Born to be Wild

The Lost Vault of Jesse James

One of the most notorious criminals in US history, known for his bold and audacious acts of robbery and brutality, gained his fame the old fashioned way, through self-promotion. Despite the lawlessness of his acts, he captured the public fancy, at a time when such daring and violation of norms was something extraordinary. He was quick to control the narrative, sending hand written accounts and claims of innocence or injustice to the newspapers of the day. He could have been a politician.

The Lost Vault of Jesse James by Jesse Born

James’s family were from Clay County, Missouri, in an area known as Little Dixie, where they had a farm and held many slaves. His father was a Baptist minister who helped found William Jewell College, but died when Jesse was three years old. The Civil War loomed and James and his brother Frank became “bushwackers”, practicing guerrilla warfare against Union civilians. The war split the nation, and uprooted the James family. Jesse almost died, twice, from gunshot wounds to the chest. These events all led to his lawlessness and violence in the coming years, starting with the first daytime bank robbery in US peacetime history, at the Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri (which he and Frank may or may not have actually participated in).

We are not thieves -- we are bold robbers. It hurts me very much to be called a thief. It makes me feel like they were trying to put me on a par with Grant and his party. We are bold robbers, and I am proud of the name, for Alexander the Great was a bold robber, and Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte, and Sir William Wallace -- not old Ben Wallace -- and Robert Emmet. Please rank me with these, and not with the Grantites. Grant's party has no respect for anyone. They rob the poor and rich, and we rob the rich and give to the poor.

Attributed to Jesse James, The Kansas City Times, October 15, 1872

Jesse gained public infamy after killing a bank clerk in 1869 who he had mistakenly targeted for revenge. His and Frank’s daring escape captured the public’s fascination. The brothers joined up with another confederate bushwacker, Cole Younger, and his brothers, to form the legendary James-Younger Gang. In 1873 the gang turned to train robbery. One of their most famous heists was in a little Missouri town known as Gads Hill. In 1874 the Gang forced the four car Little Rock Express off the main track and went through the train, looking at men’s hands to see if they were working men, who would be spared, or “Capitalists”, who would be robbed. Accounts note the jovial nature of the robbers, which put everyone at ease despite the circumstances, and added to the Gang’s mystique. Not to leave anything to chance, they even wrote up their own account of the robbery, and handed it to a prominent passenger, to be given to the newspapers.

There is a dash of tiger blood in the veins of all men; a latent disposition even in the bosom that is a stranger to nerve and daring, to admire those qualities in other men. And this penchant is always keener if there be a dash of sin in the deed to spice the enjoyment of its contemplation...

The Kansas City Times, September 29, 1872

what secrets lay inside?

But the Gang’s most lucrative heist was during one of their raids along the Texas-Mexico border, where a caravan of Mexican insurgents was reportedly carrying over one million dollars worth of gold bullion. Legend has it that the gold was later buried somewhere in the Keechi Hills, deep in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma. In his later years, decades after Jesse had been shot dead, Frank James returned to the region, and would be seen wandering the 160-acre farm he had purchased there, always looking for something he seemed to have lost long ago.

REWARD! Dead or Alive!

$5000.00 will be paid for the capture of the men who robbed the bank at Northfield, Minn. They are believed to be Jesse James and his Band, or the Youngers. All officers are warned to use precaution when making arrest. These are the most desperate men in America. Take no chances! Shoot to kill!!

– J.H. McDonald, Sheriff, 1876 (from the Northfield Historical Society archives)

Stepping forward in time one hundred and fifty years, another Jesse may have discovered a clue to what was lost in those mountains. He has unearthed a rusty old safe which appears to have belonged to the infamous bandit, who was betrayed and shot in the back by one of his own gang, in his own home, while cleaning a dusty old picture above the mantle. What, I wonder, might have been concealed behind that picture? Born out of a desire to produce a second line of more affordable puzzle boxes for his fledgling company, modern day Jesse Born has been busy designing items which can be 3D printed and assembled simultaneously during his main wood box production runs. But Jesse and his team are not content with producing any old prints – they have maintained high expectations for anything they sell and will not settle for anything that looks cheap. With the help of his friend and 3D printing expert Ben Oxenford, and his brother-in-law Josh, the first of his printed designs has begun rolling off the assembly line.

it’s a safe bet

Jesse explains: “I designed the puzzle in 2020 and I put it on the CAD shelf until Ben confirmed interest in helping and taking over the printing end of things. We bounced around on a few different boxes (one of them had a lot of potential but I decided to make this box first because it is much simpler and a bit smaller, but that other one is coming!). After we landed on the vault Ben started testing prints and figuring out CAD as he tweaked the model. Josh and I updated the design and the three of us pitched our little ideas as we added onto the puzzle and aesthetic.” Next, they needed a dedicated laser for cutting and engraving, as their main one was busy working on the Sundial box. “We found a decent one and we debated taking a day to drive all the way out of state to pick it up. A few days later Ben emailed me a picture of the huge 36"x55" Boss Laser on his little ATV trailer. They left home at something like 3 in the morning and as they were pushing the Laser into their garage at night it started raining. Whew.”

Lost Vault prototype

Jesse sent a prototype of the Vault, which at that time was being called “The Black Box”, out to a few friends and testers, for early impressions. The theme was great, but needed a few added components and treasures to tie it all together perfectly. I suggested a few ideas for the theme and story, and Jesse included those in the final design, along with the name. Fortunately, Jesse also sent the prototype to Robert Yarger, who suggested an additional locking mechanism which is extremely cool. That in turn prompted Ben to come up with another secret which was also added to the final vault. The production is a true team effort, Jesse says. “Christina Born, my sister, is an intense book worm who reads crazy fast. She is quite witty and sharp and she wrote and designed the paper products for the box; the train ticket, the authenticity card, the newspaper clipping. She prints this stuff out and then dyes it with coffee and cuts it out for me. Micah, my formal summer intern, is doing the main assembly for most of the boxes.” Ben prints the parts, “then fills prints with plaster to give the puzzle a weighted feel, and organizes them into puzzles to assemble. Ben also does all the laser etching on the wood parts. Ben still assembles some boxes, which is good to keep him in the loop of how parts are going together, but Micah will do most of them. Micah picks up boxes and assembles them at home with just a few tools and such. I get the puzzles and rust them with hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and some salt.”

Final production model

The final result is incredibly convincing, considering that it is made with 3D printed plastic and laser cut wood. Of course, Jesse is using these production methods for efficiency, but is not skimping on the details, value or aesthetic. There are real brass accents placed around the vault which are given a nice patina, and the limited edition vaults, which are printed with metal infused PLA, are made to rust and weather like a true antique. There is nothing cheap or plain about this very heavy box, and the puzzling aspects are first rate as well. Jesse understands the value of a good story, and ties the theme into the puzzling experience seamlessly. At each step of the five or six sections that must be solved, the story and theme play in and assist with both the experience and solutions. Breaking into this mysterious vault is a ton of fun and will make a bona fide bank robber of you.

Outlaw by Shannon Mustipher

A shot of bad whiskey might be just the ticket to toast this intriguing discovery, and certainly something Jesse James likely swilled a time or two on his travels. But you know we like to keep it classy around these parts, and I’ve got something special in mind. All that Mexican gold has me hankering for some juice of the agave plant, and this drink from cocktail consultant, author, and bar coordinator Shannon Mustipher delivers. It’s not a margarita, though; no, this drink pays homage to the Manhattan, although you might not recognize it. In place the traditional whiskey, there is a mix of reposado tequila and funky Jamaican rhum agricole.  And in place of the traditional sweet vermouth we find the bold and potent dark Italian amaro Cynar.

this drink ought to be outlawed

Mustipher, the author of TIKI: Modern Tropical Cocktails, knows a lot about rum, and rhum agricole, the sugar cane juice rum from the French Caribbean islands known for its grassy, funky profile. She pairs this with the moderately aged tequila, and balances those base spirits with the unique artichoke amaro Cynar, using the higher proof formulation to stand up to the other spirits. Lime cordial is an excellent way to add a citrus pop and touch of sweetness, and a little barspoon is just enough here to marry the flavors. This drink is so good, it ought to be illegal. Cheers!

Illegally good

Outlaw by Shannon Mustipher

1 ½ oz Cynar 70

1 oz tequila reposado

½ oz rhum agricole blanc

1 barspoon lime cordial (equal parts lime juice and sugar, with plenty of zest)

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

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