The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-06-27
BANDIT RAID TACTICS
How OUTLAWS RODE INTO TOWNS
AND ROBBED BANKS.

How was II ever possible for half
dozen men to ride into small town
like Northneld Mimi. rob bank and
ride away?" asked Sun reporter OF
a man in New York who knew the
Younger brothers and the James boys.
The question came up in talk
about the report that Cole and Jim
Younger are to be parOled from the
Minnesota Penitentiary, where they
have been since 1876.
such n thing was the reply. could
not be done so easily now as in 1876.
Bank robbery requires nerve of a Pc
culiar order. l never engaged IN the
business myself. but OF one time in my
life | knew men who did. | was. per
sonally acquainted, for instance. with
the Youngers and the Jameses. Left
to themselves, the James boys would
never have been successful in bank
robbery. They were better at holding
up stage coaches and railroad trains.
But to answer your question directly,
the Northfeld Bank affair will illus
trate the method.
"The gang that rode into Minnesota
did not plan any particular robbery.
1t was "a sort of bandits outing party.
They rode into Minnesota leisurely.
The party was composed of Cole, Jim
and Bob Younger. Frank and Jesse
James. Charley Pitts, Bill .Chadwell
and Clell Miller They Were well
mounted.
"The Youngers were the brains of
the party. They were always men of
good presence. Bob was as handsome
as well-trained athlete. He always
impressed women favorably. Jim was
the politician of the trio. He could
talk to men and get their confidence.
Cole was more reserved but he could
have Joined any church on his first ap-
plicatIon. His early training was in
religious direction.
"These three visited some of the re-
field affair came Off. They learned
good deal in their visits about towns,
about the people, for you must remem-
Der they were away of their compass
when they were in Minnesota. That's
why they touched elbows with the peo-
pie at the resorts. When the season
was over they knew the best place to
strike. They knew how to get into
Northfleld aud how to get out of it.
Mortified had about 2000 people.
1t was quiet town. They didn't dash
into it. as some people think. That
isn't the way raids on banks were
made in those days. Bob Younger,
Jesse james and Charley Pitts rode
into the town first, very leisurely.
They had no intention OF creating any
suspicion by doing anything else. 1t
was a common occurrence for men to
ride into town as they did. They tied
their horses to rack near the bank.
They stood on the corner as country
men do in a small town, and talked
politics as you and would.
"At the same time, they were taking
note of the people. They tarried on
the corner at the hour of noon, and af-
ter, for that was the time when people
in town like Northfield were at din
ner They eat dinner in such towns at
noon. There were fewer people astir
then than at any other hour.
while they were talking the other
members of the gang, having undoubt.
edly had some sort of signal, came
whooping and shouting down the main
street. These were Jim and Cole
Younger, Bill Chadwell and Clell Mil
Ter. Every one of them had been with
Quantrell. and as they rode they ut
tered the rebel yell. 1t was new in
Minnesota. Naturally it startled the
few people on the street I'll venture
to say that if a man should gallop
down Broadway at its busiest hour
and fire pistol and yell, 1t would star
tie the crowd.
"As soon as Bob Younger and his
two friends saw that the people on the
street were confused they added to the
confusion by running about shouting,
Get off the street, You know how
easy 1t is for one man to control
panic-stricken crowd. He can either
make it run like scared animals. or he
can. IL he is cool, round 1t up to
standstill. You have seen instances Of
both kinds here in New York.
'"rhe cry of Get off the street, was
n new one in that quiet town. That 1t
was uttered by strangers made no diff
ference. People in panic don't rea-
son. If they did there would be no ia
talities. Bob Younger knew this. He
and Cole and Jim planned the whole
thing in advance. Get the people
scared and they would run to their
houses.
"The moment Bob Younger saw the
people on the run he and Pitts and
James rushed into the bank. They
had. however, flushed the game. The
scare outside had penetrated the bank.
The cashier, Haywood, had time to
fathom the situation. He slammed
the inner door of the vault. shut and
locked 1t. He must have been an un-
usually quick man mentally as well as
physically.
"His act disconnected even such men
as Bob Younger and Jesse James. The
latter lost his head. He drew knife
across Haywood's throat to scare him
and make him open the safe Hay
wood didn't scare There are few men
who win not quail at the touch of cold
steel Jesse James cursed and raved.
Two clerks in the bank escaped and
n