Here’s a brief look back in time for this day, April 3. NOTE: Some content in this article discusses the topic of suicide. If you’re struggling, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline by dialing 988.
In 1882, infamous leader of the James-Younger gang Jesse James is shot and killed by one of his own gang members. This was during a period where the gang was falling apart after the Pinkerton Detective Agency relentlessly hunted the outlaws down. Although several robberies during this period were successful, it also left behind multiple members who were gunned down by law enforcement in each attempt: whittling the gang down to only James and two other members. Losing trust in their ruthless leader, one of the members, named Robert Ford, shot James in the back of the head while he was adjusting a painting in his home. This was considered a cowardly act amongst gang culture, especially in cases like this where James was unarmed and unaware of his incoming demise. On James’ gravestone is inscribed: “murdered by a traitor and coward whose name is not worthy to appear here”. Ford himself met this same fate when he was shot and killed by Edward O’Kelley, a former deputy turned bounty hunter. The only difference in this scenario was O’Kelley made himself known before shooting Ford in the neck with a double-barreled shotgun. His words to Ford were simply: “Hello, Bob”.
In 1996, the Unabomber is arrested after decades of evading the FBI. Identified as Ted Kaczynski, he was a mathematical prodigy turned domestic terrorist when he covertly mailed dozens of bombs to various universities, businesses, and in one instance, an airplane. Kaczynski had murdered 3 people and injured 23 others between 1978 and 1995: a 17-year-long rampage that perplexed federal investigators in terms of where the bombs were coming from. It wasn’t until Ted’s insistence on anonymously publishing his manifesto titled Industrial Society and Its Future when a lead was brought to the FBI. That lead was provided by none other than Ted’s own brother David, who read the manifesto in The Washington Post. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in ADX Florence in Colorado. He hung himself in his own cell in 2023 after being diagnosed with cancer.