May 22, 1938 Northfield That Licked Jesse James rying a double burden, galloped down the street toward the Minnesotans Still Talk of 5 south. The four other robbers also took to filght. The battle Historic Gun Battle was over. Two of the despera- does lay dead in the street. Their By JOHN A. MENAOGH horses had bolted from the scene. The vanquished robbers, six EVEN crowded minutes, them was Charlie Pitts. Anoth- men on five horses, swept out of packed with melodramatic er was Bob Younger. The third the town, riding toward the vil- S gunplay, sudden death, and is believed to this day, and for lage of Dundas, three miles to the thrills of a hundred life- good reason, to have been Jesse the southwest, instead of west- times, made unforgettable his- James himself. Coolly the y erly across the bridge at Bridge tory in the town of Northfield, tossed their reins over hitching square, which had been the orig- Rice county, Minn., nearly slxty- posts and coolly they sauntered inal intention. It had been a two years ago. to some goods boxes that were part of their plan to stop at the The people of Northfield, now standing on the walk in front railroad station west of the river a prosperous and progressive of the Lee & Hitchcock store, to cut the telegraph wires and city of 4,500 inhabitants, still which occupied quarters in the thus isolate the community, but. talk with traces of pride about northeast corner of the Scriver since they were forced to fiee by how their town, of all towns in block, just north of and in the another route, the wires were the country, was THE town that same building with the bank. left intact. Soon over these licked notorious Jesse James In 1m1tation of harmless folk wires the story of the raid was and his Missouri outiaw band. ticking out to the outside world. No day passes even now in Virtually the whole southern NOrthfield that does not hear part of Minnesota was roused mention of the robber raid and Bridg. ~ar •• Northfi.ld. MinD..tak.n at about the tim. of the Jam•• raieL Promin.nt are (1) the road by whic:h .be of the ouUa•• approac:h.d the into action for a great man hunt. the historic battle fought in the bank. obj.ct of the raid: (2) the Cannon dnr; (3) the .quar.: (4) the Dampier hot.L and (5) the Sc:rinr block. hou.mg the bank. Citizens of numerous tow n s business section of the town be- (All pho_, unleu otherwioe c:recIiteclcourt_", Northfield Ne,".) were on the lookout for the six tween the home folks and the the street. He arose and walked fired at Jim Younger, but it was outlaws, and it was said that invading outlaws on Thursday, along the sidewalk across the and tried to close the vault door out, boys; they're killing all our a clean miss. His second shot more than a thousand at one Sept. 7, 1876. street from the bank, and when behind him. The other two ban- men." drilled Miller in a vital spot. time or another were doing duty Although actual participants he saw Miller seize Merchant dits prevented the trapping of The three robbers retreated The bandit tumbled trom his in the lines set to prevent the in that desperate fight no longer Alien he 'Jet up a cry of: their companion, thrust their by the way of the teller's win- horse and died a few moments desperadoes from fieeing the are among the living, there still "Robbery! Robbery!" weapons in the bookkeeper's dow and the front door. As later as he lay on the ground. state. remain plenty of citizens who Miller and Col e Younger face, and warned him that if they we r e leaving Heywood The story is told in Northfield Two weeks to a day after the remember all about it from sprang to their horses. To their he did not open the safe immedi- struggled to hIs feet and stag- that young Wheeler had his vic- raid in Northfield the three hearing the tale first hand over aid galloped the three who had ately he would be slain. gered in the direction of his tim's body shipped to Ann Arbor, Younger brothers and Pitts were and over again. It there is any been left near the bridge. Out "There is a time lock on it," desk. The last of the bandits to where he used it in his labora- surrounded in a thicket along boredom up in Northfield about came their long-barreled revol- Heywood told them. ••It cannot leave the building hesitated, took tory work in anatomy, and that the banks of the Watonwan the bat tie that has been refought vers, and the calm of the lazy be opened now." deliberate aim, and shot the he later preserved the skeleton. so many times the people there afternoon was shattered by One 0 f the robbers then heroic bookkeeper through the He is not available, however, 'to today are skil1ul at concealing sharp explosions. It was the crashed the butt of his revolver head. Heywood, it is believed, verify or deny the story, as he it. After all, it was the two (Jamea broth ••.• photos from N. H. R_.) down on Heywood's head. The died instantly. The slayer is died in Grand Forks, S. D., eight James brothers, the three J•••• Jam•• at ag. of 17. B.low: Th. man sank to the fioor dazed. thought by most authorities to years ago, after many years' Younger brothers, and three po ••• that Unfortunately for him, he was have been Jesse James, although practice of medicine. lesser wild and woolly despera- the country over, they started c:aught the not completely out. Had he reo there are some who contend that The third cartridge that the does who really first centered whittling on the boxes. YoUDg.r broth- young student had carried to the ••.•• Left to mained on the fioor he most like- Pitts fired the fatal shot. wide attention upon Northfield, window with him fell to the fioor A few moments later two right, S h • ri f ly would have saved his life. Let us now return to the which today has come to be cele- more of the band, Cole Younger GII.pin. M u r • The bandits tried to make movements of the first heroes of and spilled its contents of pow- brated in .a totally different and Clel Miller, rode up Division phy, Bradford. Brunker and Wilcox open the the day, Allen and Wheeler. der. As he started downstairs manner as the site of two insti- street from the south, and about Ric e, Vought. for more ammunition he met a tutions of learning, Carleton and the same time the three other Pom.roy, S.y- hotel employe coming up with St. Olaf colleges. members of the ban d, Jim • ~n. a few more cartridges . The general layout of North- Younger, William Stiles (a ror- Frank Jam•• field's downtown is as it was on mer Minnesotan), and Frank • • • the fateful September day. It James, clattered into the town is true that there are many new from the west and brought their In the meantime Allen's out- business buildings. The old horses to a halt in the Vicinity crtes had attracted the attention wooden and iron bridge that of the bridge, to guard and keep of Anselm B. Manning, a bust- once spanned the Cannon river, ness rival who operated a hard- Jo•• ph L. H.ywood. .lain h.ro of open the way of retreat. The the bank raid. which bisects the city, has been band had planned, when it met ware store in the same block supplanted by a modern stone early that morning in a woods with Allen. "Get you r gun, Manning! river near the town of Madelia, structure. Concrete pavements five miles west of the town, that Minn., about sixty - five miles have replaced the dust and mud it would make its getaway by They're robbing the bank!" Allen shouted. southwest of Northfield. Seven of 0 the I' days. But Bridge riding west over the bridge and volunteers from the posse that square, the public plaza just east out of town. Manning stepped into his own store, reached into his display surrounded theJl1- Col. T. L. of the aforementioned bri4g~,. Wh~n. Cole. Y:ou.ngeI:and. Mil- Vought, Sherif James GUspin of still is there. Division street, in ler, both garbed in dusters, a·p. window for a repeating rifie, ob- tained a box of cartridges from Watonwan county, Capt. W. W. which the citizenry outfought peared in the street the trio of Murphy, Ben M. Rice, George A. the bandits, still is Division first arrivals arose from their his desk, and rushed into the street to take part in the fray. Bradford, C. A. Pomeroy, and S. street, running north and south perches on the goods boxes, On coming within sight of the J. Severson-rushed the robbers. along the eastern edge of Bridge walked a few steps south, and When the shooting was over all square. And the bullet-scarred disappeared into the bank. Mil- outlaws he was fired upon. Un- perturbed,Manning, perhaps the of the bandits except Bob Youn- old Scriver block, on the west ler and Cole Younger then dis- coolest man in Northfield that ger were down. Pitts had been side of Dtvision street and fac- mounted, the first marching to Allen, after his alarming en- day, drew bead on the head of killed and the Younger brothers ing on Brtdge square, the stone the door of the bank, which he purpose of the five desperadoes safe, but the two said that they could not unlock it.