Edward Capehart O'Kelley

Early years Little is known of O'Kelley's youth, although his birthplace is reported as Harrisonville, Missouri. His mother was Margaret Ann Capehart (July 6, 1836 – July 27, 1903), but at the time of her July 14, 1857, marriage to Dr. Thomas Katlett O'Kelley (October 20, 1833 – October 9, 1923) 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. He lived in Scopus Township, Missouri according to the 1870 census.

He worked as a deputy sheriff in Pueblo, Colorado.

Murder of Robert Ford 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 of $10,000. 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. According to one account, O'Kelley married a relative of the Younger Brothers Gang and became friends with Jesse James, who became a cousin by marriage. Another version contends that con man Soapy Smith assured O'Kelley he would be famous if he killed Ford. One theory involves the accusation that O'Kelley had stolen Ford's diamond ring, and the dispute had escalated. O'Kelley was initially imprisoned for life, though his sentence was later reduced to 18 years.

After incarceration

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 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 Joseph Grant "Joe" Burnett (1867–1917) arrested O'Kelley as a "suspicious character". O'Kelley was staying at the Lewis Hotel. He frequented the saloons on West 4th and 2nd Streets, which were known as the hangouts of criminals in the early years of the city.

Personal life Nicknamed "Red", O'Kelley reportedly married a relative of the Younger brothers.

Memorial

A monument for Edward O'Kelley stands in the Patton United Methodist Church cemetery, on Country Road 878, in Patton, Bollinger, Missouri. The monument is engraved on both sides.

The front of the monument reads: Edward Capehart O'Kelley 1858 - January 13, 1904 Shot and killed Robert N. Ford, the murderer of Jesse James, in the Silver mining camp at Creede, Colorado. O'Kelley died in the streets of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in a gunfight with the law.

The back of the memorial contains engraved scenes from 1890s Creede, Colorado, where O'Kelley fatally shot Ford. The monument was erected through the efforts of Judith Ries, O'Kelley's great-great niece.