DARK HISTORY: THE NORTHFIELD RAID

Ninetoes filled in again for Deven, and went back in time to visit one of America’s most notable daylight bank robberies, the Northfield Raid of 1876. Did he get wounded along with the James-Younger gang?

Hey there, history lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am looking at the Northfield, Minnesota, Raid of 1876. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

As you can tell by the year, I am following a Wild West theme this month. We love our mythology, especially when it comes to the Wild West. Lawmen and outlaws both capture our imagination. Today, my focus is on the final robbery committed by the James-Younger gang. The gang was led by Jesse and Frank James, along with Cole, Jim, Bob, and John Younger. In my mind, this is a case of too many cooks. Of the five, Jesse was the best known. Let’s face it, his name still reverberates in history to this day.

The target for this robbery took the gang well out of their normal area to Northfield, Minnesota. There was nothing special about this bank. By all accounts, it was an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, rural bank. As such, it did not hold a great deal of wealth. But rumors circulated that General Aldebert Ames, the son of the owner of the Ames Mill in Northfield, had deposited $50,000. (After the robbery, Bob Younger claimed that the bank was chosen because of its association with Benjamin Butler and Adelbert Ames, two Union Generals and Radical Republican politicians. The James/Younger boys fought on the side of the South in the Civil War.)

In September 1876, Frank and Jesse James, Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger, along with Charlie Pitts, Clell Miller, and Bill Chadwell, took a train to St. Paul, Minnesota. They divided into two groups, one going to Mankato and the other going to Red Wing, both of which were on either side of Northfield. They scouted the towns on horseback and agreed to meet south of Northfield along the Cannon River.

On September 7, 1876, the gang attempted to rob the bank at 2:00 p.m. Bob Younger, Frank James, and Charlie Pitts entered the bank; the rest stood guard outside (two stood outside the bank’s door, and the other three waited in Mill’s Square to guard the gang’s escape route)

According to some reports, J.S. Allen shouted, “Get your guns, boys! They’re robbing the bank!” Several of Northfield’s citizens took up arms from local hardware stores, and from behind cover, they started firing at the outlaws. Clell Miller was shot by a medical student from the third-floor window of the Dampier House Hotel. Bill Stiles was killed by another citizen from the Sciver building that was down the street. Other citizens shot the younger brothers; Cole was shot in his left hip, Bob was shot in the elbow, and Jim was shot in the jaw.) The only civilian casualty was a recent Swedish immigrant, Nicholas Gustafson. He was unarmed but was shot by Cole Younger.

Inside the bank, assistant cashier Joseph Lee Heywood refused to open the safe and was killed for resisting. When the shooting started, the three gang members in the bank ran out the back with nothing to show for their efforts except for some bags of nickels. Frank James and Charlie Pitts both sustained leg wounds. Jesse James was shot in the thigh.

The people of Minnesota set up picket lines and joined posses by the hundreds. The gang had split up, with the Youngers and Pitts moving westward on foot. They were cornered in a swamp called Hanska Slough two weeks later. A gunfight ensued in which Charlie Pitts was killed, and the Youngers were wounded again. The Youngers surrendered and pleaded guilty to murder to avoid the death penalty.

Jesse and Frank James got horses and headed west across Minnesota. They turned south just inside the Dakota border. The James brothers got away, but the James Younger gang was no more.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.