Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-09-27
BOB YOU NIGER DEAD.
Xu,r PASSES AWAY IN TIL
srIIwArEH PENtTENrIARY.

.xu,r PASSES AWAY IN THE
s,,I,w.TEH PENITENrIARY.
His Death Brings to Min" Necor" % nus
| MANY Crimcs-Histery 81 the 1.oo""s LOT
| Which lie and His bro'"ers wi"
vtcted.
The death of Bob Younger, the Missouri
b,nd;t in the penitentiary Mt Saltwater.
| H,;nn on the night of the 10th, brings to
mind h,s many crimes. For over week
he ai,l NOT recognize even his sister, who
had been at lis 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 Above to be with him
q large pait of the time. -.
| The story of Bob 1oungers life is one
of crime after he reached young MANHOOD.
He was botn October %. 1854. in jackson
county, Missouri, his fathers family con-
sisting of eight girls and SIN boys All OF
these grew to maturity except three. The
crime for which Bob was imprisonedln the
| Saltwater penitentiary was his connection
with the famous Northtield bank robbery
| in Minnesota. when Cashier }. l.. hay
wood gave up his life.
| 1t was about 2 p. M. September q. 1915,
that eight or ten horsemen, armed to the
teeth, dashed through the streets Of North
| field, shooting in all directions. and shout
ing o persons on the street to get inside
their houses OF stores. 1t was the first
bold move for the robbery of the bank.
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 ntimidate with contin-
uous shooting anyone who might APP
proa, b. In the bank were Cashier Hay
wood, his assistant, A. T.. Bunker,
and Mr.. Wilcox, clerk. The robbers
Jumped over the counter, and, covering
the men inside with revolvers, ordered
them to th,ow up their hands. One of the
robbers started to go into the vault. MIR.
Haywood followed him and partially clos
ed the door, when he was pushed back and
another of The robbers approached and
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, aud one of
them drew the blade across Haywood
throat, making small scratch, and com :
manded him again to open the door,
threatening to cut his throat from eur 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 bali taking effect in the leg. But
! Bunker dashed on. escaped from 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, sprang
outside the counter and started for the
door. AS the last one jumped out he
turne !, and with his revolver not more
than foot from Haywood's head. fired.
the ball entering the temple and killing
the cashier instantly.
By this time the citizens along the street
had been aroused, revolvers had been Sc
cured and firing at the robbers began.
From second story window of buildin g
across the street from the bank young
man named Wheeler shot one of tie rob-
bers through the heart as he sat in his
saddle, and then wounded another Toe
bandits saw that it was time to retreat and
they called TO the three men i'll 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
direction at citizens, one of whom, Nicbo-
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 participant. The
news of the murders spread quickly and
soon large bodies of men were in hot pur-
suit, who, 1t was soon discovered, had di-
vlded into two parties taking opposite di-
rectlons. 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 Their 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 ]aded beasts in exchange.
1t was long, weary chase; but at last, on
the morning of the 21st of September,
after every hope Of capture had almost
been given up, the news was carried to
NIadelia, Mimi, as fast as horse would
carry courier, that four men, believed to
be some OF the robbers, had stopped at a
farm house seven miles north OF there,
bought some butter and bread. and started
west on foot. In 9 few minutes party Of
fifty men of Madelia was armed and horsed
and in hot pursuit. hey came up with
the men and drove them through slough
eight miles northwest of the village. Then
the bandits gained the open prairie and
their pursuers opened fire on them. The
robbers returned this and kept working
toward the Watonwan river, which at last
they rea he'd. and hid in the bushes. The
citizens surrounded them, opened a gen
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, enc only in the arm.
The three wounded men proved to be Cole
Younger, James Younger, and Robert
Younger. The dead man was Charley
Fits.
The three men refused to reveal their
identity or any of the party, but it finally
be. ONE known. The Jesse James party
escaped. hut the identity of Jesse was re-.
vealed by the proprietress of bagnio he
mad visited in Minneapolis prior to going
n n