The gunifights of Jesse James - The Ayoob Files

Lesson 4: Who You Shoot

In the Gallatin bank incident, Jesse had killed the wrong man. What he had thought was the cold-blooded revenge murder of an unarmed former combatant turned out to be the utterly needless execution murder of a prominent and locally-beloved banker, John W. Sheets.

The slaying enraged the populace and led to a long manhunt, which endangered Jesse and his brother multiple times and ended with the brothers rampaging through the streets of Kearney, Missouri. In that incident, notes historian Stiles, "To all appearances, they arrived in a state of rage. For half an hour they terrorized the town as they cantered through the streets, Frank with five revolvers tucked into a belt outside his coat, Jesse with three revolvers and a Colt's revolving rifle." (9)

If Jesse James was the noble warrior and decent man his admirers claim, this mistaken identity killing must have seared his soul. Even if he was the monster his detractors describe, outrage at the killing cost him much-needed grassroots support.

Lesson 5: Keep Going

In addition to the minor injury inflicted by the St. Louis policeman and the loss of part of a finger that may have taken place during a fight, Jesse James was shot and seriously wounded on at least three other occasions. Each time he responded with strenuous fight, strenuous flight, or both. Not until his last moment on Earth would the hardy outlaw be neutralized by a gunshot wound.

While attempting to steal a horse in Ray County, the teenage Jesse was shot by its owner, an armed citizen of German extraction named Heizinger. Jesse fled with his brother Frank, nursing what historians agree was a large caliber gunshot wound track that ran through and through his right chest. He would later describe the unimaginable pain of the injury, but he kept riding until he reached a safe house. With only routine first aid and bed rest, the wound healed without surgical intervention, and he was back riding with the guerrilla band some six weeks later.

A year later, in 1865, now 17, he was wounded again in a skirmish with Federal troops. The slug drove deep into his right chest, parallel to where he'd been wounded before. James went down, but not out. Getting back to his feet and running into the woods to take cover, he killed the horse of his lead antagonist, causing the rider and his companions to fall back. Jesse was able to make his way to a creek bank where he huddled through the night, until morning came and friends found him and transported him to safety.

This wound was more consequential. It nearly killed him and took much longer to heal, but eventually mended, again without surgery. It would leave him short of breath and more easily tired for the rest of his days, however. During his long convalescence he was nursed by his cousin Zee Mims, whom he fell in love with and subsequently married. In the year 1995, Jesse James' body was exhumed and examined to confirm his identity, after more than a century of rumor that someone else was buried in his grave. Modern autopsy found a .36 caliber lead slug lodged in the bones of the dorsal chest, exactly consistent with the wound described by the James family. Forensic examination of the projectiles showed markings consistent with it having been fired from an 1851 Model Navy Colt.