Charles Ford (outlaw)
Charles Ford | |
|---|---|
 Charley Ford prior to 1884 | |
| Born | Charles Wilson Ford July 9, 1857 Fauquier County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 1884 (aged 26) |
| Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
Charles Wilson "Charley" 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]
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][6][7]
Family[]
Charles Ford was one of the eleven Ford children born to James Thomas Ford and Mary Ann Bruin:
- Sarah J. Ford (b. abt. 1841)
- Georgiana Ford (b. abt. 1843)
- Mary T. Ford (b. abt. 1845)
- John Thomas Ford (b: November 6, 1847)
- Martha Elizabeth Ford (b: April 22, 1849)
- Harriet Ford (b. abt. 1851)
- Elias Capline Ford (b: July 10, 1853)
- Amanda Francis Ford (b: April 1, 1855)
- Charles Wilson Ford (b: July 9, 1857)
- Wilber Pottuck Ford (b: November 19, 1859)
- Robert Newton Ford (b: January 31, 1862)
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).[8]
- Christopher Guest portrayed Charles Ford in The Long Riders (1980).[9]
- Alexis Arquette portrayed Charles Ford in Frank & Jesse (1994).[10]
- Sam Rockwell portrayed Charles Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), based on the novel by Ron Hansen.[11]
- Charles Ford is mentioned in the Grateful Dead song Tennessee Jed.
- Alex Rose portrayed Charles Ford in the Timeless episode, The Murder of Jesse James (2017).
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Beights, Ronald H. (2005). Jesse James and the First Missouri Train Robbery. Gretna: Pelican Publishing. p. 171. ISBN 9781455606658.
- ^ Stiles, T. J. (2002). Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War. A.A. Knopf. pp. 363–375. ISBN 0-375-40583-6.
- ^ Yeatman, Ted P. (2000). Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend. Cumberland House. pp. 264–269. ISBN 1-58182-325-8.
- ^ McCoy, Max (October 14, 2016). Jesse: A Novel of the Outlaw Jesse James. Speaking Volumes. p. 190. ISBN 9781628155334.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Miller, Wilbur R. (June 19, 2012). The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America: A-De. SAGE Publications. p. 874. ISBN 9781412988766.
- ^ Mault, Deena (February 27, 2006). "[Ford] Robert and Charles Ford ancestors". RootsWeb. Ancestry.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ "Charlie Ford's Funeral". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. May 8, 1884.
- ^ Braudy, Leo (2002). "Westerns and the Myth of the Past". The World in a Frame: What We See in Films (25th Anniversary ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 138. ISBN 9780226071565.
- ^ Pallot, James (1995). The Movie Guide. Berkeley Publishing Group. p. 493. ISBN 9780399519147.
- ^ Craddock, Jim (2006). Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever. Cengage Gale. p. 333. ISBN 9780787689803.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (September 21, 2007). "Good, Bad or Ugly: A Legend Shrouded in Gunsmoke Remains Hazy". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
External links[]
- The Complete List of Old West Outlaws - Last Name Begins with E-G(bottom of page)
- "Suicide of Charles Ford". New York Times. May 7, 1884. p. 5. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
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- 1857 births
- 1884 deaths
- James–Younger Gang
- Suicides by firearm in Missouri
- 1880s suicides
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