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
Meantime, while the two men were engaged with Heywood, James told Bob
Younger to bring out the sack. Bob took out a green bag and thrust a
handful of scrip into it, but did not take any of the nickels.
The distance from where I was to the rear of the bank, is about 25 feet,
and the rear door of the two hardware stores adjoin the rear door of the
bank. I thought if I could make my way out in this direction, I would have
a chance of giving the alarm, so that the citizens would come to the
rescue. In making this movement, I should have to pass where Mr. Wilcox
was sitting, and I made a slight motion for him to move so that I could
get past. He saw my motion and shifted his position. The man who stood
over me having his attention directed to the proceedings of the others, I
started, but was immediately followed by Charley Pitts, who fired at me,
the ball going through the blinds of the door and lodging in a brick
chimney, but not striking me. There was a stairway leading down, and Pitts
standing on top of that, fired down on me, I having reached the bottom at
the time, fired again, the ball just striking me below the scapula,
passing through the thin portion of it, and down, passing out about half
an inch below the collar bone, the course traversed being about seven
inches, and narrowly missing the sub-claviel artery, where the wound would
have been fatal.
I think it was James that said, while keeping us down, “don’t one of you
move; we have fifty men on the street, and you will be killed if you
move.” The safe was not locked at all, but there was only about $15,000 in
it, which they might easily have secured.
Mr. Bunker said he recognized the body killed at Madelia, as that of
Charley Pitts, and also identified Bob Younger, by the likeness published
herein.
NICHOLAS GUSTAVSON.
Several citizens of Northfield narrowly escaped with their lives during
the encounter. A Norwegian, Nicholas Gustavson by name, was struck with a
bullet at the right side of the head, just at the ear, the ball running
under the scalp and out at the top of his head. He says when he was
struck, and for several minutes after, his whole left side was paralyzed.
But after a few minutes of unconsciousness, he was able to reach his
boarding house, but the next day he was unable to rise from his bed. It
was evident that the skull was fractured, and depressing upon the right
lobe of the brain, and if the patient was not opportunely relieved by
trepanning the skull, the man must succumb. Subsequent events proved the
correctness of this view, for the operation was not performed, and the
poor fellow expired on the eleventh—four days after the dreadful tragedy,
thus adding another victim to rekindle the fire of indignation in men’s
minds.
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