Historic Jesse James photograph with killer Robert Ford proven authentic

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Picture purporting to show Jesse James and his killer Robert Ford given to Sandy Mills after it was handed down through generations of her family
She claims her family helped harbor James while he was on the run from the law in the 1870s, and he gave her ancestors the photograph
Police forensics expert analysed dozens of other images of the notorious outlaws and says the picture is genuine
Family believe it was taken not long before Ford killed James by shooting him in the back of the head as the gunslinger dusted a picture
Photograph could be worth millions of dollars - but Ms Mills is yet to decide whether she will sell it

Published: 14:20 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 04:35 EST, 2 October 2015

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An historic photograph showing Jesse James and his killer Robert Ford has been authenticated after painstaking analysis by a police forensics expert.

The tintype picture, potentially worth millions of dollars, is thought to have been taken not long before Ford shot the notorious outlaw dead in 1882.

The image was passed down through several generations of a farming family who knew Jesse James and even harbored him while he was on the run in 1870s, but nobody believed it was a genuine picture of the gunslinging bank robber - until now.

This historic photograph showing Jesse James and his killer Robert Ford has been authenticated after painstaking analysis by a police forensics expert

World record holding forensics expert Lois Gibson compared the image of James and Ford to dozens of other images of the pair

Ms Gibson spent four days - six hours a day - comparing the image with other photographs of James

Through the generations: The tintype picture, potentially worth millions of dollars, has been in Sandy Mills' (top left) family since the 1870s, she claims

The image (left, compared to another image of James, right) was passed down through several generations of a farming family who knew Jesse James and even harbored him while he was on the run in 1870s

The picture (top left) was given to Ms Mills by her grandmother before she died, who told her granddaughter she wanted her to sell it

Sandy Mills, 40, and her boyfriend Tommy Razo have spent years telling people the photograph really is of James, but no one believed them because they had no paperwork to prove it.

Ms Mills has memories of sitting on her grandmother Isabell's knee as a child as she recounted stories of how their family helped harbor the gun-toting burglar in barn in rural Washington while he was on the run.

Before her death, Isabell passed on the heirloom to Ms Mills and told her to sell it.

After years of frustration they found Lois Gibson, a forensic analyst for Houston Police Department who also offers to helps identify people in photographs - historic and current - part time.

After four days of painstaking work comparing minute details of the photograph of James and Ford with other pictures taken of the pair, she finally came to the conclusion that the picture is the genuine article.

And based on similar finds - such as an historic image of Billy the Kid which sold for $2.3million in 2011 - it could make Ms Mills and Mr Razo a small fortune.

Ms Gibson came to her conclusion after spending days comparing minute details of the photograph with other pictures

The Houston Police Department forensics officer had a 'eureka moment' when she realized it had to be James

Ms Mills and her boyfriend Tommy Razo said Jesse (pictured in analysis) may have been persuaded to take the photo by his eventual killer Ford

James (pictured in analysis) became a folk hero in his home state of Missouri after waging a guerrilla campaign against Unionists during the American Civil War

James (pictured in analysis) went into hiding in 1876 after most of his gang were killed in bank robbery gone wrong in the small town of Northfield

Ms Gibson (pictured) told Daily Mail Online about the 'incredible' moment she realized the photograph was Jesse James

WHO WAS JESSE JAMES?

James became a folk hero in his home state of Missouri after waging a guerrilla campaign against Unionists during the American Civil War from 1861 to 1865.

Following the war James became one of the most iconic characters of his era, gaining celebrity status by holding up banks, stagecoaches and trains.

He went into hiding in 1876 after most of his gang were killed in bank robbery gone wrong in the small town of Northfield.

The gunslinger spent six years on the run from the law, holing up with trusted gang members Charley and Robert Ford.

But as he went to dust a picture, Robert stood up and shot him in the back of the head before sending a telegram to the police, asking for the $10,000 reward on James' head.

Ms Gibson, 65, has worked for the force for 33 years and has positively identified 1,266 people so far in her career - a feat that has put her in the Guinness World Records.

She told Daily Mail Online about the 'incredible' moment she realized the photograph was Jesse James.

'With the photograph, I had a eureka moment. I was excited for the guys. They're not wealthy and maybe they want to sell it.

'It took four days, about six hours a day. That's actually quite speedy, but in my job you can't make a decision until you're 100 per cent sure.

'Also I love history. I got to look into Jesse James' life for a minute - as back then you had to sit still for 60 seconds for a photo.

'It looks to me like a spur of the moment thing. Jesse's pants aren't buttoned and he looks like he's just sat down and said, "right, let's do this".'

Ms Mills and Mr Razo agreed, saying James may have been persuaded to take the photo by his eventual killer Ford.

Jesse James (pictured, right, with Frank James and his mother Zerelda Samuel) spent six years on the run

Following the war James became one of the most iconic characters of his era, gaining celebrity status by holding up banks, stagecoaches and trains

Huge sums: Vast rewards were offered for Jesse James and his brother Frank - dead or alive

'I have a theory that Robert Ford asked Jesse to take the photograph with him,' Mr Razo told Daily Mail Online. 'We know Robert was a very impressionable young man and Jesse liked the idea of being famous.

'I can see it happening, and I think it happened in St Joseph, Missouri - where Jesse died. You can see in the picture that he's in his late 30s and he didn't know Robert Ford all that well until near the end [of his life].

'Jesse was all about trust and I think he gave the photograph to this family because he trusted us. He knew we were good people.

'I think Jesse was a good guy. OK yes, he killed people - and obviously that's not good nowadays - but back then he had to to care for his family and to make money. It was a different time.

'He was very close to Sandy's family and I think he would be happy for us to sell this photograph because he thought were were good people.

'We would sell it for the right price but I'm not sure what that is.'

James, pictured with members of his gang, became something of a celebrity as the authorities continually failed to track him down

Betrayal: Robert Ford shot James in the back of the head as he went to dust a picture

Dead: The body of Jesse James lays in his coffin days after his shooting by Ford in 1882

He added that Sandy had found years of being told her family's photograph was not real had taken a toll.

'Sandy really took it to heart because she was given the photo by her grandmother, and she had memories of sitting on her grandma's knee as a child and being told stories of Jesse James with the photograph,' he said.

'We are so thankful to Lois. Other people would not take us seriously but we knew it was him. The photograph wasn't authenticated but she took her time and looked at it.

'She said she wouldn't take any amount of money to say it was real if she didn't believe it. She's the best in the world at this.'

Ms Gibson explained her technique for identifying who is in a photograph, saying she tries to prove the person in question is not in the picture, rather than vice versa.

'I do my best to prove that who I'm looking at isn't the same person as who committed the crime or did an awful thing,' she said.

'I'll look at each detail on their face, like the gap between their lips and their nose. I apply this at work all the time. I try to eliminate them until I can't any longer.

'Around 99 per cent of what I do is getting a witness to remember the face of a person who's done a terrible thing.

'It can take an hour and it can be awful and unnatural, like making a mother remember who killed their child. But it's what's led me to identify more than 1,200 people.'