You know what’s really wild? I recorded the intro for this episode six times - and not because I kept flubbing the wording. But because that’s how many times this case has changed directions on us since we started our investigation. In the short time we’ve been working on this case, I’ve learned facts, heard some amazing stories, which you’ll all get to hear soon, and continually been in awe of just how misunderstood this man has become.

Jesse James was a lot of things. Much more than an outlaw, as you’ll hear later. Tonight, we’re joined by a world class guest list from all over the James case to help us dissect his story, one of the most incredible stories we’ve ever heard. If Vanished ever had a campfire episode, tonight would be it.

As you’ll soon discover, Jesse James was a lot of things. In fact, Jesse James, was a lot of people. Thomas Howard. John D. Howard. William Campbell. And even a self proclaimed Englishman named Charles Lawson. You’ll also learn that Jesse was so good at staging vanishing acts and assuming identities that he’d be able to live full on lives with everyone around him never suspecting a thing. Tonight we’re gonna do two things. One, we’re gonna tear down a legend, and second, we’re going to ask you to answer a single question, really. Did Jesse James stage one final vanishing act? One that enabled him to live another 70 years?

Exit Jesse James. Enter J. Frank Dalton.

Welcome back to Vanished This is our conclusion on the outlaw Jesse James.

LINKS

Our Website
Vanished on Twitter
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Vanished on TikTok
Vanished Facebook Discussion Group
Opening Theme "Tattoos & Bad Booze" by Caleb Morris Feat. Dane
Bryan Shibley Appears Courtesy of Clay County, Missouri and the Jesse James Farm
Mark Lee Gardner Appears Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Daniel Duke Appears Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Bill Markley Appears Courtesy of Rowman & Littlefield
Kellen Cutsforth Appears Courtesy of Rowman & Littlefield
With a special cameo appearance by Bill Jacobson as J. Frank Dalton.

SHOW NOTES & FURTHER READING

Jesse James @ Wikipedia
Old West Showdown: Two Authors Wrangle over the Truth about the Mythic Old West by Bill Markley & Kellen Cutsforth @ Amazon
Shot All to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape by Mark Lee Gardner @ Amazon
Jesse James and the Lost Templar Treasure: Secret Diaries, Coded Maps, and the Knights of the Golden Circle by Daniel Duke @ Amazon
The Mysterious Life and Faked Death of Jesse James: Based on Family Records, Forensic Evidence, and His Personal Journals by Daniel Duke & Teresa F. Duke @ Amazon
Victorio's Peak Treasure @ Unsolved Mysteries
Otterville Train Robbery by James Gang Recalled - Boonville Advertiser December 15th 1939
The Lawrence Massacre @ Wikipedia
Identity Performance - Brushy Bill Roberts & J. Frank Dalton @ Glasstire
A legend shrouded in mystery: Former forensic anthropologist recounts the 2000 exhumation of Jesse James' grave @ Hood County News
DNA Solves Jesse James Mystery @ Your DNA Guide
Fradulent DNA Results? @ Outlaw Jesse James

S3 Ep12: Vanished: Jesse James "Print the Legend"