Written by Mark Lee Gardner
Format: MP3 Publication Date: 30 July 2013
It was the most famous bank robbery of all time, involving the Wild West's most celebrated gang of outlaws and their iconic leader, Jesse James. In the spirit of Manhunt and Empire of the Summer Moon, Shot All to Hell tells the hour-by-hour story of the James-Younger gang's last robbery and the two-week chase that followed - the near misses, the fateful mistakes, and the bloody final shootout on the Watonwan River. Mark Lee Gardner takes us inside Northfield's First National Bank and outside in the streets as the outlaw robbers square off with the heroic citizens who risked their lives to defeat America's most daring criminals. Drawing on voluminous primary sources, including newspaper reports from the period, Gardner goes beyond previous accounts to tell the full, in-depth story of the James-Younger gang's thrilling hold-up and Jesse and Frank's incredible escape. Shot All to Hell follows the James brothers as they elude the several posses hell-bent to capture them-one of the largest manhunts in U. S. history. And it solves a mystery that has been hotly debated for more than 135 years - The identity of the killer who gunned down Joseph Lee Heywood, the bank's acting cashier. Gardner also offers elegiac endings for the Younger brothers, Cole, Jim, and Bob, and explores the James brothers' fates after the manhunt. A galloping true tale of frontier justice featuring audacious outlaws and brave heroes, Shot All to Hell is a riveting slice of Wild West history that continues to reverberate today.