The Northfield Tragedy; or, the Robber's Raid: A Thrilling Narrative; A history of the remarkable attempt to rob the bank at Northfield, Minnesota; the Cold-Blooded Murder of the Brave Cashier and an Inoffensive Citizen. The Slaying of Two of the Brigands. The Wonderful Robber Hunt and Capture Graphically Described. Biographies of the Victims, the Captors & the Notorious Younger and James Gang of DesperadoesHanson, J. H. (Joseph Have)
History
The Northfield Tragedy; or, the Robber's Raid: A Thrilling Narrative; A history of the remarkable attempt to rob the bank at Northfield, Minnesota; the Cold-Blooded Murder of the Brave Cashier and an Inoffensive Citizen. The Slaying of Two of the Brigands. The Wonderful Robber Hunt and Capture Graphically Described. Biographies of the Victims, the Captors & the Notorious Younger and James Gang of Desperadoes
Hanson, J. H. (Joseph Have)
Bank robberies -- Minnesota -- Northfield -- History -- 19th century
The police were at once led by the sheriff to an empty store where were
lying the inanimate and ghastly forms of the two bandits who had been shot
down by the intrepid Northfield citizens. One was found to be six feet
four and a half inches in height; his body exhibited a splendid physical
development, with arms and limbs of thewy muscles and skin as fair and
soft as a lady’s; his face was of rather an elongated oval with sharply
cut features; high cheek bones, well arched brow and deep-set blue eyes.
His hair was a very dark, reddish auburn, inclined to curl. He wore no
hair on his face, but was closely shaved, and did not appear to be more
than 23 or 25 years of age. He was clothed in a new suit of black clothes,
worth about $25 or $30, a new colored shirt and good boots. The ball which
brought him down entered about three inches, in a line with the left
nipple and toward the center of the chest and completely riddling the man,
passed out on the same side beneath the shoulder blade. On his person was
found the card of the Nicollet House livery stable, St. Peter, on which is
printed the distances of the principal cities in this part of the State.
He had also on him an advertisement of Hall’s safes cut from a local
paper. His pockets were well filled with cartridges, and he had round his
waist, beneath his coat, a cartridge belt. There has been some dispute as
to the identity of the man, but it is now pretty well settled that he is
Bill Chadwell _alias_ Bill Styles.
IDENTIFICATION.
There were two men from Cannon Falls, who came to view the bodies before
the interment, with the expectation of identifying one of the latter as a
brother-in-law of one of the two. He said if it was his relative, a bullet
scar would be found under the left arm. The scar was there, but the man
would not say whether the fellow was his relation or not. The man whom the
big fellow was thought to be, is
[BILL STYLES.]
BILL STYLES.
BILL STYLES,
a former resident of Minneapolis, who has a brother-in-law still living
there. This Styles left for Texas some time ago. It is said he was a
desperately bad man. It is told that his sister received a letter from him
a short time before, saying that now he had lucrative employment, and if
she wanted money he would send her some. He also wrote in his letter that
he would shortly be up this way, and would call on her. This sister was
adopted by a minister residing at Cannon Falls. A letter recently received
from the father of Styles proves beyond doubt the identity of the man.
Styles’ father now lives at Grand Forks, D. T., and says that his son has
for some time lived in Texas. The father expresses no surprise at the
untimely end of his son, and says he was always a wild wayward boy with
whom he could do nothing.
CLELL MILLER.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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