Jesse James, outlaw, bank robber, train robber and murderer, was gunned down at his home in St Joseph, Missouri, on 3 April 1882.
Aged only 34, James was shot in the back of the head by Bob Ford, who was a fellow member of the James’ Gang – Ford was looking to claim the $5,000 reward that had been set on James (interestingly, there was a massive reward on Ford, too)
The story of the trial, conviction, sentence and full pardon of Bob Ford is a jaw-dropping story in itself. So to mark the day, here are two newspaper stories from 1882 that report on this famous episode in American history.
