Frank James
Frank James | |
---|---|
Born | Alexander Franklin James January 10, 1843 Kearney, Missouri, U.S. |
Died | February 18, 1915 Kearney, Missouri, U.S. | (aged 72)
Spouse | Annie Ralston James |
Children | 1 |
Alexander Franklin James (January 10, 1843[1] – February 18, 1915) was a Confederate soldier and guerrilla; in the post-Civil War period, he was an outlaw. The older brother of outlaw Jesse James, Frank was also part of the James–Younger Gang.[2]
Childhood
James was born in
Civil War
The American Civil War began in 1861, when James was eighteen years old. The secessionists in Missouri, including Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson, attempted to drive the Union army out of the state, but were eventually defeated. The James family was from the heavily Confederate western portion of the state. On September 13, 1861, the Missouri State Guard, including private Frank James, besieged Lexington, Missouri. James fell ill and was left behind when the Confederate forces retreated. He surrendered to the Union troops, was paroled, and was allowed to return home. On his arrival, however, he was arrested by the local pro-Union militia and was forced to sign an oath of allegiance to the Union.
After the withdrawal of regular Confederate troops in the fall of 1861, a bitter
Union militiamen searching for Fernando Scott raided the Samuel farm and hanged Dr. Reuben Samuel (though not fatally), Frank's stepfather, torturing him to reveal the location of the guerrillas. Shortly afterward, Frank took part with Quantrill's company in the August 21, 1863, Lawrence Massacre where approximately 200 mostly unarmed civilians were killed.
Frank James was paroled July 27, 1865[clarify] in Nelson County, Kentucky.[3] There is a report that after his parole, Frank was involved in a gunfight in Brandenburg, Kentucky with four soldiers that resulted in two soldiers killed, one wounded, and Frank wounded in the hip.[3] However, there is an alternative account that claims in the autumn[clarify] of 1865, Frank, who was in Kentucky going to Missouri, was suspected of stealing horses in Ohio and that Frank shot two members of a posse and escaped.[4]
Outlaw/criminal years and retirement
During his years as a bandit, James was involved in at least four robberies between 1868 and 1876 that resulted in the deaths of bank employees or citizens. The most famous incident was the disastrous
Five months after the killing of his brother Jesse in 1882, Frank James boarded a train to Jefferson City, Missouri, where he had an appointment with the governor in the state capitol. Placing his holster in Governor Crittenden's hands, he explained,
'I have been hunted for twenty-one years, have literally lived in the saddle, have never known a day of perfect peace. It was one long, anxious, inexorable, eternal vigil.' He then ended his statement by saying, 'Governor, I haven't let another man touch my gun since 1861.'
Accounts say that James surrendered with the understanding that he would not be extradited to Northfield, Minnesota.[5]
He was tried for only two of the robberies/murders: one in
His New York Times obituary summarized his arrest and acquittal:
In 1882 ... Frank James surrendered in Jefferson City, Missouri. After his surrender James was taken to Independence, Missouri, where he was held in jail three weeks, and later to Gallatin, where he remained in jail a year awaiting trial. Finally James was acquitted and went to Oklahoma to live with his mother. He never was in the penitentiary and never was convicted of any of the charges against him.[2]
In the last thirty years of his life, James worked a variety of jobs, including shoe salesman in Nevada, Missouri and then
In his final years, James returned to the James Farm, giving tours for the sum of 25 cents.[9] He died there at age 72 on February 18, 1915. He left behind his wife Annie Ralston James and one son.[2]
Portrayals
- 1939, Henry Fonda in the film Jesse James as well as the 1940 sequel The Return of Frank James.
- 1941, Al Taylor in Jesse James at Bay.
- 1946, Tom Tyler in the film Badman's Territory
- 1949, Tom Tyler in I Shot Jesse James, an account from Robert Ford's viewpoint, and the first western directed by Samuel Fuller.
- 1950, Richard Long in Kansas Raiders, about his time spent with Quantrill's Raiders.
- 1954, Richard Travis in Stories of the Century.
- 1957, Jeffrey Hunter in The True Story of Jesse James.
- 1959, Jim Davis in Alias Jesse James
- 1960, Robert Dix in Young Jesse James.
- 1965–66, Allen Case in The Legend of Jesse James.
- 1972, John Pierce in The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.
- 1977, John Bennett Perry in an episode of Little House on the Prairie.
- 1980, Stacy Keach in The Long Riders, which featured four sets of real brothers playing sets of brothers in the gang.
- 1980, country singer Johnny Cash in the concept album, The Legend of Jesse James.
- 1984, Nick Benedict in an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard.
- 1986, country singer Johnny Cash in The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James, directed by William A. Graham.[10]
- 1992, Jamie Walters in the American Western TV show, The Young Riders.
- 1994, Frank & Jesse.
- 1995, Leonard Nimoy in the made-for-TV movie Bonanza: Under Attack.
- 2001, Gabriel Macht in American Outlaws.
- 2007, Sam Shepard in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
- 2010, James Brolin in True Grit, sitting with Cole Younger at the Wild West Show
- 2018, Robert Carradine in Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws.
References
- ISBN 0-89672-398-4.
- ^ a b c "Frank James Dies at 74" (PDF). The New York Times. February 19, 1915. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
Former Outlaw Was One of Last Survivors of Notorious Band.
- ^ a b Fischer, Gerald (January 2, 2008). "Frank and Jesse James in Brandenburg, Kentucky". The Meade County Messenger online. Brandenburg, Kentucky. Archived from the original on February 25, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ "The Sad Story of Jesse James". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. February 7, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ^ "James-Younger Gang: Frank James Trial". Civilwarstlouis.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "History | Fair Grounds Race Course". January 9, 2010. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (July 16, 1914). "The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903–1949, July 16, 1914, Image 6". Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. p. 6. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ]
- ^ $0.25 in 1915, would be $5 in 2007
- OregonLive.com. The Oregonian. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
Further reading
External videos | |
---|---|
Booknotes interview with Ted Yeatman on Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend, October 28, 2001, C-SPAN |
- Copland, Aaron and Perlis, Vivian: Copland - 1900 Through 1942, St. Martin's/Marek, 1984.
- Settle, William A., Jr.: Jesse James Was His Name, or, Fact and Fiction Concerning the Careers of the Notorious James Brothers of Missouri, University of Nebraska Press, 1977
- Yeatman, Ted P.: Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend, Cumberland House, 2001
- Stiles, T.J.: Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War, Alfred A. Knopf, 2002
- Wellman, Paul I. A Dynasty of Western Outlaws. 1961; 1986.
External links
- Official website for the Family of Frank & Jesse James: Stray Leaves, A James Family in America Since 1650 Archived February 28, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
- John Koblas, author of several Jesse James books
- A short profile of the James brothers
- Biographical information for the James Family
- The James brothers' familiar connection to other notorious outlaws
- An examination of the James Legend
- Summary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek where Frank fought
- Summary of the Battle of Lexington where Frank fought
- A history of Missouri during the Civil War
- A site devoted to the Missouri Partisan Rangers and their history
- A description of the raid at Lawrence, Kansas