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“A.H. Ryan”:
The “A.H. RYAN” marking under the grip may be for Andy Ryan. Brothers Andy and Bill Ryan were implicated as members of the James Gang and appear in various sources on the gang, including the included pages of “Jesse James and Bill Ryan at Nashville” by Ted P. Yeatman. Both are mentioned in “The Trial of Frank James for Murder, With Confessions of Dick Liddil and Clarence Hite, and History of the James Gang” from 1898. Liddil’s confession notes that Andy Ryan was a boy and helped with horses. Bill Ryan
was captured in 1881 after pulling his pistols on a man in a saloon and running his mouth about being an outlaw. He had $1,400, expensive jewelry, two revolvers, seventy-five cartridges, and maps. He was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison but was released early in 1889 and then supposedly killed shortly thereafter in a riding accident. However, he was reportedly arrested again for a burglary in 1895 under another alias, released again in 1897, shot and captured in 1898, acquitted, and was then accused of being involved in another train robbery just a few days later. His brother, Andy Ryan, was arrested for an 1898 train robbery and was accused of being part of a new gang with Jesse James Jr.
After his father’s assassination, young Jesse was employed by Thomas T. Crittenden Jr., the son of Governor Thomas T. Crittenden of Missouri. He worked for Crittenden for a few years before Crittenden secured him a position at a packing house in Kansas City where he worked until 1898 when he opened a cigar stand by the Jackson County Courthouse
in Kansas City. In 1899, James and Ryan were arrested for train robbery. Another man claimed by the authorities to be Bill Ryan was also arrested but was found to be an older man named Bill Jennings. A card identifying the robbers
as John Kennedy, Bill Ryan, Bill Anderson, Sam Brown,
and Jim Redmond is said to have been left during the robbery. William W. Lowe claimed he, James, and Andy Ryan planned the Leeds hold-up together, and Lowe’s confession formed the main basis of the case against Jesse James Jr. His version of the events placed Jesse James Jr. and Andy Ryan as two of the main bandits in the affair. However,
the defense successfully convinced the jurors of James innocence and the case against Andy Ryan also fell apart as a result. During the trial, Ryan said he hadn’t heard from his brother since 1893 and claimed he had gone to Venezuela as part of a surveying company. The Leeds train robbery case and its outcome were widely reported. For example, the Sacramento Daily Union, on March 2, 1899, announced that “All Train Robbery Cases Dismissed” and noted that “W.H. Lowe, the self-confessed robber, and Andy Ryan and Charles Pole left the jail free men.” Prior to his arrest Ryan had been a fireman but was fired due to his association with John Kennedy. He was briefly reinstated after his release and soon owned a saloon at 1529 West 9th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, and later one at 12th and Wyoming Street. He
choked to death in February 1904 at the age of 45. His obituary in the Kansas City Star noted him as “a relative of Bill Ryan and friend of John Kennedy, train robbers” and indicated he came to Kansas City 19 years prior. Unfortunately, other details such as his real
full name have not been found. The evidence against his friend Jack “the Quail Hunter” Kennedy was stronger. He is said to have committed seven train robberies in the 1890s and was convicted and served twelve years at the Missouri Penitentiary.
After his acquittal, Jesse James
Jr. wrote a book about his father
titled “Jesse James, My Father. The
First and Only True Story of His
Adventures Ever Written” which
included an account of Jesse Jr.’s
trial and played it up as a move
by officials to get him imprisoned
through association with the
Ryans. He later opened a pawn shop, became a lawyer, ran a restaurant in Los Angeles, and played the roll of his father in the films “Jesse James Under the Black Flag” and “Jesse James the Outlaw,” both released in 1921 and also was an adviser for the 1927 film “Jesse James.”
CONDITION: Very good. The revolver has a lot of Old West appeal and shows definite signs of use but has been well- maintained and retains a very nice bore and excellent action. The finish is largely gone and replaced by a mottled gray and brown patina with some light oxidation and pitting. There are strong traces of original blue finish around the screws and pins and in some of the other protected areas. The hammer has some faint case colors. The modified grips are also very good and have mild edge wear, a few dings, and minor scratches. The lock-up remains tight,
and the action is excellent. The holster is also fine and has distinct tooling, mild surface wear consistent with use, and solid stitching. This is an incredible opportunity to get your hands on a well-known Smith & Wesson Schofield revolver and holster long attributed to legendary outlaw Jesse James and that has been on display in renowned firearms museums and featured in multiple publications. Provenance: The Shanton Family; The Gilmerr Family; The Karshner Family, The Supica Collection.
Estimate: 125,000 - 250,000
Jesse James body on ice St. Joseph Missouri 1882