Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-05-06


blooded horses, had always considerable
sum of ready money in his house or on his
person and was generally regarded as one
of the best and most prosperous citizens of
western Missouri He was bluff, gener-
ous and outspoken. His loyalty TO the
government ut Washington was well un-
derstood and never doubted. His wife
was I; devoutly Christian woman, the
mother of IA children and intensely de-
voted to them and to her husband. At
this day it is difficult tn realize the mo-
tives which actuated those hordes of hu
man vultrures which. in the name of law
and unity, plundered the border farms of
Missouri, coming with torch and gun into
Missouri from the adjacent counties of
Kansas and musquerading as loyal sol
diers while they dealt III midnight rapine
and cowardly assassination.
The murder uf Colonel Younger by
such & gang is what changed the whole
prospect Of life for his SONS, The now no.
torious Younger boys, and drove them
from their peaceful life upon the farm to
the bloody careers which began with
Quantrell's dashing raids and ended with
the assault and robbery of the Northfield
bank in Minnesota in 1878. In the early
days of their life rs guerrillas the Younger
boys were prompted. in a measure by the
natural desire to avengc the cowardly as
sassination of their father, bat when the
war was over and they returned to their
dismantied homes, willing to lay down
the sword and gun, they were not permit
ted to do So They were shot ut as they
plowed in the fields, their mothers home
was burned, their crops We're scattered,
detectives bounded them, the world would
not forgive them, and finally they were
driven again into n life of reckless out
Iawrv
ION one of JennisOn' periodical raids
in the fall of 1862, says Colonel John \.
Edwards in his Noted Giierrillas, che
sacked and burned Ilarrisonyille. Colonel
Younger, although u stanch Union man
and known to be such, was made to lose
heavily. .Jennison and his oificerS-the
officers on all occasions being more rapa-
cious than the privatcs-toOk from him
$4,000 worth OF buggies, carriages and
hacks and 40 head of blooded horses, worth
at low average $500 apiece. Then the
balance of his property that was perish
able and yet not movable was burned.
The intention was also to kill Colonel
Younger upon the principle that dead
men could tell no tales, but he escaped
with difficulty and made his way into In
dependence Spies were on his track. In
that reign of hate and frenzy along he
border men We're as often murdered for
money as for patriotism. Jennison was
told that Younger was rich and that he
invariably carried with him large sums of
money. A plan was formed Immediately
90 Isl Ii.
ganized into a band under Jayhawker
named Whalley and set to watch his every
movement. They dogged him to Inde-
pendence, from Independence to Kansas
City and from Kansas City down into
Uass county again. Coming upon him at
last in an isolated place and within few
miles of Harrisonvillc, they riddled his
BODY, riflcd his pockets and left the corpse
stark and partly stripped by the roadside.
The fire and torment of persecution did
not end here. The mother and orphan
children wcro driven from Harrisunvillc.
She sought refuge at her farm in Jack
son county, but the bloodhOunds followed
her. There was scarcely Il day but that
she was robbed of something, until at last
there was nothing left. At the muzzles
of their pistols finally and when all was
gone they compelled her to set lire 10 her
own house She did it for the sake of her
children, because she believed that unless
it were done her life would he taken, and
the homestead to her was nothing in com
pariSon to the comfcrt that would still be
left to her if her life was spared to watch
over her little onrs There was deep snow
ON the ground w!l2n they turned her adrift,
penniless, well IL gh g;,rmcntless and GER
tainly homeless and sheltcrless In Il
miserable shantS m Lafayette county she
took up her abode Only God and his
good angels know Low she stood up under
it all and suffered No respite came to
her in any way. She was followed to
Lafayette county, Eer house surrounded,
and younger son, John shot NJ and
driven to the brush He was but Il years
old, and then the only male support of the
family. From Lafayette she was driven
to Clay county. suffering privation and
want in II Christianliko and uncomplain-
ing manner.
''When the war closed" continues this
story of the Youngers 'aud in the last
stages OF consumption, she dragged her
cmaciatcd body back to jackson county to
lie, Her boys came home, went to work
md tried as best they could 10 forget the
past and look solely to the future. Her