Coast to Coast AM with Richard Syrett

I was very honored to have been a guest alongside my sister/author Teresa F. Duke on Coast to Coast AM with Richard Syrett!

“The story of the notorious outlaw Jesse James’ assassination at the hands of Robert Ford is clouded with mystery. James’ great-great-grandchildren, Daniel Duke and Teresa Duke, have conducted over 20 years of exhaustive research into the life of their infamous ancestor. They joined guest host Richard Syrett (Twitter) to reveal how the accepted version of the history of Jesse James is wrong, and to confirm their family’s oral tradition that James faked his own death in 1882 and lived out his remaining days in Texas.

James fought with the South during the Civil War after a group of Union-backed guerillas attacked him and his family, Daniel explained. According to Teresa, James and other Confederate guerrillas attempted to surrender after the war ended but James was shot in the chest so they ran. “They weren’t given the chance to surrender… it led to their career in bank robbing and train robbing,” she added. The robberies had gotten so bad in the Missouri area that it negatively impacted the economy of state and the governor put a reward out for the James Gang, Daniel noted.

James’ mother lost her arm in a raid on her home by Pinkerton operatives who wanted to collect the bounty on James, Teresa continued. This bit of info, along with other details passed down from their family, confirmed they were related to James as their great-great-great grandmother was also missing her arm. History records James died at the hands of Robert Ford in April 1882. However, the Dukes believe James’ cousin “wood” Hite was the one Ford assassinated. James faked his death, took the alias James Lafayette Courtney, and moved to Texas, Teresa revealed.”

Please visit to listen to the interview – https://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2022-09-03-show/

You can find out more about Daniel and Teresa’s books at their publisher’s website below:

https://www.innertraditions.com/books/the-mysterious-life-and-faked-death-of-jesse-james

https://www.innertraditions.com/books/secret-history-of-the-wild-wild-west

https://www.innertraditions.com/books/jesse-james-and-the-lost-templar-treasure

We hope you enjoy the books and interviews!