By 1874 Jesse James and his gang had collected a secret booty over time, which supposedly only Jesse, Frank, and a couple key members of the Younger gang knew about. Nearing the end of their outlaw days and after robbing the Little Rock Express, with the law in hot pursuit, Jesse was driven to hide in limestone caves down by the Meramec river. Now cornered, the posse aimed to starve 'em out. After 3 days the outlaws never emerged. When the posse finally went in after them all they could find were the gang's weary horses. Legend has it . . . to cheat death Jesse and Robert struck a deal with Indian spirits in the cave who showed them a magical way out . . . at a price. Their treasure . . . their men . . . and a curse.
Looking to get out of the outlaw business, settle down with his wife and raise kids, Jesse moved secretly in the middle of the night from town to town through Missouri, changing his name and story as he went, but he never strayed far from the state. The history books say he was shot in the back and killed by one of his own men, Robert Ford, who was out for the bounty. But maybe there's more to the story.
Master Harold Ford was much more of a sympathizer than slave owner during the Civil War. After the slaves were officially freed he formed a much deeper relationship with his remaining "servants" than even his own son, Robert Ford. Robert knew of his dad's will and testament which granted his father's "secret daughter" Ada Ford a huge tract of land on which to raise her family. Shame is, the will would never be read. Right after Robert Ford joined Jesse's gang they killed Harold Ford Sr, stole the will and all the union sympathizer's valuables. Nothin' personal . . . or was it?
For generations Jackson Ford's ancestors worked that land, slowly losing hope in ever recovering the will or resurrecting evidence of the dead. In a white handled pistol lies a key. An old diary reveals a family connection, long since forgotten, and clues to the location of Jesse's hidden treasure, the Jackson's family deed to Ford County, and a secret that could reveal one of the greatest smoke and mirror conspiracies of all times.
Looking to get out of the outlaw business, settle down with his wife and raise kids, Jesse moved secretly in the middle of the night from town to town through Missouri, changing his name and story as he went, but he never strayed far from the state. The history books say he was shot in the back and killed by one of his own men, Robert Ford, who was out for the bounty. But maybe there's more to the story.
Master Harold Ford was much more of a sympathizer than slave owner during the Civil War. After the slaves were officially freed he formed a much deeper relationship with his remaining "servants" than even his own son, Robert Ford. Robert knew of his dad's will and testament which granted his father's "secret daughter" Ada Ford a huge tract of land on which to raise her family. Shame is, the will would never be read. Right after Robert Ford joined Jesse's gang they killed Harold Ford Sr, stole the will and all the union sympathizer's valuables. Nothin' personal . . . or was it?
For generations Jackson Ford's ancestors worked that land, slowly losing hope in ever recovering the will or resurrecting evidence of the dead. In a white handled pistol lies a key. An old diary reveals a family connection, long since forgotten, and clues to the location of Jesse's hidden treasure, the Jackson's family deed to Ford County, and a secret that could reveal one of the greatest smoke and mirror conspiracies of all times.