Meet the Past: what would you ask Jesse James?
Click on "Add a new comment" to pose a question to Jesse James, the Missouri-born outlaw who became one of the most notorious bank and train robbers in the history of the United States. If your question is chosen, Library Director Crosby Kemper III will ask it on your behalf.
jesse james question
Since you are sitting in front of us today, we are stretching our imaginations a bit. So with that in mind, of all the films made about your life, do you have a favorite one? Did you see the "Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Bob Ford" starring Missouri native Brad Pitt? If so, what did you think of the portrayal of your last days?
Last Thoughts...
On that fateful day, what went through your mind as you heard the click of the hammer being cocked on Bob Ford's revolver and did it begin with "oh,----"?
Isn't the truth that
Isn't the truth that Quantrill's Raiders with whom you served was really just an outlet for sociopaths, cutthroats and thugs to ply their skills rather a band of partisans with an actual political purpose?
Role reversal unjust?
Shouldn't Kansas City bankers be outraged (or at least take umbrage) that the folk myths about Jesse James casts them and railroad owners as blood-sucking villains while holding up (unintentional pun)the thief who stole from them as a hero and champion of the common man?
Missouri Bias?
In "The Love Pirate and the Bandit's Son," author Laura James quotes Harry Truman as saying "Jesse James was not actually a bad man at heart. I have studied his life carefully, and I come from his part of the country. Jesse James was a modern-day Robin Hood. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, which, in general, is not a bad policy."
Do you think Truman was not only dnagerously flirting with socialism, but also betraying the typical Missourian's bias by painting a criminal and cold-blooded killer as a folk-hero?