Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-03-04

ed. to remarkable whiteness.-Fred
A. Olds In the Sunny South.
COLE YOUNGER PARDONED.
And All Miss0urf Considers Him .
Great Hero.
In 1875 Cole Younger was one Of
band Of Missouri brigands who failed
In an attempt to rob the bank at
Northfield. MINI: The other day tel
egram from st. Paul announcing the
pardon Of Younger and his return to
Missouri was considered Of sufficient
importance to be read from the clerks
desk to the Missouri house Of respe-
sentatives at Jefferson City. It was
greeted with joyous applause.
When Younger returns to his old
home and haunts in jackson county,
Missouri-the superbiy beautiful and
wealthy and populous county I'm which
has been reared Kansas City-he will
be greeted with cheers and tears.
Christian people will crowd about
him to press the hand that helped
make Missouri synonym with Amer
lean brigandase. -
He will be more than hero. He
will be a hero returned from the grave.
All this appears inexplicable, weird,
8 strange and wonderful thing, al
though perfectly plain to those who
understand the sentiment that made
heroes Of the James boys and the
Youngers and which protected and
cherished them while they robbed and
murdered.
If there had been no civil war in the
United States-indeed, II there had
been no civil war within civil war in
Missouri-there would have been no
James Boys and Youngers in the realm
Of the glorification Of crime.
Those robbers on horseback existed
solely in the fervor and force Of SEN
timent which only the death Of the
generation in whose hearts It was
rooted could destroy.
To the north the battle was far of.
The south was trampled by the march
Of armies, but they were armies that
marched by in companies, regiments
and brigades.
In Missouri. particularly in Jackson
county, the war was on the doorstep
and by the flash of solitary rifle in
the darkness.
Let's suppose that war arose between
the Americans and British in the
northwest territory.
The British would call the Ameri-
cans a pack Of desperados. They
would let no crime by their American
enemies go unheralded to show their
true character.
Even though the Americans were
wrong and sure tough outfit, would
you feel bad If they whipped the Cana
dian mounted police?
Suppose that the Canadian military
finally put them down. Go closer.
Suppose that you were an American
living on the scene Of conflict.
Now we come to an understandable
parallel. Suppose that you had been
an American sympathizer, but had
taken no part In the fighting.
But your house had been searched
often by the Canadian mounted police.
Perhaps you had been clubbed over
the head for protesting. Perhaps the
police had devoured everything you
had. Perhaps they had insulted your
wife. ..
But the war is over. The Americans
have ceased the unequal struggle.
However, q few of the most desperate
remain in the Businesses in arms.
They began to live by brigandage.
Their deeds terrorize the country.
They are reported by the discounted
Canadian police to be invincible fight
ers. The police can't cope with them.
II one Of these desperadoes-o your
own blood and nation-came to your
home to escape the officers, would you
reveal him to them? Would you Join
in the hunt to take the boys?"
And then let US suppose that the gang
was finally broken up and that nearly
thirty years afterward one Of the re-
naming brigands returned to his old
haunts pardoned. How would you act
toward him?
Take these questions to yourself and
you can understand the cheers and
tears for Cole Younger, bandit, In Mis-
souri.-From the Denver Post.