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^ Northfield Bank Robbery Most Daring Work of James-Younger Gang in Southern Minnesota l ^ ^- - -^- - -r> - ^^ (This is the second of a aeries of ar- ^- - ^ 4-^^4 men and ilieir fine horses. Two of them went across the Minnesota river to a well-known crooks' resort, over Sunday tides recountingr the activities of the James-Young-er gangr In South Dakota ^ . und Southern Minnesota, written by Mr. j On Monday, September 4, they all met - TorBtvlT2\ year.s^uTo"james-i'iu..^.. near'tf.,;''5^nk, they Baw"a gFoup of cltl-lal outlaws committed their crimes In re-. glons well known to them: Missouri, Ar¬ kansas, Texas, Kentucky and a section of Iowa, The robbing of banks and the holding up of railway trains were their specialty. While bank and train robbers are still with us, and ever will be, there are few of these, if any, who have dis¬ played as much cruelty and cunning as, found among the members of the James- Vounger gang. The mother of the James boys, true to her wild Instincts, always Mood by them, and gave them shelter whenever she could do so safely. The thick woods : oar her home In Missouri became the rticJal rendezvous of the robbers, and o place where consultations were held id plans made for further raids. It as there that the "Invasion" of Mlnne- la as a green pasture for renewed ef- i;ts along tho line of robbery and gen- al plunder, wa*»flnally agreed upon by 0 bang. Colo Younger was in favor r going to Canada, but the James pref- ence for the North Star State won the y. About August lo, 1876, the outlaws inp near the Samuels home was broken, ifl the long ride to Minnesota began. •. Dacus says that when the Minnesota vasiou had been decided, the men trav- lod in three bands, Jesse and Frank anies being together as usual, while Mob Younger went with Pitts, and James Younjjer had Clell Miller for companion. There is also a story to the effect that the gang met and crossed the Missouri opposite Yankton. H. N. Coop¬ er, of Canton, who has been of great assistance in furnishing data for these articles w-rites under the date of Feb¬ ruary 22, 1924: "We also had another citizen, B. M. Bottallson, who helped to ferry the James brothers and their gang, across the Missouri river at Yankton, at the time they were coming north to make tho famous raid at Northfield. I have talked with him about^^, and he sa3's it was a cold, windy, stormy day, and tlie crew who were managing the boat hesitated, and at first refused to venture across the river on account of the wea¬ ther, b'ut the bandits demanded action, -o they proceeded across the river, and ade the landing on the Dakota side 1 safe and sound." In such a case, the gang must have ivelled on the Iowa side most of the (lay, till they reached Minnesota, as they seemed to be entirely lost when they were in Rock, Minnehaha and Lincoln imties, after the Northtield raid, even the Jowa line, at Belolt, and kept on king for directions, as will be stated er. MaaJtato First Objscti^e Mankato, the official seat of Blue .arth county, on the Minnesota river, was the first town the gang intended to •nb. About September 1, 1876, the out¬ laws were in that city. The band was then compo.sed of the following: Jesse and Frank James; Thomas C.—("Cole") —James and Robert Younger: Clel Mil¬ ler, William Stiles, alias Chadwell, and Charles Pitts, alias Geo. Wells. All of them had taken assumed names, of course. It Is said there was a ninth man, but this was never proved. All of tho'Se men were hardened criminals to whom murder and robbery were almost a second nature. They did not travel together, but took different roads, and entered the city at different times, studying carefully the topography of the county, so. they would know how to escape on the return trip if closely pur¬ sued, whatever route they might have to follow. Stiles had been a resident of Rice county, separated from Blue Earth only by one county, LeSueur, and he was able to act as guide. Northfield, by I the way, is located in Rice county. On Saturday, September 2, all the out¬ laws were In Mankato; they went to a store to make some purchases, and then to the First National bank where they had a $50. bill changed. They stopped at different hotels and lodging houses so as not to attract too much attention, as some residents had already noticed the zens on the sidewalk, and some of them hc^ V,xoInfed to the horsemen. The robbers, ; thinking they had been discovered, • turned back and left Mankato In a hurry. As a matter of fact, no one In tho city had suspected them. A meeting of the Board of Trade, and repairs on a build¬ ing near the bank had attracted a num¬ ber of men there, and they had no idea ! who the strangers were. Once more the old saying was exemplified, that "the wicked flee when no man pursueth." The Northflold Bobbery and Ifftirder Having spent,, the night of Wednes¬ day, September' 6, In the vicinity of Northfield, the gang ctarted out early ; Thursday morning for that town, wear- | ing linen dusters, which were common then, and served for the purpose of con¬ cealing their weapons and ammunition. Two of them had made a previous visit to the town to see how the bank could be robbed. About two o'clock, Thurs¬ day, September 7, three of the men en¬ tered the town, dismounted near the First National bank, on Division street, the only bank in the community, and lounged around with an Indifferent air. Then two more came along, and stopped close by. When these two came, the other three men went into the bank. By that time, several of the citizens began to suspect there was something wrong. I. S. Allen, a hardware store owner, tried to follow the men Into the bank; but Miller seized him and compelled him to go bank at the point of his revolver. It. M. Wheeler, then a medical student at the University of Michigan, was close by and was one of the first to give the alarm, and later took an active part in the fight that ensued. In the bank were the following: A. E. Bunker, teller; Joseph Lee Heywood, bookkeeper and acting cashier, and P. J. Wilcox, bookkeeper. The cashier, G. M. Phillips, was a visitor at the Centennial Exposition In Philadelphia then. The bank was occupying temporary quar¬ ters, and an easy prey for such robbers as the James boys and their pals. The lobbers tried to make Mr. Heywood open the safe, but failed, and when he shout¬ ed, "Murder! Murder! Murder;" one of the men gave him a terrific blow on the head with a revolver, and he fell to the floor. Then they turned to Mr. Bunker and Mr. Wilcox and told them to unlock the safe. They replied they could not, wlhich was true, as it was already un- locked.but the door was closed. Threats of death had no effect on the two brave young men, and the robbers again turned to Heywood and fired at him at close range, but the bullet did not touch him; he was then partly unconscious. The robbers obtained but litle money, and seeing that the people had gathered outside, felt it was timo to leave. As they left the building, one of them shot Heywood dead. This act was denounced even by some of the gang as "a fool act." But it was perfectly in harmony with tho former deeds of the James Younger band of cutthroats. The fol lowing is taken from a letter to the writer from Mrs. F. J. Wilcox, 116, S Eighth Ave., Yakima, Washington, dated Aug. 24. 1924: "Mr. F. J, Wilcox died Dec. 21, 1921 At the time of the James-Younger raid, September, 1876, he was a young man just out of college, and was filling th. place of an absent member in the bank, but later he took the place of Mr. Hey¬ wood who was killed by the raiders, and this place he held for 33 years, until 1909. . . . Mr. Wilcox was held In a cor¬ ner on his knees with a revolver at his head." Mr. Bunker, later on, was for several years auditor and general manager of the Western Newspaper Union, with headquarters at Chicago. In the official organ of that organization, dated Oc¬ tober 17, 1876, and In subsequent issues he published an account of the North field tragedy, in which he says: "When James and Pitts released Hey¬ wood, the latter got on his feet and was supporting himself by leaning on a ta¬ ble In the middle of the room, when James climbed upon the desk between ^r-» aesK and teller's window and turning, reached back as near Hey¬ wood as possible, and deliberately shot I down into his head, killing him. There was no provocation whatever for the act, as he was offering no resistance, and could not have defenled himself, after j the cruel treatment he had already re- I celved at the hands of the assasslna 1 I'oiled in their undertaking, and with a i fiendish passion rsLging in his heart ¦ James murdered poor Heywood In cold blood. After committing this deed, James leaped over the high railing to the floor and joined his companion.s. Wilcox was threatened many times, but on account of his location, or because he kept quiet was not injured." ^u^ei, Mr. Bunker now live.^ at 3808 Ine-a ham street, Los Angeles Cal ' j The only two surviving witne.sses who took an active part in the affair—wrltP« Mr. Bunker under date of Sept 'l7 iaoq. are Dr. H. M. Wheeler, now of Gr^^ .^orks, N. v., and himself. ^'T^
Object Description
Title | Northfield Bank Robbery Most Daring Work of James-Younger Gang In Southern Minnesota |
Description | In Scrapbook of Newspaper Clippings |
Dimensions (H x W x D cm.) | 33 x 18 cm. |
Minnesota Reflections Topic | Crime and Punishment |
Item Type | Text |
Item Physical Format | Newspaper clippings |
Locally Assigned Subject Headings |
James-Younger Bank Raid James-Younger Gang |
Contributing Institution |
Northfield History Collaborative Northfield Public Library |
Contact Information | Northfield Public Library, 218 Washington St. S, Northfield, MN 55057, http://www.northfieldmn.info |
Rights Management | This image may not be reproduced for any reason without the express written consent of the Northfield Public Library; http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/ |
Local Identifier | NPL0014 |
NHC File Name | NPL0014.jpg |
Collection Title | Northfield History Collaborative |
Subject -- Chenhall's | Category 8 - Documentary Artifact-Article |
Subject -- LCSH | Bank robberies -- Minnesota -- Northfield -- History |
Language | eng |
CDM Modified Note | arRound1 |
Description
Title | Text |
Rights Management | This image may not be reproduced for any reason without the express written consent of the Northfield Public Library; http://www.ci.northfield.mn.us/library/ |
Local Identifier | NPL0014 |
NHC File Name | NPL0014.jpg |
Transcription (FullText) | ^ Northfield Bank Robbery Most Daring Work of James-Younger Gang in Southern Minnesota l ^ ^- - -^- - -r> - ^^ (This is the second of a aeries of ar- ^- - ^ 4-^^4 men and ilieir fine horses. Two of them went across the Minnesota river to a well-known crooks' resort, over Sunday tides recountingr the activities of the James-Young-er gangr In South Dakota ^ . und Southern Minnesota, written by Mr. j On Monday, September 4, they all met - TorBtvlT2\ year.s^uTo"james-i'iu..^.. near'tf.,;''5^nk, they Baw"a gFoup of cltl-lal outlaws committed their crimes In re-. glons well known to them: Missouri, Ar¬ kansas, Texas, Kentucky and a section of Iowa, The robbing of banks and the holding up of railway trains were their specialty. While bank and train robbers are still with us, and ever will be, there are few of these, if any, who have dis¬ played as much cruelty and cunning as, found among the members of the James- Vounger gang. The mother of the James boys, true to her wild Instincts, always Mood by them, and gave them shelter whenever she could do so safely. The thick woods : oar her home In Missouri became the rticJal rendezvous of the robbers, and o place where consultations were held id plans made for further raids. It as there that the "Invasion" of Mlnne- la as a green pasture for renewed ef- i;ts along tho line of robbery and gen- al plunder, wa*»flnally agreed upon by 0 bang. Colo Younger was in favor r going to Canada, but the James pref- ence for the North Star State won the y. About August lo, 1876, the outlaws inp near the Samuels home was broken, ifl the long ride to Minnesota began. •. Dacus says that when the Minnesota vasiou had been decided, the men trav- lod in three bands, Jesse and Frank anies being together as usual, while Mob Younger went with Pitts, and James Younjjer had Clell Miller for companion. There is also a story to the effect that the gang met and crossed the Missouri opposite Yankton. H. N. Coop¬ er, of Canton, who has been of great assistance in furnishing data for these articles w-rites under the date of Feb¬ ruary 22, 1924: "We also had another citizen, B. M. Bottallson, who helped to ferry the James brothers and their gang, across the Missouri river at Yankton, at the time they were coming north to make tho famous raid at Northfield. I have talked with him about^^, and he sa3's it was a cold, windy, stormy day, and tlie crew who were managing the boat hesitated, and at first refused to venture across the river on account of the wea¬ ther, b'ut the bandits demanded action, -o they proceeded across the river, and ade the landing on the Dakota side 1 safe and sound." In such a case, the gang must have ivelled on the Iowa side most of the (lay, till they reached Minnesota, as they seemed to be entirely lost when they were in Rock, Minnehaha and Lincoln imties, after the Northtield raid, even the Jowa line, at Belolt, and kept on king for directions, as will be stated er. MaaJtato First Objscti^e Mankato, the official seat of Blue .arth county, on the Minnesota river, was the first town the gang intended to •nb. About September 1, 1876, the out¬ laws were in that city. The band was then compo.sed of the following: Jesse and Frank James; Thomas C.—("Cole") —James and Robert Younger: Clel Mil¬ ler, William Stiles, alias Chadwell, and Charles Pitts, alias Geo. Wells. All of them had taken assumed names, of course. It Is said there was a ninth man, but this was never proved. All of tho'Se men were hardened criminals to whom murder and robbery were almost a second nature. They did not travel together, but took different roads, and entered the city at different times, studying carefully the topography of the county, so. they would know how to escape on the return trip if closely pur¬ sued, whatever route they might have to follow. Stiles had been a resident of Rice county, separated from Blue Earth only by one county, LeSueur, and he was able to act as guide. Northfield, by I the way, is located in Rice county. On Saturday, September 2, all the out¬ laws were In Mankato; they went to a store to make some purchases, and then to the First National bank where they had a $50. bill changed. They stopped at different hotels and lodging houses so as not to attract too much attention, as some residents had already noticed the zens on the sidewalk, and some of them hc^ V,xoInfed to the horsemen. The robbers, ; thinking they had been discovered, • turned back and left Mankato In a hurry. As a matter of fact, no one In tho city had suspected them. A meeting of the Board of Trade, and repairs on a build¬ ing near the bank had attracted a num¬ ber of men there, and they had no idea ! who the strangers were. Once more the old saying was exemplified, that "the wicked flee when no man pursueth." The Northflold Bobbery and Ifftirder Having spent,, the night of Wednes¬ day, September' 6, In the vicinity of Northfield, the gang ctarted out early ; Thursday morning for that town, wear- | ing linen dusters, which were common then, and served for the purpose of con¬ cealing their weapons and ammunition. Two of them had made a previous visit to the town to see how the bank could be robbed. About two o'clock, Thurs¬ day, September 7, three of the men en¬ tered the town, dismounted near the First National bank, on Division street, the only bank in the community, and lounged around with an Indifferent air. Then two more came along, and stopped close by. When these two came, the other three men went into the bank. By that time, several of the citizens began to suspect there was something wrong. I. S. Allen, a hardware store owner, tried to follow the men Into the bank; but Miller seized him and compelled him to go bank at the point of his revolver. It. M. Wheeler, then a medical student at the University of Michigan, was close by and was one of the first to give the alarm, and later took an active part in the fight that ensued. In the bank were the following: A. E. Bunker, teller; Joseph Lee Heywood, bookkeeper and acting cashier, and P. J. Wilcox, bookkeeper. The cashier, G. M. Phillips, was a visitor at the Centennial Exposition In Philadelphia then. The bank was occupying temporary quar¬ ters, and an easy prey for such robbers as the James boys and their pals. The lobbers tried to make Mr. Heywood open the safe, but failed, and when he shout¬ ed, "Murder! Murder! Murder;" one of the men gave him a terrific blow on the head with a revolver, and he fell to the floor. Then they turned to Mr. Bunker and Mr. Wilcox and told them to unlock the safe. They replied they could not, wlhich was true, as it was already un- locked.but the door was closed. Threats of death had no effect on the two brave young men, and the robbers again turned to Heywood and fired at him at close range, but the bullet did not touch him; he was then partly unconscious. The robbers obtained but litle money, and seeing that the people had gathered outside, felt it was timo to leave. As they left the building, one of them shot Heywood dead. This act was denounced even by some of the gang as "a fool act." But it was perfectly in harmony with tho former deeds of the James Younger band of cutthroats. The fol lowing is taken from a letter to the writer from Mrs. F. J. Wilcox, 116, S Eighth Ave., Yakima, Washington, dated Aug. 24. 1924: "Mr. F. J, Wilcox died Dec. 21, 1921 At the time of the James-Younger raid, September, 1876, he was a young man just out of college, and was filling th. place of an absent member in the bank, but later he took the place of Mr. Hey¬ wood who was killed by the raiders, and this place he held for 33 years, until 1909. . . . Mr. Wilcox was held In a cor¬ ner on his knees with a revolver at his head." Mr. Bunker, later on, was for several years auditor and general manager of the Western Newspaper Union, with headquarters at Chicago. In the official organ of that organization, dated Oc¬ tober 17, 1876, and In subsequent issues he published an account of the North field tragedy, in which he says: "When James and Pitts released Hey¬ wood, the latter got on his feet and was supporting himself by leaning on a ta¬ ble In the middle of the room, when James climbed upon the desk between ^r-» aesK and teller's window and turning, reached back as near Hey¬ wood as possible, and deliberately shot I down into his head, killing him. There was no provocation whatever for the act, as he was offering no resistance, and could not have defenled himself, after j the cruel treatment he had already re- I celved at the hands of the assasslna 1 I'oiled in their undertaking, and with a i fiendish passion rsLging in his heart ¦ James murdered poor Heywood In cold blood. After committing this deed, James leaped over the high railing to the floor and joined his companion.s. Wilcox was threatened many times, but on account of his location, or because he kept quiet was not injured." ^u^ei, Mr. Bunker now live.^ at 3808 Ine-a ham street, Los Angeles Cal ' j The only two surviving witne.sses who took an active part in the affair—wrltP« Mr. Bunker under date of Sept 'l7 iaoq. are Dr. H. M. Wheeler, now of Gr^^ .^orks, N. v., and himself. ^'T^ |