The Worthington advance., 1888-03-01
THE YOUNGER BROTHERS.
Jim and Cole Tell Fsw New Thing,
About Their Early
Lives
They Claim That They Were Often More
6inned Against Than Sin.
ming.

They Claim That They Were Often More
sinned Against Than Sin.
ming.
The editor of the Saltwater Messenger has
succeeded in getting Jim Younger to tell
something about his early career. and since
1t ts claimed that neither Of the Younger
brothers. since they cane 70 Minnesota, have
ever been detected in falsehood, this story,
as told to the Messenger, will be read with
interest
jim xouNaER's NARRATIVE
After minor particulars of the murder of
ais father by q mob Of high waymen and the
destruction of their homestead, Jim Younger
said:.
In February, 1865. we were ruin OF by a
mob. and went TO an uncle in Howard
county II was while was there that the
Liberty bank robbery took place, though
that affair was not laid to us until long
time aflerward. or uuti. after the ce eprated
lowe train rObhery. l stald from home until
the fall of 1866, and on che day returned
l was captured at the house bv the same
supposed mob that murdered nv father.
escaped from those men within twenty min
ntes g. ter nv capture by leaping upon :,
horse that stood near the door, and riding
for my lfe. In the spring OF 1867 went
back to my mother aud planted. cultivated
and harvested crop for her. But while
doing that slept every night in the woods.
gong to the house after sunrise and leaving
ut sundown. l took that precaution to
avoid beng murdered. I was not. however,
afraid of meet ng ordinary people and was
glad to 60 often to 1ndep- and NIX
with the people th-r,., most all of whom
knew me well. In 1868 went to Texas and
,Dl 1s,1n l,
sent me word asking that should come and
take her to Texas. but she died soon after
my arrival home Upon her death she gave
me special charge, sister BetLle and the 0id
back WON n. asking me to take them to
Texas l Obeved. and remained In Texas un-
there l drove herds Ot horses to Louisiana
and cattle to Neosho. Kan. caring for nearly
tlve hundred of the latter. That was in the
winIer of '7l-2. In the following wint: /
took sister Bette to Missouri. and was v4eit-
ing there with friends when the Iowa train
Of that act At that time we were
prepared to return to Texas
hardly know how to most foroibly or con-
vincing.y put my words, but eau tru; hfully
say that the accusation regarding the Iowa
alta was lie. II there is on the face Of
good in the community where they are
known, ana that man or woman will SOL
emmy ray that we are guilty of any offrnse
except that committed at Northtield. then I
will admit the truth of everything charged
There has never been issued even a writ in
After the Iowa robbery we were surrounded
by Pinkerton's detectives One day brother
John and I were eating dinner aJ old man
Snufer's when party OF these men rode
past We mounted our horses and started
for the house of our aunt. and on the way
~ AbS =
to them sGood day." whereupon a man
whose name I now know is Lull pulled q
revolver, which he had kept concealed, and
shot nv brother. John returned the fire and
Lull died from the effects Of the shot, while
John died within few minutes. I soon went
spring OF 1875, when I went to California,
ranching Then came back and, in q way
not necessary to be explained. got at once
into the NOrthfield affair ard into the state
prison After the murder Of father. none Of
us were given moment of peace, yet I was
cept the secret assassns who murdered my
father for his money. Al Dallas, Tex. I
moved in the best social circles, took the
school census, was deputy marshal for q
time, and when l left was deputy under
Sheriff Jere Brown. All the leading men
fully Say aught against me. While I was
quartered at Neosho. Kan, Went under my
right name and mingled freely with people.
attending the balls and parties as welcome
and respected guest
CONFIRMED By COLEMAN.
The reporter afterward visited Coleman
Younger, librarian of the prison, and having
narrated the substance of his broLher's con-
versation expressed desire to add thereto
anything h. desired in confirmation or ex-
planatiOn that might occur to him. Where
upon he said:
Well, it was that Iowa train robbery, and
the tact that we We're charged with the
crime, of which we were wholly innocent
and ignorant, that brought US into this
prison for lite AS Jim says, we were then
pr. pairing to go to Texas and be rid of the
bounding in Missouri OF W Which he has spoken
Had we gone our lives would have run on
peacefully and we would not have been
driven into straits and to this place. The
at Monogram Springs, Mo-, and attended
preaching there. At O'clock in the
afternoon l took supper with Heivln Flckle
and Rev. Mr.. Stttun, the preacher Two
thirds OF the people present at The preaching
We're originally from New York, Indiana and
families; most all of them knew me person.
ally, or as ole or sBud" Younger: At the
close Of the service l helped many of the
ladies who knew me to mount their horses.
I mention those facts to show how many
people there are. Northern people, too. who
per brot 1er John, who was with me, went to
uncle Frank Y"unger's at johnson City,
where jun and Bob were. It was right after
Jim came back from Texas. as he has told
you. l stald with friends In the vicinity of
the Springs that night The Iowa train rob-
ing Monday morning at point 800
miles from Monogram Springs The
first / knew OF the affair was
what I saw in St. Louis paper. and the
names of Youngers led in the headlines. as
the main perpetrators. The same accounts
said the robbers had been in the vicinity OF
the p ace where the robbery was commit, ed
for two or three days previous to the COM
mission of the crime. Had l ever been
brought into court charged with the Iowa
business scores of people who were at the
preaching ut he Springs that Sunday even
ing would have sworn as to my whereabouts
The newspaper went on, after the robbery IN
Iowa, md charged Us with serious offenses
many If which had never even heard Of
or, it had heard, the recollection o. them
had passed from my mind. And since th"t
time books, made to sell, have been throw n
together detailing our thrilling so-called ex-
plOits None of those accounts or pictures
or your best personal friend down
town. Why, half of Bots odium in
pubic opinion comes from Cle 1act C0aG
those so-called histories speak of "Coie and
Bud" The readers of that sort OF literal urc
fail into the er, or of the author in thinking
that Cole and *Bud" are two different per-
sons. and that @Bud" is @Bob." 1t is fire.
quent custom among Southerners to call a
brother affectionalely @Bud," a sort of short
for brother. I am Bud, as we'll as Cole. and
now, like he did at home, as Bud You'll see
how the word Bud is used IN Eggleston's
sHoosier Schoolmaeter." Well. after the tu-
mutt OF the Iowa affair our laudable plans
were DESTROYED. We were declared outlaws,
but never resisted a civil officer In my life
lam an outlaw. l suppose, il Missouri mob
law has any sanction or legal authority. We
dared not go voluntarily to Iowa to answer
the false charges, on account of the certainty
that we would be lynched nearly as soon az