Charles Ford (outlaw) explained

Charles Ford
Birth Name:	Charles Wilson Ford
Birth Date:	9 July 1857
Birth Place:	Fauquier County, Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:	Richmond, Missouri, U.S.
Burial Place:	Richmond Cemetery

Charles Wilson Ford (July 9, 1857 – May 6, 1884) was an outlaw, and member of the James Gang.^[1] He was the lesser known brother of Robert Ford, the killer of Jesse James.^{[2] [3]} Charlie Ford was introduced to Jesse and Frank James by Wood Hite and he joined the gang.^[4]

In 1882 Jesse James recruited Robert and Charles Ford to help with a planned robbery of another bank.^[5] Thomas T. Crittenden offered $10,000 for the capture of Jesse James, and on April 3, 1882, Robert Ford shot Jesse James.^[5] He and Charles Ford were convicted and were sentenced to be hanged, but were pardoned by Crittenden.^[5]

Afterwards, Charles heard a rumor that Frank James was searching for both with plans of mortal revenge.^[6] Two years later, after a period of deep depression following James' death, terminal illness from tuberculosis, and a debilitating morphine addiction, Charles Ford died by suicide on May 6, 1884.^{[5] [7] [8] [9]}

In popular culture

• Charles Tannen portrayed Charles Ford in Jesse James (1939) and The Return of Frank James (1940).
• Tommy Noonan portrayed Charles Ford in I Shot Jesse James (1949) and The Return of Jesse James (1950).
• Louis Jean Heydt portrayed Charles Ford in The Great Missouri Raid (1951).
• Paul Frees portrayed Charles Ford on the CBS radio show Crime Classics on July 20, 1953 in the episode entitled The Death of a Picture Hanger.
• Frank Gorshin portrayed Charles Ford in The True Story of Jesse James (1957).^[10]
• Christopher Guest portrayed Charles Ford in The Long Riders (1980).^[11]
• Alexis Arquette portrayed Charles Ford in Frank & Jesse (1994).^[12]
• Sam Rockwell portrayed Charles Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), based on the novel by Ron Hansen.^[13]
• Alex Rose portrayed Charles Ford in the Timeless episode, The Murder of Jesse James (2017).

See also

• Dick Liddil

Notes and References

1. Book: Beights, Ronald H. . Jesse James and the First Missouri Train Robbery . . Gretna . 2005 . 171 . 9781455606658.
2. Book: Stiles, T. J. . T. J. Stiles . Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War . . 2002 . 0-375-40583-6 . 363–375.
3. Book: Yeatman, Ted P. . Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend . . 2000 . 264–269 . 1-58182-325-8.
4. Book: McCoy, Max . Max McCoy . Jesse: A Novel of the Outlaw Jesse James . Speaking Volumes . October 14, 2016 . 190 . 9781628155334.
5. Book: Miller, Wilbur R. . The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: A-De . . June 19, 2012 . 874 . 9781412988766.
6. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20081017093957/http://legendsofamerica.com/WE-OutlawList-E-G.html . The Complete List of Old West Outlaws - Last Name Begins with E-G . Legends of America . 30 January 2021 . 17 October 2008.
7. Web site: [Ford] Robert and Charles Ford ancestors ]. Mault . Deena . . . February 27, 2006 . June 3, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170903075619/http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/FORD/2006-02/1141100758 . September 3, 2017.
8. Charlie Ford's Funeral . May 8, 1884 . St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
9. News: Suicide of Charles Ford . May 7, 1884 . . 5 . November 29, 2008 .
10. Book: Braudy, Leo . Leo Braudy (academic) . The World in a Frame: What We See in Films . Westerns and the Myth of the Past . https://books.google.com/books?id=nnvaIPdWCOYC&pg=PA124 . . 2002 . 25th Anniversary . 138 . 9780226071565 .
11. Book: Pallot, James . The Movie Guide . . 1995 . 493 . 9780399519147 .
12. Book: Craddock, Jim . Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever . Cengage Gale . 2006 . 333 . 9780787689803 .
13. News: Dargis . Manohla . Manohla Dargis . Good, Bad or Ugly: A Legend Shrouded in Gunsmoke Remains Hazy . 21 September 2007 . 24 November 2017 . The New York Times.