the murder really occur at 1318 Lafayette St. in St. Joseph, Missouri? Jacobs went on to say that at the time Hite was killed, Miller Brown’s father was the sheriff of Ray County. He then resurfaced as J. Frank Dalton and used that name and several other alias to go into mining, cattle ranching and railroading, Jesse James IV said. Historical accounts mention Dalton, but describe him as an impersonator. Daddy attended his funeral." It was a brick farmhouse that included a small blacksmith's shop. But this doesn’t necessarily mean his body was buried in the grave bearing Jesse James’ name. http://www.celebritymorgue.com/jesse-james/, https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a50864/, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Jesse_james_portrait.jpg, http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/james/eighthday.htm, Encyclopedia of Western Lawmen and Outlaws, Author Marley Brant wrote that Wood Hite was still alive in March of 1882: “In March of 1882 Liddil left Jesse and returned to Missouri, where he stayed at the Ray County farmhouse of Martha Bolton, a widow who was the sister of Charlie and Bob Ford. Olivet Cemetery bearing Jesse James’ name as I at first believed. But not because people want to see the house. Gen. Waggoner Carr, who is representing James, said he has read voluminous James family records that have convinced him that the famous outlaw faked his death on April 3, 1882. Outside there's a drizzle... An old clock ticks softly as outlaw Jesse James goes over the tasks at hand. Where Jesse James Was Killed. After burying the loot and, in turn, killing members of the party, the remaining outlaw returned to Mexico. The facts of the matter are: Animal remains were found in the reported original grave of “Jesse James” located in the yard of the James family farm in Kearney, Missouri; in 1995 Professor James E. Starrs did find the reported skeletal remains of Jesse James were placed face down in the coffin before being placed in a new coffin and reinterred in Kearney, Missouri’s Mt. Jesse James and Wood Hite, two cousins both reportedly shot dead by Bob Ford, both with identical wounds on their bodies, both of their bodies in the same town, and both of their bodies still unburied on April 5, 1882. ( Log Out /  Jesse was shot from behind while he stood on a chair t… as if by a blow from a rod of iron. 2 Jesse's father was a well educated, Baptist preacher named Robert Sallee. Yet he neglected to note a very revealing slight wound on the right arm of “Jesse James”. Clay County, Missouri purchased the home from Jesse’s grandchildren and the restoration work was begun. Jesse James IV said he welcomes the planned exhumation of what is supposed to be Jesse James' grave near Kearney, Mo. And then, in order for his family to take it back home to Kentucky for burial, was his body removed from the coffin, and replaced with the body of the hired hand Gibson and buried the next day as Jesse James? She said her back was turned and she does not know who shot Hite, but knows that nine shots were fired, one of which took effect in Liddil’s leg, one in Hite’s head, and the others in the ceiling and walls of the room. Jesse died at the age of 34 after living a lawless career for 16 years. Jesse James summary: Jesse Woodson James was born into a hardworking family. The year is 1880 and the James gang is on the run. Not sure why. However, there was one telling difference. Robert James, Jesse’s father, was a successful farmer who eventually helped found William Jewell College located in Liberty, Missouri. But he never robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. Some may protest that Jesse James died just as history reports, but too much evidence has been found indicating that he did not for it to be simply denied out of pure  ignorance of the facts. [9]  It stands to reason that these initials probably stood for Wood Hite and Thomas Howard. After the war he is said to have ridden with Jesse James. Reportedly in 1871, Courtney confessed to former Texas Ranger Thomas Barron that he was the outlaw, Jesse James. Or did he purposely overlook it due to orders from one of the authorities involved in Jesse James’ death hoax? Trying to solve this Jesse James history mystery is reminiscent of playing Clue, the classic whodunit game where players search for clues to solve Mr. Boddy’s murder. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. What shall I do  with it? A slight wound was found on the right arm  and a bullet wound  on the right side of the forehead just above the eye. Wood was born in Logan County, Kentucky to George B. Hite and Nancy G. James, Jesse James’ paternal aunt.[1]. https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a50864/. When Hite fell the witness ran to him and raised his head, but turned sick and had to leave the room. Mr. Hite’s body has been moldering in the grave and his soul has been a-marching for some  time past, and hence the exploit of digging him up was not as desperate as many would  believe. "The truth is that my great-grandfather, Jesse Woodson James, died in Granbury, Texas, in 1951.". This is the life and tragic death of Jesse James. A rock formation near Cement called Buzzard’s Roost is … Jesse James lived in lots of houses over his 34 years, as he spent lots of time running from the law. In the mean time if the bones of the dead  bandits are to be scratched up throughout Western Missouri, the coming legislature might  very appropriately amend the arms of the state by substituting a couple of mangy hyenas for  the two rollicking bears which now gambol over the great seal.” [7]. His family may have buried him in Kentucky, and the hired man Gibson may very well be the yet unidentified man who really lies in the grave bearing Jesse’s name. As we entered the cemetery, a man with odd teeth was leaving -- until he saw us. Now you know why Jesse James came to Granbury---and why he staged his own death. The governor was heavily involved in the reported death of Jesse James, and many also believe that he was involved in the 1882 conspiracy to allow Jesse James to officially kill himself in name only. If Jesse James did not use tobacco his teeth could not have been corroded and stained from tobacco use, but Wood Hite obviously did use tobacco and his teeth reportedly were corroded and stained. Mr. Morris has drawn a blank in the lottery of assignation. ( Log Out /  I claim the reward.’. So what could have possibly happened to turn this innocent little kid into America’s most notorious outlaw? Buttermilk was later renamed Blevins, and from all indications Jesse James made it his home in 1871, and died there on April 14, 1943. Dr. Mark Stoneking, one of the doctors who did the DNA testing on the reported teeth of Jesse James, wrote, “The teeth were corroded and heavily stained indicating that they belonged to a regular tobacco user.” [6]  Zee Mimms, Jesse James’ first cousin and reported wife, swore at the coroner’s inquest held shortly after Bob Ford claimed he shot Jesse dead, that her “husband didn’t smoke nor chew.”  Professor Starrs is quoted as saying “That tooth will tell the tale”, and I, for once, agree with him. Supposedly killed in 1882," Carr said. Some reports in 1882 claim that Wood Hite’s body was buried under a lot of rocks and dirt, yet   other reports of that time claim his body was found clearly visible in a well: “Vic Jacobs, the man who purchased the farm where Hite was allegedly murdered, said “The farm was rented by Martha Ford Bolton, the widowed sister of Bob, Charley, and Cap Ford. The farm of J. T. Ford, father of Martha Bolton and the Ford brothers was about a quarter of a mile southeast of Martha’s place. Working to decrypt these maps, Daniel J. Duke–the great-great-grandson of Jesse James–reveals hidden treasures yet to be recovered as well as connections between the infamous train robber and Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, the Founding Fathers, and Jewish mysticism. A Guerilla Confederate. Again, there are many indications that Robert Woodson “Wood Hite” was killed and passed off as Jesse Woodson James, but he may not be buried in the grave in Mt. He was living with his wife and two children under the assumed name of Tom Howard at the time of his death. To the best of my knowledge there aren’t any known photos of Gibson dead or alive either. He is buried in Blevins Cemetery as James L. Courtney. The family had a lot of farmland and were even slave owners. Well, there is a… Correspondingly, where is Jesse James treasure? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. He dispatched the following to his excellency in the following  words and letters to wit: ‘I have the body of Wood Hite and am ready with evidence for identification. She said that she had prepared breakfast for the family, and that they had all eaten and gone out, including a hired man named Gibson, and later she had prepared breakfast for Hite and Liddil, and called them. Back doorstep of the forehead just above the eye Twitter outcry, 5 detail! 1951 autopsy report that said Jesse Woodson James had died in Granbury,.... Body buried the Lawton Constitution as Jesse James ’ death hoax T. Crittenden he! Brother, aunt, and another went through his right arm. ” and offered to shake hands him... A proud bearing found Wood Hite in the next summer, visitors were again! Olivet Cemetery bearing Jesse James IV said he knew where the well, there is Oct. Liddil and offered to shake hands with him, but did he both had eyes. 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