The assassination of Jesse James by fellow gang member Bob Ford helped vault the life and times of the James brothers from notorious celebrity into legend. The law was unsuccessful in their pursuit to capture and punish the James Boys. After Jesse’s death, Frank James surrendered to authorities and was acquitted by a Daviess County jury during a trial in Gallatin during August 1883. Here’s a brief summary of what happened to those who rode together in crime:
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Jesse James – killed on April 3, 1882, by Bob Ford in St. Joseph, MO
Cole Younger – spent 25 years in the Minnesota penitentiary
Jim Younger – committed suicide at age 54 on Oct. 19, 1902
Bob Younger – contracted tuberculosis while in prison, died Sept. 16, 1889
John Younger – killed at age 22 by lawmen in St. Clair County on March 17, 1874
Bob Ford – killed in a saloon shooting June 8, 1892, at Creede, Colorado
Charley Ford – committed suicide on May 6, 1884, at Richmond, MO
Clell Miller & Bill Chadwell – killed during robbery at Northfield, Minnesota
Bill Ryan – spent 25 years in the Missouri penitentiary
Ed Miller – killed by Jesse James in Saline County
Sam Wells – killed by a posse near Northfield, Minnesota
Wood Hite – (cousin of the James Boys) killed during gunfight with Bob Ford and Dick Liddell on Dec. 4, 1881
Clarence Hite – died at age 20 of tuberculosis after serving 13 months of a 25-year sentence in the Missouri penitentiary
Tucker Basham – unknown
Dick Liddel – served 10 years in the Missouri penitentiary, released upon turning state’s evidence against Frank James and died soon thereafter
Only Frank James was able to live as a law-abiding citizen, having turned away from crime as he entered middle age. During the last 30 years of his life, Frank James lived an honest and peaceful existence, working as a race starter at county fairs, a theater doorman, and a star attraction in traveling theater companies. In 1903, he joined forces with his old criminal partner Cole Younger to form the James-Younger Wild West Show. Frank retired to his family’s old farm in Missouri, where he died at the age of 72 in 1915.