Wichita's Jesse James Museum challenges history as we know it
by Sherry Graham .
Wichitan Ron Pastore is determined to change history. Pastore has opened the
Jesse James Museum in the historic Delano district, featuring what he says is
the only authentic Jesse James collection and offering a new theory on the death
of the notorious 19th century outlaw.
The museum at 555 W. Douglas is open free to the public. Pastore, founder of the
museum, hopes to interest movie producers, book publishers and other museums in
the story he has to tell about Jesse James. Pastore has written a book called
"Jesse James Faked His Death," which he says reveals that the 1882 shooting
death of James was faked and that James' cousin, Jeremiah James, was killed in
his place. Jesse James lived to age 88 in southeast Kansas and fathered nine
children, Pastore contends. Whether the body that history claimed to be Jesse
James was really his has always been in question, Pastore says, but the theory
that Jeremiah James was killed in Jesse James place is a new piece to the
puzzle.
"This is a story of betrayal, murder, love, romance and new beginnings," Pastore
says. About 2 1/2 years ago, some of the James family descendants, living near
Neodesha, Kan., allowed Pastore to look at items they'd found hidden in a house
once owned by Daisy Hoyt, who Pastore theorizes was the youngest daughter of
Jesse James. Family photos, guns, watches and other loot allegedly owned by
Jesse James is now part of the museum, and Pastore is trying to get the
artifacts — still owned by the James family — authenticated.
Pastore says when he started comparing photos of the living Jesse James to the
photos of his body, there were too many differences in the size and physical
features of the two. Pastore and many members of the James family now believe
that Jesse James had Jeremiah James killed and assumed a new identity of Jerry
Miah James. Pastore hopes to exhume Jerry Miah James' body this spring, buried
in southeast Kansas, and prove through DNA testing that he was actually Jesse
James.
Pastore says the theory has already attracted the interest of freelance
television producer Bill Kurtis, who specializes in investigative reports.
Pastore is having his book published and sold locally until he can make a book
deal with a national company.
Proving the theory
Thirty-year-old Jeremiah James, who is the great-great grandson of Jerry Miah
James and resembles photos of the living Jesse James, appears daily in the Jesse
James Museum. Last year, the museum was part of the Museum of Ancient Treasures
at 250 W. Douglas.
"I think it's a legitimate theory, and since we now have the tools to prove or
disprove it, I think it should be done," says Dr. Jon Kardatzke, founder of the
Museum of Ancient Treasures. Kardatzke says that if the authenticity of the
collection is validated, he hopes the Jesse James Museum will join his museum
again. Pastore says that once the collection is authenticated he'll probably
consider other offers but will probably keep the museum in Wichita and in
Delano.
Sandy Evans, director of marketing and membership for Old Cowtown Museum, says
nobody at Cowtown has seen or studied the Jesse James collection. But if it is
real, the museum will be an important part of history, she says. "Any museum or
cultural facility that provides well-researched and documented information is
welcome in the area," Evans says. "Educational opportunities that encourage
people to explore history and learn about our rich history are what are
important in the community."
© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.
