The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-07
A FAMILY OF DEsPERADOEs.
THE YOUNGER BROTHERS AND
THEIR CAREER OF CRIME.

fort Being Made to Secure Their
Release.
From the Chicago Times-IIerald
Another attempt is being made to secure
the pardon OF the Younger brothers. Since
these famous outlaws were sentenced to
imprisonment in the Jail at Saltwater.
Mimi, for the term Of their natural lives,
many attempts have been made to secure
their release. Most of these have been
made by their friends in Missouri their
old home. where there has always been
much sympathy for them and public opln-
ion has held them to be the victims Of cir
cumstances Thus at the present time
the petition addressed to the governor of
Minnesota asking for their release has at
tached to it the signatures of nearly every
member Of the Missouri state legislature
lis Of the members having already approx
cd it,
The Younger brothers have now spent
twenty consecutive years in the Minueso-
Ia state penitenuary. They entered 1t in
1876. having pleaded guilty to murder and
robbery. The crime Of which they were
guilty was the robbery of a bank at North
field, MINI. The robbery was daring.
Eight men entered the town at O'Clock in
the afternoon, on Sept. Z, 1876. They went
to the bank and then three Of their num-
Der entered the building, sprang over the
counter and ordered the cashier ]. L.
Haywood, to open the vault.
A knife was held at the cashiers throat
and at the same time all of the other
three men in the bank were ordered to
n
obey and was slightly scratched with the
knife as a further admonition to obey.
Still refusing, the robbers put the muzzle
of a pistol TO his right temple and fired
Haywood fell dead They then turned
toward the assistant cashier and ordered
him to open the vault, and upon his de-
claring that he did not know the combi-
nation they threatened his life. He at
tempted TO flee and the robbers fired at
him, shooting him through the shoulder
The noise of the shooting brought citi-
zens to the spot and before the robbers
could escape the citizens were doing some
shooting on their own account. Two of
the robbers were killed outright and one
was wounded. They did not get a cent of
money for their efforts.
The robbers had been too rash The
eight men had ridden into the town we'll
mounted and armed with navy revolvers.
They had ridden down the streets and
shouted to the citizens to get oIt of the
way While the three inen were inside
the bank the other five stood on the streets
threatening to shoot anyone who would in
| terfere and occasionally firing shots to
terrorizc the people. But the citizens ran
and got guns. The two robbers who were
! killed were shot by a young man named
| Wheeler, who was in the window of an OPP
| posite building from which he could pick
| off the robbers at his leisure. When the
second robber fell the others beat a re-
| treat.
When the robbers fed a posse of fifty
citizens was Immediately organized to go
! in pursuit under the leadership of Wheel
er, the man who had killed two of the
bandits. For twenty-four hours the pur-
suit continued, when the citizens overlook
the robbers in a ravine a short distance
from Shieldsville. A number of shots were
exchanged, but the robbers escaped
Two days passed without any news.
| Meanwhile all through the country round
men were organized to hunt for the BAN
dts. Gov. Pillsbury had offered q re-
ward Of $1,000 each for the robbers and as
| many as 500 men were in purslt. They
We're hunted from place to place. Finally
posse under Sheriff Mcdonald, of Sioux
! City, succeeded in killing one of the rob
! bers and capturing three others, two of
| whom were badly wounded. The captures
had been made near Madelia in Waton-
| wan county. Mcdonald, with $50 men,
! completely surrounded and the men grad
ually closed in upon them, keeping up a
continuous fire, which was returned by
! the robbers until one of theta number was
killed and two others supposed to be NOR
! tally wounded. Then only did they sur
render. When taken prisoners two of them
/ confessed to the sheriff that they were the
Younger brothers, but they would not re-
veal the name of their dead comrade.
Cole and Bob Younger were badly
wounded. Cole had seven wounds and
/ I3ob's lower jaw was badly shattered
! Capt McDonough, the ST. Louis chief Of
| police, who afterward came to see the
| prisoners and the dead, identified them
/ as bandits well known in Missouri The
/ prisoners were Robert and Thomas Cole
man Younger known as Bob" and
Cole" The dead man was identified as
Charley Pitts and another prisoner was
| identified as Al Carter, a notorious des-
perado from Texas. The men Killed at
Mortified were found TO be Clell Miller
and Bill Caldwell.
The Younger brothers were tried and at
the advice of their counsel. pleaded guilty
and threw themselves on the mercy of the
court. They were sentenced to imprison-
ment for life.
The desperate attempt TO rob the bank
at Northield was in thorough sympathy
with the previous career of the Younger
boys who were famous throughout the
United states for their daredevil esca-
pades
There were six Younger brothers. one Of
whom died in his boyhood. They were the
sons of Col. Henry w. Younger. a south
ern man who moved TO Cass county, Mis-.
souri,, In 1880 The five boys who lived to
attain their majority were Richard.
Thomas Coleman, Robert Ewing and
John Younger During the war, they, Ike
the two Jameses Frank and Jesse. werc
irregular or guerilla troops who stole as
often from one side as the other, This
deprived them OF all the immuntlcs guar.
anteed by the union government TO regu-
lar troops who had SURRENDERED rho
Home Guards thirsted TO punish the guer.
rillas and watched for them a; their
homes.
Denied the opportunities of making a
living, the Youngers and the Iameses lie.
clded nevertheless, to remain in the state.
But two courses were open 20 thcm To
secure a living--elther to beg or steal
They determined TO become outlaws, Esy-
ing been fitted for the life by their exDer.
fence under their guerrilla chiefs, Jran.
trel, Anderson, Todd ana 'tayt n. who
had taught them TO dospise superior num-