k and Jesse James and Clel
Miller killed detective Wicher, of the same agency, torturing him for
some time before his death in the attempt to make him divulge the
Pinkerton plans. The James boys killed Daniel Askew in revenge; and
Jesse James and Jim Anderson killed Ike Flannery for motives of robbery.
This last set the gang into hostile camps, for Flannery was a nephew of
George Shepherd. Shepherd later killed Anderson in Texas for his share
in that act; he also shot Jesse James and for a long time supposed he
had killed him.

The full record of these outlaws will never be known. Their career came
to an end soon after the heavy rewards were put upon their heads, and it
came in the usual way, through treachery. Allured by the prospect of
gaining ten thousand dollars, two cousins of Jesse James, Bob and
Charlie Ford, pretending to join his gang for another robbery, became
members of Jesse James' household while he was living _incognito_ as
Thomas Howard. On the morning of April 3, 1882, Bob Ford, a mere boy,
not yet twenty years of age, stepped behind Jesse James as he was
standing on a chair dusting off a picture frame, and, firing at close
range, shot him through the head and killed him. Bob Ford never got much
respect for his act, and his money was soon gone. He himself was killed
in February, 1892, at Creede, Colorado, by a man named Kelly.

[Illustration: THE OLD FRITZ RANCH]

[Illustration: A BORDER FORTRESS]

Jesse James was about five feet ten inches in height, and weighed about
one hundred and sixty-five pounds. His hair and eyes were brown. He had,
during his life, been shot twice through the lungs, once through the
leg, and had lost a finger of the left hand from a bullet wound. Frank
James was slighter than his brother, with light hair and blue eyes, and
a ragged, reddish mustache. Frank surrendered to Governor Crittenden
himself at Jefferson City, in October, 1882, taking off his revolvers
and saying that no man had touched them but himself since 1861. He was
sentenced to the penitentiary for life, but later pardoned, as he was
thought to be dying of consumption. At this writing, he is still alive,
somewhat old and bent now, but leading a quiet and steady life, and
showing no disposition to return to his old ways. He is sometimes seen
around the race tracks, where he does but little talking. Frank James
has had many apologists, and his life should be considered in connection
with the environments in whic