The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-12
O A BANDIT ONCE
SAVED A
Interesting Incident in Life of Cole Younger Recalled by
Death Of Frank James--Stephen B. Elkins
Owed Life to Gang Member

pendence at the Centennial Exposition
In Philadelphia. Gen. Custer and his
brave men of tho Seventh Cavalry
were wiped out by the fierce Sioux
In the battle of the Little Big Horn.
Dom Pedro of Brazil. the last crowned
head on American soil, visited the
United States. Secretary Belknap was
impeached and compelled TO resign
Samuel j. Randall was elected Speaker
of the House of Representatives. Kate
Claxton, playing the Tive Orphans"
had one of her periodic theatrical fires.
that time in Brooklyn. when 295 peo-
pie were burned to death. John Doyle
Lee was convicted of the Mountain
Meadow massacre. which took place
in 1857. Abdul Hamid II. became Sui
tan of Turkey. Samuel J. Tilden came
very near being made President. Ii
Hung Chang first appeared upon the
Oriental horizon. And among the
other important vents of the yea
war the raid of the Younger
gang at Mortified. MINI.
Two things recently recalled that
raid to my mind one Was the death
Of Frank James and the other was
meeting for the first time in thirty
years DIR. Henry NJ. Wheeler Of Grand
Forks, ". ID. Wheeler Is one Of the
men who killed one Of the robbers
and so severely wounded theirs at
Mortified as Ia make possible the
capture of all but two of the eight
bandits who made the raid.
have almost told the story and il
might he concluded in a few words,
but there are many interesting side
details which were not mentioned by
writers who recalled the Mortified
raid in telling about the exploits OF
the James boys and the Younger
brothers when the death of Frank
James revived the story of their eX-
ploits.
one day about noon in the middle
of September. 1876, there rode into
the peaceful college town of North
field, MINI. eight men on horseback
They attracted attention from the first
because the people of that little city
were unacCustomed to bronZed mer
mounted and accoutred for the plain:
with belts full of cartridges n d
brace of "A calibre revolvers hanging
at their sides. Arriving ir front OF
the First National Bank, four dis
mounted and entered the building. the
other four holding the horses.
Soon shots were heard in the bank
and citizens appeared or the streets
The bandits with the horses begar
firing promiscuously W and down the
street. driving the people TO cover
But they did not frighten every
body. There were a few men who
had s%hotguns in their offices and one
had a rifle and another "a carbine
One was Henry VI. Wheeler. a youns
physician. who opened fire from &
second story window with his carbine
He killed one of the bandits, after,
ward identified as Bill Stiles, alias Bill
Caldwell: shot Jesse James in thu
leg and smashed Jim ~Iounger's fac'
in n serious ann n identifica
ton of these men came later. No ont
knew who they were at the time
with his rifle \. II. Manning kille,
Clell Miller and severely wounded on
of the men holding the horses, after
ward identified as Charlie Pitts
Wheeler wounded Jesse James whei
HI came out of the bank and starte'
for the horses.
The bandits in the bank killed
l.. Haywood, the cashier, because h
would not open the safe. They sho
at the messenger, who went out tn
back door, and finding they coul'
not get the money made a brea'
for thei horses in the street. The,
found two men dead, two wounded
and Jesse James went down as the,
we're crossing the street, while Bo
Younger was also wounded by on
OF the shots. As the men from tn
bank and the wounded men mounte
their horses Jesse James called out:
"Don't leave me, boys, I'm shot"
Frank James heard the cry an
reaching down slung his brother u
behind him, and six men rode out G
Mortified on five horses. In tn
death of Bill Stiles the robbers wer
deprived of the only man who coul
guide them in Minnesota. lie wa
bred in the State and knew the road
and trails. Without him they had
wander in "A southwesterly direction
seeking the broad, uninhab ited plain
OF Dakota Territory or the sparsel
settled regions of. Nebraska.
Days and days were consumed, an
vet the bandits made but little head
way. with three badly wounded me
their progress was slow. More tina
that, they encountered a hostile ele
ment among the people. Instead {
aiding in their escape and conceal
ment either by reason OF friendshi
+, or fear, as had been the case whe
these men raided in the Southwes
every person they saw every farme
they despoiled of horses n forag
becaI..y an informer. The telegraph
service in farming regions did not eS
list I'm those days as now, but ever
tim the robbers were located not
fication was sent to the authorize
as soon as a telegraph Office coul
be reached.
The route which the raiders al
tempted was through IA farming cour
try with many streams and enoug
timber for good cover. The stream
we're %fordable at that time of tn
year and on the best a ther
were bridges. Most of the W an
villages were on the line OF railroad
so that several days would pass befor
the fleeing men could be located. Onl
"A strong posse dared interfere wit
them, as the attack at Mortified ha
shown the desperate character of Ii
gang, and II was known hat certai
death would be the fate OF any ma
who resisted them or attempted the
capture. Such Interference as the
encountered was checked by a rap
fusillade of shots. the bullets alwa,
whistling uncomfortably close to II
pursuers.
Finally "A disagreement arose b
tween the James brothers and Il