A True Legend’s Story Never Dies

By Bob Ford Special to

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Like Pavlov’s dog, I went back to Northfield, Minnesota, where the James-Younger gang met their demise. Unlike the first time I was in town, I met with Sean Allen, executive director of the Northfield Historical Society, for what Paul Harvey would say, “is the rest of the story.”

Let us remember how ruthless, successful, and famous the gang had become before entering the city.

Ever since robbing the Clay County Savings Association on the square in Liberty, Missouri, in 1866, the James Gang had been on a roll. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, today’s dollar is valued 30x what the 1880 dollar was worth in purchasing power. In that first robbery alone it is estimated the boys got away with $60,000.

The take from their exploits between 1866 and 1882 was huge, causing a ripple effect on banking, the insurance industry, mining and freighting. In those years it is estimated the gang robbed in excess of 20 banks and trains, hauling in over $200,000.

With that in mind, it makes you wonder … where’s the loot? The James Gang’s gold/stash is a mystery treasure hunters are trying to find to this day. Might just be a subject for another article don’t you think?

After the Gads Hill/Missouri train robbery in early 1874, rewards increased for Jesse and his band to a record amount, $25,000 for Jesse, $15,000 for brother Frank and $5,000 for any gang member, dead or alive. The brazen thefts, unprecedented violence and elusiveness caused the James-Younger gang to become newspaper and dime novel sensations.

The eastern part of the United States was mesmerized by the lawlessness of what was going on in the West, gunfights in the streets, Indian uprisings, wide open frontier towns and gold! Everyone had a family member or someone they knew that ventured West looking for a new opportunity and life.

Later in 1874, the Pinkerton Detective Agency was hired by Adams Express Company to finally capture and put an end to the James gang’s successful run. A failure to bring anyone in for years only added to the mystique of the outlaws.

Always on the lookout for a new target, Jesse heard about the largest bank west of the Mississippi that was loaded, it was located in Northfield, Minnesota, the First National Bank. Never letting mileage be a concern, a plan was devised.

Jesse, Frank and the Youngers loved horses. They treated and rode the best, knowing a good horse could spell the difference between being captured or freedom, in other words life versus death.

The gang included Jesse, Frank, Cole, Bob and Jim Younger along with Clell Miller, Charlie Pitts and Bill Chadwell.

“The boys rode into Northfield at 2 p.m. Sept. 7, 1876,” smiled Sean.

Frank, Charlie and Bob entered the bank as Cole and Clell stood at the doorway not letting anyone else in. The other three took up positions as bookends on the block. J. S. Allen, a local, noticed something odd and walked towards the bank to see what was going on. Clell grabbed Allen, pointed his gun at him and told him to be quiet. Allen broke away and reportedly warned all on Main Street, shouting “get your guns, the banks being robbed.”

With the robbery discovered, the lookouts rode up and down main street shooting their pistols in the air, warning people to stay inside or they’d be shot. A medical student, Henry Wheeler, quickly grabbed a rifle and went to the third flood of the hotel across the street. He took aim at Clell Miller — who had just gotten on his horse — and dropped him. Anselm Manning, the owner of the hardware store, had never shot a gun, came around the corner with a carbine and unloaded one lucky shot, hitting Bill Chambers in the head half a block away. In the crossfire another local, Nicolaus Gustavson was mortally wounded. Cole Younger yelled into the bank for the boys to hurry up and get out but things weren’t going any better in the bank.

Frank James ordered the bank’s bookkeeper Joseph Heywood to open the vault which he said was on a time lock and could not … that was a lie. Frank shot over his head, with that distraction, a teller tried to flee, making it outside into the back alley a few feet, he was shot in the shoulder by Charlie Pitts.

The vault door was now pulled open, it was never locked during the day, and Frank James went inside. As chaos and gunfire reigned outside, Heywood tried to close the vault door catching James inside but Frank managed to get his arm partially out as the heavy door smashed his limb. Frank came out mad and pistol whipped Heywood, realizing the whole robbery was now a failure, grabbed what loose money was in a cash drawer. Frank, in pain, prepared to leave the bank. But before he did, he told Heywood to get to his knees and proceeded to shoot him in the head, killing him instantly. And you thought Frank was the nice one!

In the street as the gang tried to escape, mayhem ensued. Many people weren’t even armed but came out throwing rocks at the robbers, others had guns. In seconds two robbers and two civilians lay dead in the street while Jesse and the Youngers were wounded, some worse than others.

What was left of the gang made their getaway, creating the largest manhunt in United States history. The Youngers were hit with multiple shots and in trouble.

Jesse and Frank split from the others, riding hundreds of miles out of their way West before managing to return to Missouri weeks later. The Youngers didn’t fare as well. Captured, they stood trial, receiving a life sentence for murder and robbery to be served at famed Stillwater Prison, where Bob Younger died of Tuberculosis at age 35. Jim and Cole Younger became exemplary prisoners and earned a pardon, thanks to the warden, in 1901.

Jim committed suicide in 1902 but Cole went on to write his memoir admitting to being an avenging “lost cause” Confederate but only confessing to one criminal act, Northfield.

Jesse and Frank made it home, yet things weren’t the same. Frank would live until 1915 but Jesse died in his 34th year at the hands of you know who.

The raid on Northfield ended a crime spree never seen before or since in the U.S, it added to the lore of Jesse James while elevating the historic importance of a quaint sleepy town in southern Minnesota.