Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-07-13
bank: I told him to get off the street,

bank. i told him to get on the street,
which he; did. have learned since that
the gentleman was Dr.. Wheeler, and the
other gentleman was J. S. Allen. Both
of them heard me call to Miller not to
shoot, and both of them could have
heard me repeat the command to Stiles.
Twill now return to my narrative where
I broke off by this depression.
Jumping off my horse, I ran to the
bank door and told the boys to hasten
out, as the alarm was given, and /
thought the citizens were arming them
selves. Bob Younger came out, and /,
thinking all were coming, got on my
horse and started north to the corner of
Bridge square, when saw a man at
a window upstairs across the street with
gun. To brighten him away shot a
pane of glass out above his head, where
upon he stepped back out of sight. This
man was, think, DR.. Wheeler. then
fired into the corner of the building on
Bridge square to brighten the people
away from our horses, and they ran
around the corner out of sight Bob
went on down the sidewalk to the stair
way, intending to get his horse at that
point I.noticed that Bob was the only
one who had answered my call, so l
again turned and ran back to the bank
and shouted to those inside:
"For Gods sake, come out"
Just then Miller called to me, saying
he was shot, and looking at him, I saw
blood running down his face. The fir
ing by this time had become general,
and as the two in the bank had not come
out, I was forced for the third time to
ride to the bank and call to them to
come out, and this time they did so. In
the meantime Miller had been shot again
and had fallen from his horse. jumped
from my horse, ran to Miller to see how
badly he was hurt, and while turning
him over was shot in the left hip. 1
took Miller's pistols, remounted my
horse and rode toward Bob, who was
standing near the stairway, Jim being
with me.
At this moment Bob was shot. saw
him change his pistol from his right
hand to the left, and from the way his
right arm hung limp at his side knew
it was broken. I called to him to come
from there, and, turning to Jim, told
him to catch Miller's horse for Bob.
This was done. Bob ran up the street,
and Jim helped him to mount. I then
called to Pitts to help me get Miller up
on my horse. it being my intention to
carry him before me. On lifting him up
we saw he was dead, so I told Pitts to
lay him down again, and to run up the
street out OF range, and would take him
up behind me. then cried to the rest
of the party to move on ahead, and they
started, Jim leading the horse that Bob
rode. Pitts ran up the street about
hundred yards, where he mounted be-
hind me, and we rode out of town on the
Dundas road
Up to this time / did not know that
citizen had been shot, nor did know
that any Of our party had shot with the
intention OF hitting anyone. l knew that
l never fired shot at anyone intending
to hit, nor did Jim. The fact is that all
the trouble was caused by a quart OF
whisky which, as learned afterwards,
one OF the three men that went into the
bank had concealed, and between where
they left us in the woods and town they
had drunk the most of it and were
drunk. That accounts for them not
shutting the door of the bank, and not
coming out according to- agreement
when. called. Ito them that the alarm
was given, and the peaple were arming
themselves. Had it not been for the
whisky there would not, in all probable
ity, have been man killed, and I can
truthfully say, had I known they had
whisky I never would have gone into
the town, for with all my faults, and I
am sorry to say they were many, whisky
drinking was not one of them, and /
never had confidence in a man that he
would do the right thing or what was
ovoo~ko1 rs IL wi, he ,sr,1o~ %1o
influence of whisky.
When we got out of town the last man
to leave the bank told me that as he
jumped on the counter and was leaving
the bank he saw Miller lying in the
street, and at the same moment one of
the clerks sprang up and ran toward d
desk. Thinking he was going for pis-
toll, he ordered him to stop and sit down,
but he kept on, and as my informant
jumped from the counter he leveled his
pistol and fired. The man fell, but how
badly he had hurt him he could not say.
We learned after we were captured that
it was J. L. Haywood. I can truthfully
say that throughout my entire retreat it
was my most sincere wish and hope that
he was not seriously wounded Not that
I expected to be captured, through fear
OF personal safety, but because did not
want to be connected in any way with
the death of a man who had never
wronged me or mine. The death of Mr..
Haywood was never considered in our
plans, and neither my brothers nor my
self were connected with the deed either
in thought or act; we were of the party
and to that extent responsible. After we
had got out on the road learned that
Jim had been shot through the shoulder,
and, as it was large bullet, I presume
it came from the gun of DR.. Wheeler or
Mr.. Manning. I was shot in the LETT
hip. 1t was pistol ball and was prob
ably fired at me from the upstairs north
of the bank. Bob's arm was broken
through the elbow joint by large ball,
presumably fred by Dr. Wheeler, and
two of our party had been killed. .-- j.,
Now, I saw a good deal in the news
papers at the time that our friends or
ourselves wished to retaliate upon those
who did the shooting. Statements OF
that nature were not true. We never
had, nor have we now, any i'll will
towards those who shot us. Had been
in. the position Of those citizens, should
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