The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-09-29
THE MINNESOTA BANDITS.

Seventeen the Prominent Hero of the
Anair-Eight Citizens OF Madelia Per-
form the Work in the Promptest style
Three Of the Captives Confess Them
selves to he the Younger Brothers.
From the st. Paul Evening Dispatch
we copy the following details of the cap
ture of the Mortified bank robbers:
About 7 o'clock in the morning two of
them walked past the house of Farmer
Sanborn, in Riverdale township, eight
and a half miles from Madelia. Oscar
Oleson Sanborn, q son of the farmer, IL
years old, walked to the gate to look at
them. He thought they were the fugi-
tives, and ran to his father in the cow
yard and said, "There goes the robbers.
His father said they were not, and told
him to attend to his milking. He MIXED
one more COW, set his pail over the fence
and ran up the road where the robbers
had passed. His father called after him
to take care. If they were robbers they
would shoot him. He ran to the
next farmer, asking if he had
seen them pass. He had not. The boy
wanted the farmer to go with him to
hunt for them. The farmer said he
hadn't time. With other neighbors
his success was no greater. Then the
boy climbed to the housetop and went
up the hill, but saw nothing of the fugi-
tives. When he got back home his
father told him four men had been there
to get something to eat, saying they
were hunters and fishers, and asking
where they could catch the best fish.
Again the boy went to the next neigh
boris, his father Directing, saying he
would be shot, and the neighbor would
not move. Then he persuaded his father
toilet him take one horse from the wagon,
hitched ready for farm work, and ride
to Madelia. The boy rode the horse at
the utmost speed he could get from it.
Once the horse fell, but the delay was
short. Along the road he shouted to
people that robbers were about, bat
none would believe him. He then
rushed to the hotel in Madelia, and
told his story. He was again doubted,
but the landlord, who knew him, vouched
for his being reliable. John Voght,
landlord, Sheriff Glespin, William Estes,
and two Norwegians, quickly mounted
and armed, started out, soon followed
by fifty others. The advance came in
sight of the robbers five miles west of
Madelia, firing upon them without
effect. They were walking deliberately
over the marsh where the horsemen
could not follow, and were out Of range.
Once around the marsh, a prairie chase
followed. Horace Thompson, banker,
of this city, and SOD, with ladies, were
on the prairie cunning. The robbers
made toward them with the intention of
selling the carriage horses, but Thomp-
son and son having loaded with buckshot
stood their ground, and the robbers
turned, soon after being lost to sight in O
willow coppice near Watonwan river.
Here they were quickly surrounded
Then Capt. w. w. Murphy, b. M. Rice,
George Bradford, Charles Pomeroy.
Sheriff Glespin and John Voght ad-
vanced in skirmishers' order and secuted
the wood thoroughly, finally discovering
the robbers hid behind heavy grass and
bush.
The robbers fred first, emptying their
revolvers rapidly at the little skirmish
party, slightly wounding Murphy in the
side and sinCeing Bradford's arm. The
fire was promptly returned by the Skin
mishers, and then was opened from all
round the coppice. Three of the rob-
bers fell at the first fire. One continued
to fire. Having been wounded before,
probably at Northfield, he had but one
arm to use, but one of his wounded COM
rades loaded his pistol for him. When
the skirmishers first opened fire, one
called to the robbers to hold up their
hands if they surrendered. This last
finally did hold up one hand, but was
shot before it was discovered that his
holding up one hand meant surrender.
He received, however, the least hurt of
any. One of the three who fell was
dead, and two of the others were
seriously but not MORALLY wounded.
The Dispatch reporter visited and in
terviewed the captives. One is described
as as a Urge, powerful man, with bald
head and sandy whiskers and mustache.
He says he is Cole Younger, born Jan.
10, 1874. The one lying by his
side he says is his brother James,
%, and the third, wounded but
slightly, is his brother Robert, aged
%. James is described as q little shorter
than Cole, and not nearly of such pow
erful form. Robert is described as the
finest looking and youngest of the whole
gang, 6 feet 2 inches in height, we'll
prcportioned, strong arms, thick neck,
features clear, nose small and Grecian,
well cut, mobile lips, clear, prominent,
and rounded forehead, large and
projecting; wears a small sandy mus
tache. His right elbow joirt was dis
by a bullet-shot at Mortified.
Robert says before the Mortified raid
he was never in an affair of the kind.
He says all six crossed the railway
bridge at Mankato together, going
through the town on the railroad track.
They had chickens ready to cook the
next morning, when they heard shout
ing and running along the track, and
left hastily. If he had had the use of
both arms he would have carried
off the chickens, for they were
dreadfully hungry. When they ran
from camp they went to the
river, tnen up it half mile, and laid
down all day. At night they made
few miles to Lake Crystal, then hid in
the timber for two nights. Up to that
time they had been living on corn, but
three days ago got some chickens. "We
were very imprudent," he said, "in 90