Monday, April 13, 2015

NM family says letter proves Jesse James lived to age 107

In the realm of gun slinging outlaws, his name tops the list. Jesse James, the notorious Old West outlaw known for robbing banks and trains and killing anyone who got in his way, is alleged to have been shot by a member of his own gang on April 3, 1882. However, now 133 years after the alleged assassination, one Four Corners family is coming forward with proof that may suggest the famous outlaw lived a lot longer. "Grandpa died August 15 at 6:45 p.m." reads the first line of the letter, written in old-timey cursive. Dated August 20, 1951, the missive could have been written about anyone. “So Jesse Woodson James at age 107 went to his death still answering questions,” the second to last paragraph fully identifies the dead relative in question. Yes, it is the famed outlaw Jesse James who is written about in this letter. Proof, says the letter’s owners, which could re-write the history books. “No doubt,” Patricia Brock said. She says they found the letter amongst love letters from her father to her mother. The letter is purported to be to Brock’s grandfather, Albert Connie, of Stanley, New Mexico and is from his cousin, O. Lee Howk, of Granbury, TX. Now first let’s rewind. Here's what the history books say, after an illustrious career as a bank and train robber, the gang leader and all around bad guy , Jesse Woodson James was shot in the back of the head by gang member Bob Ford on April 3, 1882. Legend says the man was after a bounty placed on James' head. Instead of dying that day, though, this letter claims that Jesse James lived in Granbury, Texas until the age of 107. “Wow!” laughs Brock, who claims to be James’ distant cousin, “Wow, wow!” As incredible as it may seem, a newspaper clipping from 1966 talks about the former sheriff of Hood County Texas sharing the very same details about a man's body he examined and found to be James. The article also includes a picture, alleged to be the aging James. “I would have loved to [have] met him, but I understand he had 78 aliases,” Brock said. The family tells us that they have authenticated a signature on the envelope to be that of Jesse James, probably signed before his death. The seal of the envelope also bears three symbols, allegedly used by James when he hid treasure. “When he wrote, he printed, Jesse James did,” Brock said as to confirm the printed name on the flap. And they have authenticated the hand writing in the letter to be that of O. Lee Howk--alias of Jesse Woodson James' grandson, Jesse Lee James III. “In Granbury, Texas I don't know why anyone would go to that length,” Brock said. Leaving this family - who claims to be distantly related to Jesse James - excited to share this proof of his long, albeit crime-ridden, life...more

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