"It's
all a mistake," says Uncle Bill Goodwin... One
of the most famous outlaws in American history was the legendary
Jesse James. And it seems, that there has always been an air of mystery has to whether or not he was really killed the way our history books have recorded it. The
story goes that Jesse was murdered by one of his outlaw buddies,
Bob Ford, while he (Jesse) was standing on a chair — dusting a
picture. Many folks have disputed this version of the story and
some have went as far as to have poor Jesse's body exhumed from
the grave (for the third time, I believe). The
Discovery Channel aired a program awhile back entitled,
"Seeking The Real Jesse James." It was very interesting
and showed how DNA was recovered from one of James' teeth; the DNA
sample was then matched with a sample from the blood of one of
Jesse's descendants. After
all was said and done, the forensic experts concluded that they
were 99 percent positive that the poor soul in the grave was Jesse
James. Once again Jesse's remains were laid to rest, with full
military honors, by members of a Confederate Army living history
group. I
don't believe that it is over yet for Jesse James; members of the
opposition still question the DNA tests and vow to continue to
search for proof that the real Jesse isn't in that Missouri grave. There
have been many folks over the years who also have disputed the
theory that Jesse died from a single shot from Bob Ford's 1851
Navy Colt. One
of those who disagreed with history's version of James' death was
Uncle Bill Goodwin of Dublin, Texas. Uncle Bill's version appeared
in The Gonzales Inquirer in 1933 and his story is the
subject of this edition of Lone Star Diary. The
Gonzales Inquirer • February 24, 1933 [Headline: JESSE JAMES] "How
the people held their breath, when they heard of Jesse's death. And
wondered how he came to die; For the big reward little Robert Ford Shot
Jesse James on the sly." DUBLIN,
Tex. Feb. 24 — (UP) Contradicting
the old saloon-day refrain Uncle Bill Goodwin, 77, former peace
officer and boyhood playmate of the James brothers, claims that
Jesse James posed as his own slayer and collected the bounty which
had been placed on his head. "It's
all a mistake," said Goodwin. "What really happened was
that when Jesse found Bob was plotting to kill him, Jesse killed
Bob and sold Ford's body to the law, claiming it was that of Jesse
James." After
that the outlaw lived as a peaceable citizen under the name of the
man he killed, the aging Goodwin declared. "How
do I know?" Goodwin anticipated the inevitable question.
"I saw Jesse and talked to him in Brownwood long after 'his'
funeral was held. He was a prosperous and respected business man
at Brownwood." According
to the version of his former playmate Jesse James died with his
boots off in a linened bed at Brownwood in 1898. Goodwin
is positive of the identity of the famous desperado: "Frank
James, his brother, was with me at the time. We went to Brownwood
for the very purpose of seeing Jesse. Besides, when I was a kid
back in Clay County, Missouri, I played with Frank and
Jesse." A
Robin Hood code of ethics was one of the virtues seen by Goodwin
in the most publicized highwaymen who ever held up a Southwestern
stage coach. He
recalled how the James brothers, touched by sight of a Weatherford
widow's tears, inquired the cause of her sorrow and learned that a
mortgage was to be foreclosed because she was unable to meet a
$600 payment. Jesse,
according to Goodwin, gave the widow money to pay the mortgage
when the sheriff called, then lay in wait and robbed the officer. "How
do I know?" asked Uncle Bill. "Well I was somewhere
there abouts." Goodwin
has lived here 50 years, acting as marshal of the town through the
90's. During the Civil War his father was shot to death by
Missouri bushwhackers. Goodwin set out to find the slayer. Was
he successful? He prefers not to say, but he is no longer on the
hunt.
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