Shot All to Hell

by Mark Lee Gardner

  For Detective Larry M. Hazen in St. Paul and Northfield, see the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 9 and 11, 1876; and the Rice County Journal, Sept. 14, 1876. My description of Hazen is from the Rocky Mountain News, Dec. 10, 1875. A history and profile of Hazen’s detective agency is found in Leading Manufacturers and Merchants of Cincinnati and Environs (Boston: International Publishing Co., 1886), 134.

  Kansas City chief of police Speers received the photographs of the two dead robbers on September 15, and from “the unqualified statements made to him by a number of persons yesterday who saw the photographs and knew the men, Capt. Speers is confident, he says, that one of the pictures is that of Cell Miller . . . and the other that of Bill Chadwell.” See the Kansas City Times, Sept. 16, 1876. Former gang member Hobbs Kerry later confirmed these identifications after viewing the photographs. See the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 28, 1876.

  Chief of Police McDonough is quoted from his letter to Governor Charles H. Hardin of Sept. 12, 1876, Records of Charles Henry Hardin, 1875–1877 (RG 3.22), Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City, MO.

  The fate of the bodies of Miller and Chadwell is well covered in Koblas, Faithful Unto Death, 87–88. That the bodies were buried following the inquest is confirmed in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 9, 1876. The story of the Northfield mayor intimating that the bodies would not be deeply buried is from “He Shot the Youngers,” the Macon Telegraph, Georgia, July 25, 1897. See also Francis F. McKinney, “The Northfield Raid, and Its Ann Arbor Sequel,” Michigan Alumnus: A Journal of University Perspectives 61 (Dec. 1954): 38–45.

  Six: The Great Manhunt

  The gang’s encounter with George James at the ford of the Cannon River is chronicled in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 9, 1876; the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 9, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 10, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 29. For the gang’s visit to the Rosnau farm and Wilhelm Rosnau as guide, see the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 9, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 10 and 13, 1876; the Mankato Review, Sept. 12, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 30–31. Various spellings are given for Rosnau’s surname in the contemporary accounts. His large household, including son Wilhelm, is enumerated in the 1875 Minnesota state census and the 1880 federal census, Elysian Township, Le Sueur County.

  The last sighting of the gang on Friday, Sept. 8, is mentioned in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 11, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 30.

  The special train patrolling on the Winona & St. Peter line is mentioned in the Mankato Review, Sept. 12, 1876.

  The “hog pen of the state” is from the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 10, 1876.

  For the fear felt by posse members and local citizens alike, see the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 10 and 20, 1876. The lack of adequate weapons for some posse members is from the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 9 and 20, 1876.

  The price gouging by the Big Woods locals is mentioned in the Mankato Review, Sept. 12, 1876.

  The large state atlas carried by many posse members was An Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Minnesota by A. T. Andreas (Chicago: A. T. Andreas, 1874). One reporter claimed that “hundreds carried maps taken from the books.” See the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 20, 1876.

  The problems with leadership and lack of coordination, especially between the Minneapolis and St. Paul contingents, was reported in the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 10, 12, and 20, 1876; the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 11, 1876; and the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 11, 1876.

  Biographical information on Detective Michael Hoy is found in his obituary, published in the Saint Paul Daily Globe, Mar. 21, 1895. Biographical information on Detective John B. Bresette (also spelled Bresett) is in his obituary, published in the Saint Paul Daily Globe, Mar. 18, 1892; and Pen Pictures of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Biographical Sketches of Old Settlers, by T. M. Newson (Saint Paul, MN: Published by the author, 1886), 574.

  Mike Hoy’s hanging of the ex-con Dolan is reported in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 12, 1876; the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876; and the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876.

  The false report of the robbers crossing the Cannon River bridge was published in several newspapers. See the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 11, 1876; the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 11, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 12 and 13, 1876; and the Mankato Review, Sept. 12, 1876. See also The Northfield Tragedy, 34–35. The special train from St. Paul carrying Chief of Police King and private detective Larry Hazen is mentioned in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 11, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876; and the Saint Peter Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876.

  The report of the discovery of the “false grave” is in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 11, 1876; the Mankato Review, Sept. 12, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876.

  Joseph Lee Heywood’s funeral is described in considerable detail in the Rice County Journal, Sept. 14, 1876.

  The quote arguing that it was not Heywood’s duty to give his life for the First National Bank is from the Western Progress, Spring Valley, MN, Sept. 13, 1876.

  Adelbert Ames explained the reward monies offered and his responsibility for a part of it in his letter to Blanche Ames, Sept. 22, 1876, in Blanche Butler Ames, ed., Chronicles from the Nineteenth Century: Family Letters of Blanche Butler and Adelbert Ames (Clinton, MA: Privately printed, 1957), 2: 425.

  For the Heywood Fund, see George Huntington, Robber and Hero: The Story of the Northfield Raid on the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota, by the James-Younger Band of Robbers, in 1876 (1895; reprint, Minneapolis: Ross & Haines, 1962), 101–119.

  The shotgun accident of the two boys of Henderson, MN, “playing robbers” was reported in the New Ulm Herald, Sept. 15, 1876; and the Saint Peter Tribune, Sept. 20, 1876. The Owatonna boy accidentally shooting his mother is from the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 16, 1876.

  The robbers’ camp of Friday night, September 8, is described in the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 31–32. Cole referred to the fact that the gang had worn out their horses in The Story of Cole Younger by Himself (Chicago: The Henneberry Co., 1903), 86.

  Local folklore has the gang’s Friday night camp located on a well-known wooded peak known as Klondike Hill just north of Lake Francis, but it’s just that, folklore (one version even has the outlaws hiding in a cave somewhere on the peak). No contemporary accounts and newspaper reports I have examined mention Klondike Hill. The various theories on Klondike Hill are summarized in Earl Weinmann, ed., Caught in the Storm: A Field Guide to the James & Younger Gang Escape Trail (Northfield, MN: Northfield Historical Society Press, 2008), 66–68.

  For the food the gang subsisted on during their flight, see The Northfield Tragedy, 33. The story of the gang stealing a woman’s baking is from the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 11, 1876. Their failed attempts to kill a calf and hog are mentioned in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 23, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 32.

  For the gang’s camp north of Marysburg, see the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 12 and 23, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 32. Mike Hoy’s scoffing at the report of the two boys who claimed to have seen the robbers near Marysburg is from the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876.

  The gang’s day camp on Madison Lake and the nine-mile march of that night is mentioned in The Northfield Tragedy, 32–33; and The Story of Cole Younger by Himself, 86.

  The discovery of the robbers’ abandoned horses on Tuesday, Sept. 12, was big news, so it was reported in numerous Minnesota newspapers, but see the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 35. The telegraph advising that the robbers were on foot is reproduced in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876.

  The quotes stating that the outlaws had escaped and that the manhunters were “baffled” are from the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876; and the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 12, 1876.

  Faribault County sheriff A. B. Davis’s sighting of five strange men near Indian Lake was reported in the Ma
nkato Review, Sept. 19, 1876, and other newspapers. However, these men were not the robbers. It was later learned that they were a party of five “Scandinavians” from the town of Albert Lea. Cole Younger also stated later that the gang was never at Indian Lake. See the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876; and the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876.

  The departure of the manhunters for Minneapolis and St. Paul on the morning of Sept. 13 is noted in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 14, 1876; the Mankato Review, Sept. 19, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 37.

  I have based my narrative on the gang’s kidnapping of Thomas Jefferson Dunning on the accounts in the Mankato Union, Sept. 15, 1876; the Mankato Record, Sept. 16, 1876; the Mankato Review, Sept. 19, 1876; the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 13, 1876; the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 14, 1876; the Faribault Democrat, Dec. 12, 1876; The Northfield Tragedy, 37–38; the Saint Paul Globe, July 4, 1897; and The Story of Cole Younger by Himself, 86–87. Cole later stated that their meeting with Dunning was entirely accidental. See the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876.

  Some newspapers reported that after the release of Dunning, the gang had breakfast at the home of a German named Graf Stoltzberg (also Solberg). This report proved to be false. See the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 14, 1876; and the Mankato Review, Sept. 19, 1876.

  The telegram giving the news of the Dunning capture was printed in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 13, 1876.

  Hoy and Bresette receiving the news of the Dunning capture and their return to Mankato was reported in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 13, 1876; and the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 14, 1876. See also The Northfield Tragedy, 38.

  The Mike Hoy quotes are from the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 14, 1876.

  The quote from the Saint Paul Dispatch about the excitement in the streets of Mankato is from the issue of Sept. 14, 1876.

  For the selection of General Edmund Mann Pope to direct the manhunt, see the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 14, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 38–39.

  The quote remarking that the preparations in Mankato seemed that the manhunters were expecting an attack from Sitting Bull is from The Northfield Tragedy, 39.

  For the gang’s movements through Mankato and their crossing of the Blue Earth River the night of Wednesday, Sept. 13, see the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876; the Mankato Record, Sept. 30, 1876; the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 14 and 23, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 40.

  Several newspaper accounts reported that suspicious whistling was heard in Mankato the night the gang passed through town, the supposition being that these were signals used by the robbers. There were also reports that rocks had been thrown near the two bridges over the Blue Earth River, supposedly tossed by the gang to see if the bridges were guarded. However, the Younger brothers later stated that they did not whistle or use other signals because they were always together. They also denied throwing any rocks near the bridges. In fact, they did not even approach the county wagon bridge. See the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876.

  For the gang robbing the melon patch and, later, the chicken coop, see the Mankato Record, Sept. 16 and 30, 1876; and the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876.

  The robbers’ Pigeon Hill camp is described in the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 41. Cole’s claim that he did not approve of the location of the camp is from the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876.

  For Mike Hoy at Pigeon Hill, see The Northfield Tragedy, 40–41; and the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 14 and 18, 1876. George Tinsley, a member of Hoy’s party, gave a very positive report on his commander’s actions in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876. The Youngers mentioned hearing the hooting and hollering of Hoy’s squad, as well as Hoy’s orders, in interviews reported in the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876; and the Mankato Record, Sept. 30, 1876.

  Hoy’s telegram announcing that he had captured the blankets, bridles, and coats of the robbers appeared in the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 14, 1876.

  That Hoy had been cautioned not to act rashly in his pursuit of the robbers the morning of Sept. 14 was reported in the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876. This issue also contains the quote blaming Hoy for the failure at Pigeon Hill.

  For the gang fleeing southeast from Pigeon Hill to the Blue Earth River, see The Northfield Tragedy, 42. The possemen overhearing the gang in the thicket is from the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 42.

  Much has been written about the decision of the gang to separate. Cole would state shortly after his capture that “We parted in peace.” However, he makes it clear in his memoir that Jesse and Frank were not happy with the way the Dunning situation had been handled and that the brothers were very concerned about their slow pace. Some of the more outlandish accounts of the separation claim that Jesse wanted to kill Bob so that the gang could travel faster; this claim is ludicrous. (Interestingly, many of these tales confuse Bob with Jim, but there is ample evidence that it was Bob’s wound that was slowing the gang down.) That Jesse wished to abandon Bob, however, and that there had been hard feelings surrounding the separation, is revealed in interviews with Cole from 1882 and 1887. Cole would contradict himself (of course) on his deathbed in March 1916, telling Jesse James Jr. and Harry Hoffman that Jesse and Frank had gone out looking for horses but had only found two. Jesse suggested that Cole and Bob take the two horses and escape, but because Bob’s arm “had taken a turn for the worse,” Cole told Jesse and Frank to mount the horses and go. See the Mankato Review, Sept. 26, 1876; The Story of Cole Younger by Himself, 87; J. W. Buel, The Border Outlaws . . . , 371; the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Apr. 6, 1882, and Jan. 25, 1887; and Harry C. Hoffman, “The Fog Around the Rumors Cleared Away,” typescript, Harry Hoffman Donations Accession File, Missouri State Museum, Jefferson City, MO. Former gang member George Shepherd would claim that Frank, not Jesse, wanted to kill Bob. Where Shepherd got his information is unknown, but it is false, nevertheless. See the Liberty Tribune, Feb. 27, 1880.

  Just a day after his capture, Cole Younger told reporter J. Newton Nind that he and his brothers and Pitts had given their valuables to the James boys, “thinking their chances best.” A German farmer who encountered Jesse and Frank near Lamberton, Minnesota, shortly after they separated from the Youngers, claimed the Jameses had five watches and a great deal of money on them. But for some reason, the Youngers would later deny giving their watches and money to the Jameses, declaring that the newspapers had misreported the German’s account. Instead of “five” gold watches, it should have been “fine” gold watches. However, when the Youngers were captured, they were found to have “but a small amount of money and no watches.” See the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 18, 1876; the Faribault Democrat, Dec. 1, 1876; and the Mankato Record, Sept. 23, 1876.

  Seven: Last Stand on the Watonwan

  Pope’s headquarters move and new picket line are described in The Northfield Tragedy, 43; and the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876.

  For Richard Roberts’s later reminiscences of his encounter with Jesse and Frank at the bridge, see the Mankato Free Press, Feb. 16, 1931. Contemporary reports are found in the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 16, 1876; the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 15, 1876; the Mankato Record, Sept. 16, 1876; the Mankato Review, Sept. 19, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 44–45. For mention of the particular boot prints of the robbers, see the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876; and the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 15, 1876.

  The robbery of Joseph Rockwood’s iron-gray mares was reported in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 15, 1876; the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 16, 1876; and the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 16, 1876. Several newspapers carried the story that the robbers had assaulted Rockwood when they stole his horses, knocking him in the head with the butt of a pistol. This story later proved to be false. See the Minneapolis Tribune, Sept. 18, 1876.

  The various theories as to what had become of the Younger brothers and Pitts are co
vered in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 18, 1876.

  The raid on Jack O’Neil’s Mankato brothel is mentioned in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 16 and 18, 1876; and The Northfield Tragedy, 50–51.

  Judson Jones wrote of the vicious attack of Mike Hoy in an open letter to Hoy published in the Saint Peter Tribune, Sept. 20, 1876. The Minneapolis mayor defended his detective, arguing that Jones had insulted Hoy’s manhood. A letter from the mayor, along with a rebuttal from Jones, is published in the Saint Peter Tribune, Sept. 27, 1876. Additional coverage of the incident is found in the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 19, 1876; and the Mankato Union, Sept. 29, 1876.

  The quote expressing awe for the James-Younger gang’s success in evading the posses, probably written by reporter J. Newton Nind, appeared in the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 20, 1876.

  Bob Younger told of the movements of the Youngers and Pitts after the separation with the James brothers in an interview published in the Saint Paul Dispatch, Sept. 22, 1876. He told a reporter for the Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 23, 1876, that the band was “making due west as near as possible.” Cole’s claim that they were headed for a farm with horses is from his The Story of Cole Younger by Himself, 87. That farm belonged to John Doolittle.

  Cole mentions his homemade cane in The Story of Cole Younger by Himself (Chicago: The Henneberry Co., 1903), 87. Bob’s problems with his right arm are described in the St. Paul and Minneapolis Pioneer Press and Tribune, Sept. 23, 1876. Cole told the story of Bob resting his shattered elbow on Cole’s prone body to a reporter for the Saint Paul Daily Globe, June 23, 1889, and again in The Story of Cole Younger by Himself, 87.

  T. L. Vought wrote of his hotel guests, Cole and Pitts, in “Capture of the Younger Brothers by One of the Captors,” Northfield News, Sept. 18, 1897. Vought’s son also wrote of the visit, based on his father’s recollections. See “As Boy and Man,” the Webster Journal, Webster, SD, July 17, 1930; and “Capture of the Youngers Recalled,” typescript, box 3, folder 53, John J. Koblas Collection, Northfield Historical Society, Northfield, MN.