When Jesse James was born there in 1847, Missouri was a slave state. But by the time the Civil War began, Missouri had joined the Union cause. Jesse and his brother Frank became pro-Confederate guerrillas. After the war, they robbed banks, stagecoaches and trains across the Midwest. They enjoyed a sort of notoriety and sympathy, despite the violence of their crimes. Books and movies paint the “James Boys” as wild-west Robin Hoods, but there’s no evidence they ever shared their ill-gotten booty. Eventually a very large reward was offered for both brothers. In April, 1882, Jesse was living under an assumed name with two trusted friends. He was cleaning a dusty picture frame on the wall when one of them shot him from behind. Frank, on the other hand, died at the ripe old age of 72. My point? There’s such a thing as being too tidy. Dusting and cleaning might not shorten your life, but why risk it?
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