April 3

On the 3rd in 1882, Robert Newton Ford[i] (pictured) shot and killed outlaw Jesse James[ii] in order to collect a $5000 reward. Ford took his show on the road, posing for photographs and signing autographs billing himself as the man who killed Jesse James. On June 8, 1892, Edward Capeheart O’Kelley[iii] in turn murdered Ford. Judith Ries, O’Kelley’s great-great-grand niece, would years later write the book “Ed O’Kelley: The man who murdered Jesse James’ Murderer.”
[i] When Ford attempted to collect the reward offered for James, he was arrested on charges of murder. Ford was convicted and sentenced to hang but the Governor of Missouri pardoned him before the sentence was carried out. He subsequently only received a small portion of the $5000 reward.
[ii] James must have recovered because today he is allegedly happily married to his third wife, actress Sandra Bullock, and in his spare time designs and builds exotic motorcycles.
[iii] To illustrate yet again that the internet is not all it is cracked up to be - In O’Kelley’s biography at findagrave.com, author Judith Ries has posted this comment about his obituary there “I have no idea who wrote this so-called “bio” about Edward Capeheart O’Kelley, but it is so incorrect as to be totally humorous!! I am a great-great niece of Ed O’Kelley and I wrote the book entitled “Ed O’Kelley: The Man who murdered Jesse James’ Murderer”. If you want/need the correct information about him, please contact me!! Thanks a bunch!!