The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-10
OPPOSES PARDON TALK.
SHOWS THE ABSURDITY AND fall
SITY OF MANY OF COLE YOUNG
ER's CLAIM :.
GOT WELL DESERVED SENTENCE.
tp'N 81
Mr.. Bunker Believes Pardon Would
Be IL Great Abuse of
Clemency.

movement going on in Minnesota to
secure pardon for the Younger broth
ers. This man is A. e. Bunker. who.
at the time of the raid, was clerk in
the Mortified bank and who was
wounded by one Of the desperadoes
Mr.. Bunker later became a newspaper
man and is now general manager Of
the Western Newspaper union of this
city. In a statement for an evening
newspaper, Mr.. Bunker says:
1 know that repeated efforts have been
made to secure the pardon of the Youngers,
but up to this good day-to his credit be it
said-no governor of Minnesota has cared to
assume so grave a responsibility. l have
never seen a valid excuse given why these
convicts should be set at liberty, and l am
surprised at the attitude which some Mime
sofa papers are reported to have taken in
favor of the release.
There is a stronger reason why I take an
interest in anything touching the Mortified
bank raid. l was teller in the bank at the
time and witnessed the murderous attack
upon Mr. Haywood, and now carry as a SOU
venir of the interesting occasion a scar
caused by bullet wound through my should
err inflicted by Charles Pitts, one of the
members of the gang. 1t seems to me that
statements of reputable citizens Of North
field, made directly after the raid, should be
entitled to as much credence as statements
made by Cole Younger nearly twenty one
years after the occurrence. l may be pre-
JUDGED in my opinion, but it appears to me
also that the wishes and inehnations of the
criminals themselves should not have chief
consideration in the question. of pardon.
Younger's story contains many mtsstatements,
and important COMMISSIONS are made. In the
first place why does he not disclose the iden-
tity of the man on the buckskin horse,'
and 1.-THE last man to leave the bank?" If
the motive of his story was to benefit So
ciety there could be objection to his CIV
inf
monty believed that the men were Frank
and Jesse James; yet he would still prefer
to shield criminals, while seeking liberty
himself f9t.
Then I think he overdoes the matter con-
siderably in showing how many peoples lives
he saved by simply not shooting them. He
would have US believe that he was at North
field on that eventful day, very OPPORTUNITY,
for the purpose of preventing 1.-The boys
from killing law-abiding citizens Unfortu-
nately for the support OF his story, his prnl-
cipal witnesses-Miller and Styles-are dead.
Clel Miller followed one of The James boys,
Bob Younger and Pitts into The bank. then
turned and stood in the doorway where ] saw
him, when the others attracted my a.. :n-ion
by climbing over the counter. heard N'jIer
ask if he should close the door, and he did so,
and stepped outside upon being answered in
the affirmative by James.
The citizen who folloW ID the four rc55' RS
to the bank was j. S. All31, and he was first
to give the alarm cIt&:1e. He was not Oh
dered to stop by Clel Miller, :,li tod to GIT.
L L
got" but "hollered Just the same 'Hiet
your guns, boys; they're robbing the barb"
Whereupon Miller shot over Aliens head which
was the first shot fired On the street. Alb out
this time, the man across the street. DIR.
Wheeler) repeated the alarm given, by Allen,
| and went into the drug store OF Whee.er &
Biackman, passed out the rear 1907 along the
alley and into the Goor IF the pampier
, hotel where he obtained Il gun, with which
he did effective service. If CO.e Younger tod
Miller or Styles not to shoot e:the" Allen CT
Wheeler, no one else heard him; and Il III
Miller and styles. were SO ceAd few; mo-
ments later that they nevec tod IF this kind
and thoughtful act on The pat Of Mr.. Young
er.
Cole Younger did not go TO the bank Lcor
and tell the boys to hasten cut until afte r
Miller and Styles we're both killed, and he
himself was wounded: and he came 10 the
bank door only once, just after l had been
door of the bank, and who did Lot 90 behind
the counter again, where James was work
ing with Mr.. Haywood. What Younger said
when he came to the bank ioor was: Better
get out, men. The game is up. they're Kill
ing all our men," Those in the bank needed
no second invitation, as they were 3afflcd IN
their attempt to get the funds If the bank.
After shooting me, Pits T-tIrned % the
front of the bank, passed alo lg he lobby CT
alley outside the counter, anG thence to the
street Bob Younger sprap2 through The lell-
err open window where he entered, passt Il
out the door and alongsi lie the bank building,
stopping under an outside stairway, where he
had a game of hide aud seek; with Mr. Man.
ming, during which nc was wounded by Dr..
Wheeler. IH. ..,t
The idea of Cole Younger esparing DR..
Wheeler's fire by CONSIDERABLY aiming above
his head and shooting out pane of glass"
is ridiculous. He was not so SolicitouS for
the protection of the defenseless Swede (An-
derson) whom he shot down in cold blood,
and OF whose murder he pleaded guilty when
arra1gned at Faribault. The statement of
Cole Younger that he fired into the corner
OF the building on Bridge Square to brighten
the people away" ETC.. is equally imbecile.
Manning was on that corner and was there
Ter business. Very soon after ManninSs ap-
pearance the engagement became general, and
everybody was shooting to Kill. More than
thirty shots We're fired at Manning and 9TH
ers ION the corner" and it is miraculous
| how they escaped injury. The fact simply
| shows that the robbers were excited and
| were no better marksmen than Manning and
| wheeler when the chances were equal, and
| from the moment the raiders were dis
| possessed of their advantage, they were all
| more interested in getting away with whole
| skins than they were in calmly endeavoring
! to save honest mems lives, as Mr.. Younger
| would have us believe. He did not make any
| effort to get Miller onto his horse He was
| seen to go to Miller after the latter was
killed and take the revoivers from his per
| son, and this was undoubtedly Cole Younger
! purpose in going to Miller.
| The most dastardly act was the killing of
Mr. Haywood by James, Just before the lat
down by crushing blow on the head, which
might have resulted fatally had no further
injury been inflicted. A knife had been
drawn across his throat. and he had been
otherwise maltreated, so that he was physic-
ally unable to have done injury to any one.
He was supporting himself by leaning on
table, and making no hostile demonstra-
ton whatever, when James sprang upon the
counter, and, turning, placed his revolver
close to Heywood's head and deliberately
shot him.
Cole Younger was there that day to do rob-
bery and murder, and, while failing In the
purpose of robbing the bank because he met
men Drawer and determined as himself, he
accomplished MURDER having in his hands the
instruments with which to do the deed. His
regret on the evening of Sept, Z, 1876, was
not because Haywood and others were muir
dered, but because he was defeated in his
purpose. l believe he is sorry today only
because he was overtakeh in his crime, and
is FORCED to suffer the just penalty. He saved
citizens lives that day in the same sense he
saved the lives of Union soldicrs-when he
was member of the notorious Quantrel's
band. 1t is reported that after capturing a
number of Union soldiers, Cole Younger and
others would stand them up in line, one
before another, and with rife stand before
the line and see how many men they could
shoot through. Sometimes the men in the
rear ranks would not be CHILLED, simply be-
cause there was not power enough to project
the bullet. lie says quart of whisky was
TO blame for all the trouble sat Northfield.
He must have known his partners well enough
to be cognizant of theif fhabHs and II he
expects people to believe he was "goody
good man at that time who would not wan
tonly hurt anybody, it seems to me II he is
released at all from Saltwater 9he should be
transferred to the institute for feeble minded.
me facts are, he and all the gang were low
doWn, olsreputable criminals, who would hold