The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-08-16

guilty Of great wrong, they have besn
sufficiently punished for their crimes.
since they did not act from inclination
but from force OF circumstances.
did the boys say whether the
James brothers we're with them ut the
| Mortified bank robbery"
"1hey did not, aud they declare
that they would not reveal it, even at
the price of their liberty"
"How we're you received at the pen.
itentisry, and how are the boys looked
upon there?"
"They allowed US every privilege
possible under tho circumstances. We
were given the use OF q private room
where they had plenty Of spit boxes
and ice water, and the warden allowed
US to be together oil day from morn.
ing till dinner time, and from o'clock
uotil the hour for closing up. That
shows that the officials have unbounded
confidence in the reform Of the beys,
for when they were 6rst put in, there
used to be . special guard watching
their every movement. The warden
speaks very highly of them and stated
to me that he has never had q single
occasion to correct them. This state
ment was sfterward corroborated BY
the governor. who seems to have kept
himself we'll advised os their conduct.
They are we'll treated and on the whole
have an easy time of it. James hours
for work being assigned to no special
time on account of his wounds from
which he suffers severely.
The boys are principally engaged in
making threshing machines. Jim 10
studying law, while Robert hes dc.
voted himself to reading medicine
They have deal Of good literature
sent them, especially by General Sibley,
which they peruse with Considerable
satisfaction. declining I'll trashy writ.
ines which prisoners generally delight
ia devouring to xii! time. Coleman
says that the only peace they have en-
joyed since the war il where they are
now, aud that they will spend the re-
msinder of their lives there rather
than go out without . clear record
aud . full pardon. The boys are
thoroughly, reformed and having re-
pented. | think they should have .
chance to redeem their present rspu.
tatiOns."
"What do they propose doing 10 the
event they effect their release?
They will pass into my hands and
I'll take good care OF their future. /
shall probably take them with me to
Oregon and thence send them up into
the British possessions where they will
be provided for. Coleman assured me
that they would forever leave their
old hannts and former companions, and
become goo citizens.r
"How are the boys supporting their
?"
They are 10 q deplorable conditions
with their former vigor.
James is the worse, | think Of any.
He suffers from . bail between bic
On the whole I believe in
ten years not one of them will be alive
unless they are removed into the open
air. Bah, the younger, IL not twenty
six years old; Cole is about thirty.
eight. Cole has ten bullets il bis |.
body and Jim has six.
"What do the boys saw about the |
floating about tho country, |
purpor ing to be authentic histories Of |
their exploits 7"
81 spoke to Cole about that, and |
made particular inquiries with regard |
to these histories. aud he said that he |
had supplied one writer with accounts
Of several of their adventures, but that |
many of the statements were false.
If. said Cole. my real life we're writ.
len, nobody would want tn read it.
They make me too mitch OF hero.'"
This is the substance of the inter-
view held with the uncle and cousin of
the. Younger boys. They cav they
would have returned home directly
after their visit to St. Paul except
that they have been requested by the
boys to look up some Of their friends
IN southern Missouri, who will vouch
for their good behavior, and join their
influence With that of others in effect
ng their final release.
THE EARLY TROUB Es
which led to the boys entering upon a
career of desperate daring with which
heir names are almost synonymous 10
his section of the country, are claimed
~ Major Younger to have had their
origin in the following circumstances:
Charles Younger. the father of the
subject of the foregoing interview, i'm
migrated to Missouri in 1908, settling
n st. Charles county, where Coleman