The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1889-09-27
BOB YOUNGER DEAD.
TME BANDIT PASSES AWAY IN THE
STILLwATER PENITENTIARY.
Many Crimes-History of tho Kobbing for
Which He and His Brothers We're Cor

His Death Brings to Mind , Record OF HIS
Many Crlmes-History of tho Kobbing for
Which He and His Brothers Were Com
voted.
The death Of Bob Younger, the Missouri
bandit, in the penitentiary at Saltwater,
Mimi, on the night Of the 18th, brings to
mind his many crimes. For over a week
he did not recognize even his sister, who
had been at his bedside for over two
months almost constantly. His brothers,
Jim and Cole, serving life sentences with
him, are very much affected by his death.
They have been allowed to be with him
o large part of the time.
The story of Bob Younger's life is one
of crime after he reached young manhood.
He was born October 20, 1854, in jackson
county, Missouri, his fathers family con-
sisting of eight girls and SIX boys. All Of
these grew to maturity except three. The
crime for which Bob was im~prisonedin the
Saltwater penitentiary wa his connection
with the famous Northfeld bank robbery
in Minnesota, when Cashier j. L. Hay
wood gave up his life.
It was about 2 p. M, September 2, 1876,
that eight or ten horsemen, armed to the
teeth, dashed through the streets Of North
field, shooting in all directions, and shout
ing TO persons on the street to get inside
their houses or stores. It was the first
They halted in front of the First National
building and three men sprang from their
horses and entered, while the others re-
NAMED outside to lntimidate with contin-
uous shooting anyone who might ap-
proach. In the bank were Cashier Hay
wood, his assistant, A. E.. Bunker.
and Mr.. Wilcox, a clerk. The robbers
jumped over the counter, and, covering
the men inside with revolvers, ordered
them to throw up their hands. One Of the
robbers started to go into the vault. MI.
Haywood followed him and partially clos
ed the door, when he was pushed back and
another of the robbers approached and
struck him on the head with a revolver.
The two then dragged him toward the
vault and with curses commanded him to
open the inside door. Haywood refused
and the men drew their knives, and one Of
them drew the blade across Haywood's
throat, making q small scratch, and com
manded him again to open the door,
threatening to cut his throat from ear to
ear if he did not. At this moment Bunk
er, the assistant cashier, attracted the at
tention of the robbers by running from the
back door, and one of them fired at him,
the ball taking effect in the leg. But
Bunker dashed on. escaped from the
building and ran to a doctors Office. The
robbers who were working with Haywood,
hearing that the firing of their comrades
standing guard outside was being answered
by the firing of citizens, and failing to in
duce the cashier to open the vault, sprane
outside the counter and started for the
door. AS the last one jumped out he
turned, Il with his revolver not more
than a foot from Haywood's head, fred,
the ball entering the temple and killing
the cashier instantly.
BY this time the citizens along the street
had been aroused, revolvers had been se-
cured and firing at the robbers began.
From q second story window of a building
across the street from the bank a Young
man named Wheeler shot one of the rob-
bers through the heart as he sat in his
saddle, and then wounded another. TIE
bandits saw that it was time to retreat and
they called to the three men in the bank to-
come as they started, alarmed by the
shooting, but before the retreat began an
other robber had been shot. He was
picked up, however, and thrown across in
front of the saddle of one of the horse
men,, and the band started in full run on
their retreat, firing their revolvers in eyerN
direction at citizens, one of whom, Nicho.
las Gustavson, was shot through the head
and died in three days.
This is in brief the story Of the famous
robbery that aroused the citizens of The
entire state of Minnesota, and in which
Bob Younger was a participant. The
ppeWs OF the murders spread quickly and
soon large bodies OF men were in hot pur-
suit, who, it was soon discovered, had d.
vlded into two parties, taking opposite di-.
rections. One party was composed Of
Frank and Jesse James and perhaps one or
TWO others, and the other contained the
Younger brothers.
At times their pursuers were in sight.
and then were lost sight of. Day after day
the pursuit was continued. Men left
Minneapolis and St. Paul and joined in
the hunt. In their flight both of the ban
dit parties stopped at farm houses and got
food, and at other times stole fresh horses
leaving their jaded beasts in exchange.
1t was a long, weary chase; but at last, on
the morning of the 21st of September,
after every hope of a capture had almost
been given up, the new was carried to
Madelia, Mimi, as fast as a horse would
carry a courier, that four men, believed to
be some of the robbers, had stopped at q
farm house seven miles north Of there.
bought SOM butter and bread, and started
west on foot. In a few minutes a party Of
fifty men of Madelia was armed and horsed
and IN hot pursuit. They came up with
the men and drove them through q slough
eight miles northwest of the village. Then
the bandits gained the open prairie and
tnelr pursuers opened fire on them. The
robbers returned this and kept working
toward the Watonwan river, which at jasI
they reached, and hid in the bushes. The
citizens surrounded them, opened a ZEN,
eral fire and advanced gradually. The
surrounded men returned the fire, and at
last the robbers surrendered. One Of
them was found to be killed and the other
three wounded, one only In the arm.
The three wounded men proved to be Cole
Younger, James Younger, and Robert
Younger. The dead man was Charley
Pitts. o'S
The three men refused to reveal their
identity or any of the party, but it finally
become known. The Jesse James party
escaped, but the identity of Jesse was re-.
vealed BY the proprietress of a bacnio ha
had visited in Minneapolis prior to poino
to Northfeld. 1t was learned that all of
the bandits were at the Nicollet house In
THIS CITY one afternoon late in August,
:, During the last five years several at,
tempts have been made by Influential citi.
zens to secure q pardon for the Younpers.
and especially Bob, who for several months
had been known to be i'll, hut in a recent
appeal to Gov. Merriam in Bob's behalf
the governor positively refused to inters
tere. From all over Minnesota there went
up a protest, and Boh's life will close
within the prison walls, as it now seems
probable that his brothar.s
must also. The a%pologists Of The
Younger boys have many things to urpe in
sxeuse for their crimes. They say the
Joys were driven into guerrilla life by cir
c~umstances; that their father, Col. Harrv
W. Younger, q strong union man, though
9 slaveholder,. was murdered by Kansas !.
}ayhaWkers only for the purpose Of rob-
remainder Of the Younger family unti1
they finally drove Cole and eyentualiv
James and Robert into taking up arms
against the north. They deny many Of
the bloody %butcheries charged to the bows.
and some deny that they were members II
re guerrilla Quantrell's band, but Cole
himself admitted that in an intervisw
fhroa = ~ 40 go. . ri