The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-04-08
Special Correspondence OF The Chicago TIL
hume

Special Correspondence OF The Chicago Tri-
bune.
KANSAS CRY, No, March 25.-Ihe
introduction OF concurrent resolutions
in the Missouri Legislature TO extend
protection and amnesty to the James
bows and the YoungefS has attracted at
tention again to these famous bOrdereTS.
The Tribune recently contained & sketch
of the history of the James boys which
was extensively copied In Missouri, and
universally accredited to be the only
complete and truthful account published
of the eyentful lives OF these men. 9th
ers had attempted to put on paper some
thing about the outlaws, but they gen
orally stopped afar off and allowed them
selves to be crammei with the yarns OF
bar-rooln chroniclers or the chatf of the
tavern stoop. Your correspondent has
SHARED no pains IN the acquisition OF
facts, and instead OF relying upon the
Misrepresentation OF enemies OF the I'M
checked lamentations of the garrulous,
has sought out with some trouble those
who are in the confidence of these out
laws. and who would naturally be 1nc1n-
ed to smooth over rather than to magnify
their terrible careers.
Because less has been written of the
Yo7noers 1t should not be inferred that
their lives have been less romantic and
traeical. The James boys have acqualnt
ance and friends through half dozen
ropulous counties along the Missouri
River. coming east from Jackson Coun-
ty. and it is comparatively easy to get
"reminiscences of these dashing fellows.
The YoungerS are
TACIrURN, STEADY, FLOODING MEN,
keeping their own secrets, not counting
danger, but never avoiding 1t when fair
w met. A limited circle Of people Hv
inc in the isolated part of ST. Clair Coun-
ty. around Monegaw Springs, know the
Youngers intimately. With a few OF
their old comrades scattered about III the
adjoining counties they are on visiting
terms. but beyond these they are only
known by the murderous spell which
clings to their patronymic. Years ago
the were orphaned and driven out Of
Missouri. They have cattle-ranche
down on the Texas border which they
call home When the semi-annual
1.drive' comes up. however, it brings
the Youngers back to their old haunts
and to the homes of relatives about
Monegaw Springs, where they hnger
visiting and working on the farms for a
month at time. They are men of few
Of the lesser vices, and while among
their friends in st. Clair County are
regular church goers and Purltanlc III
morals.
The father Of the Youngers was Henry
n. Younger, a stanch Union man when
the war broke out. He had a large
farm about 10 miles south of Independ-
ence. in jackson County, Of TINS State,
and was well to do. There was a great
deal of local hostility between the bord
er counties of Missouri and Kansas. 1t
was engendered originally by the at
tempt to introduce slavery into Kansas,
and was developed by sectlonaEsm INTO
a regular feud. When the wan came,
this hostility, which had previously
broken out htfully, became open and
unceasing conflict, and the people of
these counties carried
FIRE AND SWORD
against each other without a thought Of
the principles which should ally them to
one side or the other. 70 the guerrillas
anything across the Kansas border was
lawful prey, while jayhawkers knew no
distinction among the people of the
Missouri border counties. With the
echo of the first gun on Fort Sumter the
dogs of war were let loose all along the
Missouri and Kansas border. Quantren
sacked Lawrence while Jennlson went
through Jackson County, Mo-, with the
sword IN one hand and the torch in the
other. The elder Younger, finding that
even his Unionism was no safeguard
from marauding bands, removed his
family to Barrisonville in Cass County
Il, cLo hi
This was in 1861 Coleman Younger,
the Oldest of the four boys, was then
about Is years old, and, having had but
meagre education al advantages while
living on the farm, was placed in school
by his father.
Intiicting Levitical justice for the
wrongs of bleeding Kansas" Jennison
and the iayhawkers came down through
Jasper and Jackson Counties, even
yenturing into Cass as far as Harrison
vile The town was sacked, 9ounger's
stables were buried with several thou
sand dollars worth of vehicles, and forty
blooded horses were confiscated by the
lavhawkers Coleman Younger was
seized BE- the band, and tried at drum
head court-martial. They found the
school-boy guilty of treason, aud sent
enced him to be hug. 1t was night
when the trial concluded, and the ex-
ecltion was deferred till the next day.
The evening was spent III carousing,
and the men detailed to guard Younger
got drowsv. The prisoner had been
placed in the second story of the hotel,
with the rope about his neck, and bound
hand and foot. After a long struggle, a
hand was loosened, the moose was trans
ferred from the neck to the bedpost and
the loose end thrown out of the window.
AS the boy clambered out the awakened
o7,ards gave the alarm. The rope was
too short, and Cole jumped to the
ground and ran for the brush, followed
by the rafting bullets. The boy gradual
ed from the town school to the desper-
ate life of bush-whacker, and straight
way Joined QuantreI. James Young
a. : -,,<,n1 of the bows soon follow