The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1901-08-13
BANDIT RAID TACTICS
HOW OUTLAWS RODE INTO TOWNS
AND ROBBED BANKS.

like Northfield. MINI, rob bank and
ride away?" asked a Sun reporter OF
Il man i'm 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 thing was the reply. could
not be done so easily now as in 1876.
Bank robbery requires nerve of pc
culiar order. / never engaged i'm the
business myself. but at one time in my
life 1 knew men who did. l 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 Northfield Bank affair will illus
trate the method.
1.-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 HOungers were the brains of
the party. They were always men of
good presence. Bob was as handsome
as q well-trained athlete. He always
Il
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-
sorts in Minnesota before the North
field affair came off. They learned
good deal in their visits about towns,
about the people, for you must remem-
Der they were away off 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
Mortified and how to get out OF It.
"Northfeld had about 2OOO 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
fo
ride into town as they did. They tied
their horses to a rack near the bank.
They stood on the corner, as country
men do in a small town, and talked
politics as you and 1 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 We're fewer people astir
then than at any other hour.
while they were talking the other
members of the gang, having undoubt
eddy had some sort of signal, came
whooping and shouting down the main
street. These were Jim and Cole
Younger, Bill Caldwell and Clell Nil
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 a pistol and YELL it would star
tie the crowd.
GAS 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 it is for one man to control
panic-sricleu crowd. lie can either
make 1t run like scared animals, or he
can. if he is cool, round it UP to
standstill You have seen instances OF
both kinds here in New York
The cry Of Get off the street" was
new one in that quiet town. That it
was uttered by strangers made no diff
ference. People In a panic don't rea-
son. II 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 It, 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. lie drew a knife
across Haywood's throat to scare him
and make him open the safe Hay
wood didn't scare. There are few men
who Will not quail at tine touch Of cold
steel Jesse James cursed and raved.
IwO3 clerks In the bank escaped and
we're shot at. Bob Younger knew this
WAS mistake. and left the bank.
Jesse James followed. but turned.
fred and killed Haywood. II was bad
business. II only infurfoted the town
There was no necessity FOR Jamcss
shooting after be knew the a1fc door