Northfield Raid

The Northfield Raid, first published in 1933, is a brief account of the infamous attempted robbery by the James-Younger Gang of the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. Following the Civil War, Cole Younger, along with his brothers Bob and Jim, robbed banks and trains with Frank and Jesse James and other members of the James-Younger Gang. The robbery attempt in Northfield on September 7, 1876 would prove to be the last of Cole's exploits. When members of the gang rode into Northfield, they wore flowing dusters to conceal their guns. Once inside, they dropped their coats and demanded the money from the vault. Joseph Lee Heywood, the bank clerk on duty, was killed when he refused to open the safe. When the townspeople were alerted and resisted the robbers, the gang dropped everything and fled. In the melee that followed, Nicholas Gustavson, a town resident, was killed, as were gang members Clell Miller and William Stiles. The pursuit of the gang went on for weeks and covered a large area, during which time the gang split up and managed to get away. The Youngers were eventually captured at Madelia, Minnesota, in another gun battle; gang member Charlie Pitts was killed. The three Younger brothers were tried, found guilty of murder, and sentenced to life in the state prison at Stillwater. Bob Younger died in prison in 1889; Jim was pardoned in 1901 and committed suicide in 1902; Cole, also pardoned in 1901, died in 1916. Cole served his time as a model prisoner. Included are 13 pages of illustrations.