Misplaced Pages

#379620

29-769: Robert Ford was born in 1861 in Ray County, Missouri , to James Thomas and Mary Bruin Ford as the youngest of seven siblings. As a young man, Ford came to admire Jesse James for his Civil War record and criminal exploits, eventually getting to meet him in 1880 at the age of 18. Ford's brother Charley is believed to have taken part in the James–Younger Gang 's Blue Cut train robbery in Jackson County, west of Glendale, Missouri (renamed Selsa and now part of Independence ), on September 7, 1881. In November 1881, after

58-454: A double-barreled shotgun . According to witnesses, Ford's back was turned. O'Kelley said, "Hello, Bob." As Ford turned to see who it was, O'Kelley aimed his shotgun and shot Ford in the neck, killing him instantly. He became "the man who killed the man who killed Jesse James". He never explained his motive for the murder. O'Kelley's sentence was commuted because of a medical condition and a 7,000-signature petition in favor of his release, and he

87-658: A flea circus , a half-man half-woman, and magicians such as Earl "Presto" Johnson . This museum was documented in photography by Diane Arbus . Later, in Times Square, mouse pitchman Tommy Laird opened a dime museum that featured Tisha Booty — "the Human Pin Cushion" — and several magicians, including Lou Lancaster , Criss Capehart , Dorothy Dietrich , Dick Brooks , and others. In 1882, C. E. Kohl and Middleton opened their first Dime Museum in Chicago . It

116-612: A $ 5,000 bounty for the delivery of each of them and an additional $ 5,000 for the conviction of either of them. Living with the James family, the Fords became part of the daily routine, and James's wife cooked for them. They were nervous and bored, looking for opportunity, and feeling restless. The confession of Liddil to participating in Hite's murder made the news, and pressure began to build around James. On April 3, 1882, after eating breakfast,

145-452: A nearby riverboat. The common promotion gimmick of a brass band at the front entrance of these Dime Museums featured some of the earliest documented traditional jazz; Robinson's riverboat museum also hired Papa Jack Laine . P. T. Barnum purchased Scudder's Dime Museum in 1841 and transformed it into one of the more popular single cultural sites that has existed, Barnum's American Museum . Together, P.T. Barnum and Moses Kimball introduced

174-417: A period, Robert earned money by posing for photographs as "the man who killed Jesse James" in dime museums . He also appeared on stage with his brother Charles, reenacting the murder in a touring stage show. Charles, terminally ill with tuberculosis and addicted to morphine , died by suicide on May 6, 1884. Soon afterward, Robert Ford and Dick Liddil relocated to Las Vegas, New Mexico , where they opened

203-493: A regular basis. Both John James Audubon and sculptor Hiram Powers produced displays for the Western Museum, organized by Dr Daniel Drake in 1818 and continued by Joseph Dorfeuille. "Satan and his Court" wax figures with moving parts and glowing eyes are typical of these displays. On Canal Street , "Eugene Robinson's Museum and Theater" featured entertainment on the hour and also presented some of its attractions on

232-736: A saloon. According to legend, Ford had a shooting contest with Jose Chavez y Chavez , a comrade-in-arms of Billy the Kid 's during the Lincoln County War . Ford lost the contest and left town. On December 26, 1889, Ford survived an attempt on his life in Kansas City, Kansas when an assailant tried to slit his throat. Within a few years, Ford settled in Colorado, where he opened a saloon and gambling house in Walsenburg . When silver

261-542: The American Dime Museum in 1999, which operated for eight years before closing permanently and auctioning off its exhibits in late February 2007. Kimball's Museum and Austin & Stones Museum in Scollay Square were both well-known attractions, the former having a friendly connection to, and sometimes competition with, P. T. Barnum . Barnum and Moses Kimball even shared "Fee Gee Mermaids" on

290-646: The Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Denny Hoskins (R- Warrensburg ). All of Ray County is included in Missouri's 5th Congressional District , which is currently represented by Emanuel Cleaver (D- Kansas City ) in the United States House of Representatives . 39°21′N 93°59′W  /  39.35°N 93.99°W  / 39.35; -93.99 Dime museum Dime museums were institutions that were popular at

319-696: The Platte City Bank in Missouri, but the brothers had already decided not to participate; rather, they intended to collect the $ 10,000 bounty placed on James by Governor Thomas T. Crittenden . In January 1882, Robert Ford and gang member Dick Liddil had surrendered to Sheriff James Timberlake at their sister Martha Bolton's residence in Ray County. They were brought into a meeting with Crittenden, as they had been around James' cousin Wood Hite

SECTION 10

#1732765255380

348-540: The Progressive Era (c. 1890–1920). Although lowbrow entertainment, they were the starting places for the careers of many notable vaudeville -era entertainers, including Harry Houdini , Lew Fields , Joe Weber , the Griffin Sisters , and Maggie Cline . In Baltimore , Maryland , Peale's Museum is credited as one of the first serious museums in the country. This type of attraction was re-created in

377-402: The 1940s and 1950s: Ray County, Missouri Ray County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area . As of the 2020 census , the population was 23,158. Its county seat is Richmond . The county was organized November 16, 1820, and named for John Ray, a Missouri state legislator and member of

406-432: The Ford brothers were indicted, pleaded guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging , but two hours later Crittenden granted them a full pardon. Public opinion turned against the Fords for betraying their gang leader, and Robert was seen as a coward and traitor for killing James. This sentiment clashed with the general public opinion at the time of James's death that it had been time for James to be stopped by any means. For

435-423: The Fords and James went into the living room before travelling to Platte City. By reading the daily newspaper, James had just learned of gang member Liddil's confession for participating in Hite's murder and grew increasingly suspicious of the Fords for never reporting this matter to him. According to Robert Ford, it became clear to him that James had realized they were there to betray him. However, instead of scolding

464-436: The Fords, James walked across the living room to lay his revolvers on a sofa. He turned around and noticed a dusty picture above the mantel, and stood on a chair to clean it. Robert Ford drew his weapon and shot James in the back of the head. After the killing, the Fords wired Crittenden to claim their reward. They surrendered themselves to legal authorities but were dismayed to be charged with first degree murder . In one day,

493-427: The age of 18 living with them, 63.10% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.20% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.50% under

522-468: The age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 41,886, and the median income for a family was $ 49,192. Males had a median income of $ 36,815 versus $ 21,684 for females. The per capita income for

551-486: The county offices. The northwest corner of Ray County is a part of Missouri's 8th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Jim Neely (R- Cameron ). Most of Ray County is a part of Missouri's 39th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Joe Don McGaugh (R- Carrollton ). All of Ray County is a part of Missouri's 21st District in

580-415: The county was $ 18,685. About 5.30% of families and 6.80% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.00% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over. Politics at the local level in Ray County are now evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, with Republicans making major gains in the past four election cycles, going from no representation before 2011 to now holding half of

609-402: The county was 96.50% White , 1.46% Black or African American , 0.36% Native American , 0.19% Asian , 0.36% from other races , and 1.13% from two or more races. Approximately 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.6% were of American , 23.3% German , 11.5% English and 10.3% Irish ancestry. There were 8,743 households, out of which 35.20% had children under

SECTION 20

#1732765255380

638-485: The day Hite was murdered. Crittenden promised Ford a full pardon if he would kill James, who was by then the most wanted criminal in the US. Crittenden had made capturing the James brothers his top priority; in his inaugural address he declared that no political motives could be allowed to keep them from justice. Barred by law from offering a sufficiently large reward, he had turned to the railroad and express corporations to put up

667-468: The end of the 19th century in the United States . Designed as centers for entertainment and moral education for the working class ( lowbrow ), the museums were distinctly different from upper middle class cultural events ( highbrow ). In urban centers like New York City , where many immigrants settled, dime museums were popular and cheap entertainment . The social trend reached its peak during

696-567: The first state Constitutional Convention. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 574 square miles (1,490 km ), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km ) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km ) (0.9%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 23,354 people, 8,743 households, and 6,539 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6.2 people/km ). There were 9,371 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3/km ). The racial makeup of

725-713: The so-called " Edutainement ", which was a moralistic education realized through sensational freak shows , theater and circus performances, and many other means of entertainment. The first incarnation "American Museum" on Ann Street burned down in 1865. It was relocated further up Broadway, but this venue too, fell victim to fire. For many years in the basement of the Playland Arcade in Times Square in New York City, Hubert's Museum featured acts such as sword swallower Lady Estelene, Congo The Jungle Creep,

754-457: The spring of 1882, with his gang depleted by arrests, deaths and defections, James thought that he could trust only the Ford brothers. Charles had been out on raids with James before, but Robert was an eager new recruit. The Fords resided in St. Joseph with the James family, where Jesse went by the alias Thomas Howard. Hoping to keep the gang alive, James invited the Fords to take part in the robbery of

783-598: The train robbery, James moved his family to St. Joseph, Missouri , and intended to give up crime. The James gang had been greatly reduced in numbers by that time; some had fled the gang in fear of prosecution, and many of the original members were either dead or in prison after a botched bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota . After the train robbery, James' brother Frank James had also decided to retire from crime and moved East, settling in Lynchburg, Virginia . By

812-529: Was found in Creede, Ford closed his saloon and opened one there. Ford purchased a lot and on May 29, 1892, opened Ford's Exchange, said to have been a dance hall. Six days later, the entire business district, including Ford's Exchange, burned to the ground in a major fire. Ford erected a tent saloon to operate from temporarily until his former establishment could be rebuilt. Three days after the fire, on June 8, 1892, Edward O'Kelley entered Ford's tent saloon with

841-407: Was released on October 3, 1902. O'Kelley was subsequently killed on January 13, 1904, while trying to shoot a policeman. Ford was buried in Creede. His remains were later moved and reinterred at Richmond Cemetery in his native Richmond in Ray County, Missouri ; "The man who shot Jesse James" was inscribed on his grave marker . The James and Ford brothers were popular subjects of Western films in

#379620