Jesse James Northfield Raid
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Of the countless murders that have occurred in Minnesota over the years, the Jesse James Northfield Raid has stood out and not been forgotten with the waves of time. It has remained a famous story because of its historic importance. The raid on the small Minnesota town eventually brought about the demise of the legendary James-Younger gang.
It all began when the gang decided to rob a Minnesota bank. They decided this because one of the members was Minnesotan and often bragged of his states banks. After choosing between 8 banks, the bandits decided to raid the First National Bank of Mankato. They decided that if that failed, they would proceed on to Northfield. This raid was the beginning of the end.
When the gang arrived in Mankato they saw a large group of civilians in front of the bank. Not wanting to risk immediate resistance from such a big number of people, the James-Younger Gang moved on to Northfield, planning to steal from the First National Bank of Northfield. Upon arriving near Northfield the night of September 6, 1876, the men began preparing for the next day’s big robbery.
On the morning of the 7th all went as planned for the gang. They split into 3 groups, the actual robbers, those who would guard the bank entrance, and the people in charge of manning the escape route. The first group was made up of Frank James, Bob Younger and Charlie Pitts. The guards were Cole Younger and Clell Miller. Jesse James, Jim Younger and William Stiles made up the final cluster of anxious men.
Before the clever outlaws could make off with anything, the citizens discovered the plot. When things finally settled down, William Stiles and Clell Miller lay lifeless in the street. The remaining members of the gang fled, all wounded. Two townspeople were also dead, Joseph Heywood, a bank clerk who had refused to open the safe, and Nicholas Gustafson, a bystander to the street battle who was hit by a stray bullet.
By and by the only free surviving members of the original James-Younger gang were Jesse and Frank James. Cole, Jim and Bob Younger had all received life sentences for their parts in the raid. Charlie Pitts was dead, killed in a fight with people trying to capture the gang. After the raid, the gang never again reformed and the end of an American legend came to be.
[edit] Source
- northfield historcal society last updated December 11, 2003
