The Jesse James Northfield Raid : Confessions of the Ninth Man [Hardcover]

John J. Koblas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1999

Controversy has dogged the heels of Jesse James through history. Koblas, with superior researching skills, has sorted fact from folk legend and documented the lives of Jesse and his gang. He follows their lives after Northfield, giving a well-rounded picture of the men who made the famous Minnesota raid on the bank in Northfield.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Koblas is the author of six books on F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis. He is a history professor at the University of Minnesota.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: North Star Pr of St Cloud; 1st edition (June 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878391258
• ISBN-13: 978-0878391257
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,753,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid account of a disastrous raid, September 7, 2002

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Jesse James Northfield Raid : Confessions of the Ninth Man (Paperback)

John Koblas's account of the 1876 raid upon Northfield, Minnesota, by the notorious James-Younger Gang (in which the town citizens basically shot the famous outlaws to pieces) is detailed and convincing (although not quite equal to Koblas's later "Faithful Unto Death"). The mystery presented of a possible "ninth man" in the raid (standard accounts name only eight bandits) is never solved, nor can it probably ever be. In the 1930's an elderly man living in Los Angeles claimed to be Bill Stiles, one of the outlaws supposedly killed at Northfield. This Los Angeles Stiles claimed there had been a case of mistaken identity and that the "Stiles" killed was another man altogether. This 20th Century Stiles' story, related by a pulp fiction author of the time, contains many unlikely elements, but John Koblas does present some supporting evidence which could point to Stiles being genuine. In addition, the participation of possibly one or two other men in the raid is discussed. Ultimately, John Koblas can supply no final answers, but the questions raised are interesting ones.