An Act of Terror

Pinkertons bomb the home of the James boys.

January 25-26, 1875. Pinkerton agents attack a farmhouse outside Kearney, Missouri. It is owned by the mother and stepfather of Frank and Jesse James, and the detectives think the boys are visiting. They are not. The agents toss a bomb into the house. The explosion kills eight-year-old half-brother Archie Samuel and severely injures their mother Zerelda. Her maimed right arm is amputated below the elbow. It turns into a public relations nightmare for the Pinkertons. And the James-Younger Gang gains new sympathy from residents throughout Missouri.