The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-02-23

but they were punished by imprisonment
for a quarter of century, for half his life
time. Public opinion has called this pun
ishment adequate. People that see neith
err Christianity nor social welfare in legal
chastisement altogether vindictive have
remembered. at the same time, that the
Younger boys We're practically forced into
outlawry. ~. ..-
Coleman and James Younger, prom
inent actors in the guerilla warfare that
continued the bitterness Of antebellum
feuds along the Kansas border, tried in
vain. after the war, to resume a peace
full life on their mothers farm near Lees
Summit, Mo. They tried in vain to take
once more the social position justified
by their family traditions and their for
mer wealth. For the Youngers were de-
scended from Light Horse Harry Lee of
Virginia; their maternal grandfather had
been judge; their own father, Colonel
Henry Washington Younger, had sat upon
the district bench. and had been worth,
before his death, more than 100000.
Couldn't Live in Peace.
The brothers were unwilling to aban-
don forever all rela lions with their for
MGR home, their friends, their family
But any attempt at peaceful life in
Missouri meant for Cole and James as
sassination by the hands Of the .'vigilant
committees" that had already executed
many OF the Youngers' comrades. It
was then that the brothers chose the
criminal alternat tive Of an outlaws life.
Yet, during the war Cole Younger had
saved the life Of more than one Union
prisoner; and so he afterwards risked his
own life to visit his invalid mother; so he
turned his horse at Northfield and rode
back into apparently certain death to pick
up and carry away his wounded brother
BOD; so, during twenty-five years OF i'm
prlsonment, never violating prison-rule
he devoted himself to the solace of the
sick and dying in the prison hospital, and
SO. after being released on parole, he OBJ
served for eighteen months every prom
Use he made OF exemplary conduct.
Minnesota then said. and Missouri
| agreed. that Cole Younger had proved
himself a man. And when, two weeks
ago, after twenty-five years Of imprison-
ment, year Of parole; after one Of his
| brothers had died in prison; after his
! sole surviving brother had committed sui
| c1de-not few persons, north and south,
were gratilied to hear that Cole Younger
had been pardoned had been permitted to
start back to his family, to his Id home
Only those that are ignorant of the
| foregoing circumstances can be surprised
! at the unique and widespread interest
displayed in Younger's departure from
the North Star state; only those can won-
! gifts testifying to the respect entertained
for him by business men and officials of
the twin cities; by members of the state
| legislatures; by officers close to the head
| Of the state government. Far-off Con-
necticut was sufficiently interested to
announce the arrival there Of a spurious
! Cole Younger Missouri sent word that
she had arranged a public reception for
her rehabilitated SON at Kansas City and
an old-fashioned barbecue at Independ-
ence, near Lees Summit. .-
Tried to Shun Publicity
But Younger, who is far from thinking
himself a hero. realized the equivocaf sig
nificance of these morbid compliments
| He wished to avoid any unbecomins
demonstrations and to go home quietly
Ito get back to my friends and nothing
more, exactly as 1 have said I would
He had at first proposed to leave st. Paul
last Monday night. but receiving a tele-
gram that his sister at Lees Summit was
seriously ill. and learning, besides that
some friends were indiscreetly preparing
"a farewell dinner" to be given for him
on Monday. he hurried away the previous
| Saturday night
He babe farewell at the central police
station. ST. Pau., to his friend John J
/ O'Connor, the chief Of police. He secured
checks by messenger for his trunk and
valise. Then, accompanied only by a st
Paul detective. he boarded at the union
depot, a Pullman sleeper on the Chicago
Great Western train leaving st. Paul al
11:2O o'clock p. m. A few minutes later
he encountered j ourn man on the
train and exacted a promise that the cdr
Rockford Of Chicago be allowed to depart
without mention. The doctor was mo-
suspected by trainmen or by passengers
So dignified and portly person, wearing
gold-framed eye glasses so respectable anc
garments SO seriously black, could b.
nothing else, manifestly, than middle
aged professional man.
The doctor retired early. To the pertel
he explained that he hadn't been out O
the state for several years and he feared
that he wouldn't sleep well, but no soon
er was he inside his snowy pajannas thar
The fell asleep. He awoke, however, short