The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-05
COLE YOUNGER'S STORY
THE BANDITS ACCOUNT OF THE
RAID ON THE NORTHFIELD BANK.
How He Saved the Life of Citizen
Who Was About 10 Be ShOt--COOI-
ness of the Robbers Under Fire.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, July 4-Cole Younger.
who, with his brother Jim, is serving life
sentence at Saltwater for the Mortified
Bank raid, and who, it is believed will be
pardoned this month, has made a statement
giving a story of the crime. After describ-
ing the trip to Mortified and the Begin
ming of the raid he says:
Just at this time some one across the
street shouted, Robbers in the bank! 1
jumped into my saddle and fired my pistol
in the air to let those t the bridge know
that the alarm was given. At this moment
a man came up to the bank and then
started to run away, whereupon Miller
drew his pistol on him and cried out: Stop
or I'll kill you" The man halted but soon
began to move off slowly, and seeing that
Miller intended to shoot him ] called out
Don't shoot him. let him gor The man
meanwhile ran off down the sidewalk.
LAS this happened, the three men left at
the bridge entered the street on a full run
Stiles, as he is called, met the man whom
Miller had permitted TO 60 and commanded
him to STOP threatening to shoot him if he
did not l shouted to Stiles to let the man
go and not to shoot him, whereupon Stiles
and the man on the buckskin horse passed
on up the street, fifty or one hundred yards
south of the bank, Jim stopping in front Of
the bank with me. Now, to return to The
man who first discovered what was going
on in the bank: l tod him 10 get Oil the
street, which he did [ have learned since
that the gentleman was DR.. Wheeler, and
the other gentleman was J. 5. Allen. Eotn
of Them ard me Gail 10 Miller not 10 shoot
and botn of them could have near1 me re-
peat the command to Stiles. Jumping off
my horse L ran to the bank door and told
the boys to hasten out, as the alarm was
given, and l thought the citizens We're arm
ing themselves. Bob Younger came out,
and l, thinking all were coming. got on my
horse and started north to the corner OF
Bridge square when l saw a man a Il win
dow upstairs across the street with gun.
TO frighten him away | shot pane of
glass out above his head whereby he
stepped back out Of sight This man was,
l think, DR.. Wheeler. 1 then fred into the
corner of the building on Bridge square to
frighten the people away from Out horses,
ana they ran around the corner out Of sight
Bob went down the sidewalk to the stair
way, intending to get his horse at that
point. 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.
l saw blood running down his face. The
firing by this time had become general,
and as the two in the bank had net yet
come out l was forced for the third time
to ride to the bank and call to them 10 get
out, and this time they did so. In the
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 Millers pis-
tolls, remounted my horse, and rode to-
wards Bob, who was standing near the
stairway Jim being with me-
AT that moment Bob was shoe i saw
him change his pistol from his right hand
to his left, and from the way his right arm
hung limp at his side l knew il was broken.
1 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 MIN to mount
1 then called to Pitts to help me get Miller
upon my horse, it being my intention to
carry him before me. On lifting him up
we saw that he dead, so l told Pitts to
lay him down again and to run up the
street out of range and l would take him
up behind me. / then cried out 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 hum
dred yards where he mounted behind me,
and we rode out of town on the Durdas
road"