Edward O'Kelley - Fairlawn Cemetery - OKC, OK - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Located at the northwest corner of Fairlawn Cemetery, this flat marker shows where Edward O'Kelley is laid to rest.


Text on headstone:

Edward O'Kelley
Dec. 1858 - Jan. 13, 1904
The man who killed the man who killed Jessie James

Oklahoma Outlaws Lawmen History Association

Description: Edward Capehart O'Kelley was the man who murdered Robert Ford, who had killed the famous outlaw Jesse James to receive a bounty. Little is known of O'Kelley's youth, although his birthplace is reported as Harrisonville, Missouri. His mother was Margaret Ann Capehart, but at the time of her 14 July 1857 marriage to Dr. Thomas Katlett O'Kelley, she was already pregnant with Edward. It is believed that Thomas was not Edward's father. Edward was a child during the American Civil War. In Thomas' Civil War Veteran Pension File, where Thomas was required to list all his children and their dates of birth, Edward is not included on the list. Robert Ford befriended outlaw Jesse James in 1882, when he and his brother Charley joined his gang. They lived with James and his family for a time. Ford shot James in the back of the head to collect a state bounty.[citation needed] By 1892, he operated a tent saloon in the silver mining camp of Creede, Colorado. On June 8, 1892, while Ford was preparing to open his saloon, O'Kelley walked into the tent with a shotgun. Ford was turned away from the front entrance. O'Kelley called out, "Hello Bob." As Ford turned around to see who spoke, O'Kelley fired his shotgun, hitting Ford in the neck and killing him instantly. O'Kelley never explained why he had shot Ford. It has been alleged that Soapy Smith, the infamous Colorado con man, had convinced O'Kelley he would be a hero for killing the unpopular Ford. Another theory involves the accusation that O'Kelley had stolen Ford's diamond ring, and the dispute escalated. For the crime, he was given a life sentence which was reduced to 18 years, but he only served about 8 years at Colorado State Penitentiary. After his release, O'Kelley moved to Oklahoma City. Shortly after his arrival in town, he was recognized by Otto Ewing of the Southern Club, a local gambling house. It is claimed[by whom?] that Ewing had been connected with Ford's saloon in Creede, and may even have been there when O'Kelley killed Ford. Ewing told people that O'Kelley was a dangerous man and best avoided. In December 1903, police officer Joe Burnett arrested O'Kelley as a "suspicious character". O'Kelley was staying at the Lewis Hotel. When he had returned there after his release, he openly made threats that he was gunning for a man. Everyone knew he meant Officer Burnett. O'Kelley frequented the saloons on West 4th and 2nd Streets, which were known as the hangouts of criminals in the early years of the city. Date of birth: 12/01/1858 Date of death: 01/13/1904 Area of notoriety: Crime Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Sunrise to Sunset Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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