Update Titled, "Dave's Udates (A Biggie) 12-27-99"
by David Hedgepeth, Dallas Texas - [email protected]
Subject: Dave's Udates (A Biggie) 12-27-99
Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 18:48:23 -0600
From: [email protected]
To: Mailing list members
A Post from a noted Jesse James historian:
-To all who feel that the findings of James Starrs in the 1995 Exhumation
is ample proof that the remains of Jesse James was in the Missouri grave
site.
-Also to Betty Duke and others who contend that the 1995 Exhumation was
flawed.
Dear Reader,
Some have said that Betty Duke needs more facts to support her claims.
This is a most significant document in that direction. Please read
carefully and I think you will agree.
November 7, 1999
To Whom It May Concern:
By way of introduction, I am Emmett C. Hoctor, the James Historian who
conceived and implemented the idea of,exhuming the grave in Mt. Olivet
Cemetery that is claimed to hold the remains of Jesse Woodson James.
After months of publishing articles, contacting individuals who are
believed to be members of the James family and Professor James Starrs to
head the exhumation project, I was finally able to see the results of my
plan and felt satisfied with the conclusions of Professor Starrs that
Jesse James was the man in the questioned grave. However, after reading
Betty Dorsett Duke's Jesse James Lived & Died in Texas and the court
brief she wrote presenting new evidence not included in her book, I now
wonder if we did indeed prove "THE REAL JESSE " is buried in Mt. Olivet
Cemetery in Kearney, Missouri. Ms. Duke has unearthed some disturbing
information concerning the origin of the teeth and hair Professor James
Starrs supplied to forensic scientits for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
testing.
In a letter Starrs wrote to Falls County Judge Michael Meyer opposing
Betty Duke's request to exhume her great-grandfather, he stated the
following: "Let it be known as emphatically and unequivocally as I can
say it that-there is no truth in the claim that the teeth used for DNA
comparison purposes did not originate from the grave I excavated in
Kearney, Missouri. Except for the hair retrieved from the James Farm for
DNA analysis by Drs. Stoneking and Stone all the skeletal material, teeth
included, which was submitted to Dr. Stoneking and Stone for their DNA
profiling came from, originated from and resulted from the excavation of
the grave in Kearney, Missouri marked as that of Jesse Woodson James."
(Why did Starrs bother himself by opposing Duke's exhumation request if
he is confident of his findings?)
Which gravesite was Starrs referring to? Professor Starrs excavated two
graves in 1995 in Kearney, Missouri marked as that of Jesse Woodson
James, the original site (in the yard of the James family farm) and the
Mt. Olivet site (Mt. Olivet Cemetery):
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*The Mt. Olivet site was excavated first on July 17-19, 1995. Starrs
expected mtDNA results from those unearthed remains by September 15.
*Starrs' then obtained a court order to exhume the original site on
September 15th.
*Starrs' purpose for excavating the original site was to obtain a tooth
that was claimed to have been encased in a Tupperware bowl there. |
However, the tooth that Starrs was hoping to find was not in the
Tupperware bowl.
I question Starrs' motives for exhuming the Tupperware bowl. Why would he
need to just for the purpose of obtaining one tooth if the teeth
recovered from the Mt. Olivet site provided mtDNA?
It also looks bad that Starrs obtained the order to exhume the original
site on September 15, just when the mtDNA test results were expected from
the remains unearthed from the Mt. Olivet Site.
Other information disclosed by Betty Duke that cast doubt on Starrs'
conclusions are:
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*The remains encased in the Tupperware bowl from the original site were
very questionable due to the fact that they were unscientifically exhumed
in 1978 and kept in Milt Perry's (Manager/Director of the James Farm at
that time) desk drawer for four or five years before being encased in the
Tupperware bowl and reburied in the original site.
Perry gave out various pieces of the remains as souvenirs to unknown
individuals before placing the remaining pieces in the Tupperware bowl
and reburying it. (Historic Sites Supervisor Beth Beckett and Clay County
attorney Stephen Caruso verify the above information).
*Gene Gentrup, former Associate Editor of '"The Kearney Carrier", signed
a notarized statement that Starrs credited a tooth retrieved from the
James Farm Museum as being key to his probe.
(When Clay County purchased the James family farm in 1978 two human teeth
were found on the grounds and later placed in the James Farm Museum.
Members of the James family had lived there from early 1840's through
1902 so the tooth Starrs retrieved from the museum in 1995 in all
probability did belong to a member of the James family). |
The hair Starrs delivered to Drs. Stoneking and Stone did not come from
the Mt. Olivet site. They were also retrieved from the James Farm Museum.
It's easy to see that the origin of the remains used for mtDNA testing is
very questionable. Why did Starrs credit a tooth retrieved from the James
Farm Museum as being key to his probe in Kearney, Missouri, yet, tell the
rest of the world it came from the Mt. Olivet site?
It is generally misunderstood that the 1995 exhumation "proved" that
Jesse James was the man buried there in 1882. The tooth used for mtDNA
testing was retrieved from the James Farm Museum may have even belonged
to Zerelda James Samuel (Jesse's mother). The point being that the tooth
could have belonged to Zerelda, or any one of her children, which would
explain why the mtDNA matched when it compared to a living maternal
descendant of Zerelda James Samuel's mtDNA. Even if the tooth had come
from the Mt. Olivet site it would have only proven that the man buried
there was one of Zerelda James Samuel's children.
It is my opinion for this question to be settled once and for all, the
remains of Zerelda James Samuel should be exhumed and her mtDNA should be
compared to the mtDNA from the remains in the Mt. Olivet site. I also
believe that Betty Duke has presented valid evidence supporting her claim
that James L. Courtney's mtDNA should also be compared to Zerelda James
Samuel's mtDNA. Any future testing should be done by an unbiased party
that has had no prior involvement with the James Farm Museum or the
parties involved in the 1995 exhumation.
As a James historian, I sincerely hope that the mystery surrounding the
fate of Jesse James will be allowed to be resolved.
You have my permission to use this letter as you see fit.
Sincerely,
Emmett C. Hoctor, MA
(American History, Univ. of NE)
1023 N. 9th St. #59
Plattsmouth, NE 68046-1262
(402) 296-5572)
(The original copy sent to Betty Duke was signed by Emmett Hoctor and
notarized on 2 December 1999 by Rachel M. Johnson.)
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Comments by David Hedgpeth:
I plan to semantically present Betty's case, through a series of steps.
Here is a review of my efforts up to now.
1. Introduce the basic information surrounding the James/Courtney Debate.
(Done.)
2. Challenge anyone to give credible answers to Betty's basic 5
points/facts. (Waiting.)
3. Present a new challenge to the 1995 Exhumation. (Now)
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More steps are planned.
Betty sent a copy of this letter to the James Farm and I understand that
an investigative reporter is pursuing the story. Will Mr. Hoctor's letter
be ignored, denied, minimized, rejected or will there be a serious
consideration? It will be interesting to see how this information is
handled by the different players. If history or facts are questionable
then it will take a fair examination of all related data. I know some are
happy with leaving thing as they are, no matter what. I hope James
historians and enthusiasts want more than that. Truth has no reason to
fear. When refined, it will remain standing, and the lie, if not
protected, will fall on it's own accord. Then everybody wins.
Thank you for you time and patience in this sometime aggravating process.
Your unbiased comments and objective help will be greatly appreciated.
If you have questions or comments that you want shared with Mr. Hoctor,
you may e-mail the information to me and I will forward to him or you may
write him directly.
Your comments, information and support would be greatly appreciated.
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David Hedgpeth- E-mail: [email protected]
Contact me if you want to be added or deleted from the update notices.
David Hedgpeth
Dallas, TX
Send Regular E-mail to: [email protected]
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Note to readers: You may review all the past and present correspondence
on the Jesse James/James L. Courtney Debate at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ivyplace/hedgpethg.html
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