Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1902-10-29
JIM YOUNGER
IS BURIED
The Notorious Outlaw Was aid to Rest
in the Family Buryins Ground
at Lees Summit, Mo.
COFFIN WAS CUT TO PIECES
Relic Hunters Carve s~pllnters of the
Wooden Coffin Until II Was
Badly Mutilated.
COFFIN WAS CUT TO PIECES

Lees Summit, Mo-, Oct. 23.-The
body of Jim Younger, the bandit, ar
rived here yesterday and was buried
today in the family burying ground.
Pail bearers were selected from Mr..
INounger's former Missouri friends. sew
eral of whom knew him from child
hood and served with the Youngers
under Quantrell. When the coffin ar,
rived it was seen that many splinters
had been cut from the pine box en-
closing it, presumably by relic hunt
ers. who had met the funeral party
at the different points along the route
from the north.
The four had been whitfield
with knives and long slivers cut of,
while along the top of the lid wherever
entrance could be made for the point
of a knife the vandals had desecrated
the coffin. Under the undertaker's
card vas the wsybill. Even this had
been torn and fragments carried off
until but little except the bare address
was left.
How the Koungers Started.
Kansas City, Mo-, OG. 19.-Col.
Younger, father of the Younger
boys" lived IN jackson county when
the war broke out. 1t Is claimed that
he was a union sympatht1er. but when
a parity of FEDERAL scouts rode down
through Jackson county. burned the
livery stable of Colonel Younger and
rode AWAY with nearly nifty head Of
horses. Younger threw in his lot
with the rebels. and the boys went
with him. They at once Joined Guam
treFIs gueriIlas, where they fell IN
with the james boys. During the WIT
their father. Col. Younger. was as
sassinated and robbed on the high
road, and this rendered the Younger
boys more desperate and blood-thirsty
than they had been before. They
took part in several massacres and
raids on msuspecting towns. and
were responsible for the killing of
many non4cOmbatants and for the de-
property. A price was set on their
heads by the federal authorities, and
they became outlaws in name as well
as IN fact.
John Younger. n of the brothers,
was hung, and Mrs. Younger, the
mother, WAS forced at the point Of the
rifle to set fire to her own house and
watch its total destruction. When
finally peace came the Younger and
! James boys turned naturally to a ca
reer as highway robbers and bandits.
In October. 1866. occurred the first
of the series of bank robberies which
kept the western country in a state
of commotiun for ten years. It occur
red at Lexington. Mo-. and was en-
tirely successful. Twenty-Five thous-
ana dollars was secured. in safety,
one boy being Killed in the attack on
the bank. Both the James boys and
the Youngers always denied that they
were involved in this raid, but 1t was
trelrs old guerriflas, and in the opin-
ion Of most people the Youngers plan
ned, II they did not take part in, the
execution OF the robbery. Fast fol-
lowing the attack on Lexington, came
! similar daring bank robberies at Sa-
vannah. Richmond. Russellville and
other towns in Missouri until the
whole state was IN terror.
Finally matters got SO hot that Cole
Younger went to Louisiana. where he
intended locating. One day. being
bantered to take part in a horse race,
he diu so. but was defeated by the
trickery Of his opponent, who had a
red blanket shaken IN the face OF
Younger's horse, frightening it of the
track. Younger appealed in vain to
the referee and to the stakeholder
and judges. Then he drew his revolv-
ers and killed all the onendlng offi-
cials. After this exploit Jim and
"Cole" Younger went to California.
where they spent nearly a year with
relatives and altogether abandoned
their career of robbery. Finally they
came back and in company with the
James boys started that series OF
-.--- -.s~S- ,,htcA ra~-N4oA So thoir