True West Magazine - Logo

Two Great Myths about Jesse James

by | Aug 1, 2002 | Features & Gunfights

Fletch-Taylor-Frank-Jess
Most Jesse James buffs take as gospel that the famous bandit invented the daylight bank robbery and that he was never arrested. Both of these accepted truths are false. Myth # 1: Jesse James invented the daylight bank robbery. On February 13, 1866, between 10 and 13 men, likely led by former Confederate guerrillas George Shepherd and Arch Clements, robbed the Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri. They made off with over $57,000. It was the first daylight bank robbery in peacetime U.S


Already Signed Up? Log in here.

Read this article now for Free!

Ready for a third free article? Create a free account by entering your email address and a password below.

— OR —

Sign Up Now for $29.95 a year and have immediate access to all of True West content, including the complete True West Archives dating back to 1953!

SIGN UP NOW or SIGN IN

This digital subscription is in no way connected to your Print Subscription. They are totally separate and cannot be connected. If you have a Print Subscription with True West, you will need to pay for a separate subscription to access this website and will receive a totally different Log In password. If you have an existing digital component to your Print subscription, you'll need to Sign In and request a new password.