J. Frank Dalton

Who was J. Frank Dalton?

John Frank Dalton was a man who, in the last few years of his long life, publicly claimed to be the famous outlaw Jesse James. Contrary to his claim, most historians believe that Dalton was merely a Jesse James imposter, and that the real Jesse James was killed by Robert "Bob" Ford on April 3, 1882, in Jesse's home at 1318 Lafayette Street in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Dalton was allegedly 100 years old at the time of his first public appearance as Jesse James - at Lawton, Oklahoma in April–May, 1948. Like the real Jesse James, Dalton apparently had been a pro-Confederate guerrilla in Missouri during the Civil War. However, Dalton's account of himself as Jesse James did not hold up under questioning from Jesse James' surviving relatives.

Nevertheless, several people of note, such as journalist/novelist Robert Ruark, were convinced that J. Frank Dalton actually was the famous outlaw Jesse Woodson James. To many people's surprise, Dalton did appear to have many of the unique body marks/body features which the real Jesse James was rumored to have. These body features included: seven bullet wounds, a rope burn around his neck, a collapsed lung, a damaged fingertip, and severely burned feet.