This man whose name has become a terror throughout the entire west, was
born January 15th, 1844, in Jackson county, Missouri. He was a bright,
active lad, and somewhat wild. His education is not such as he might have
acquired if he had availed himself of the advantages afforded him in his
early youth. He was always full of daring, and was reckoned a keen young
chap. He appears to have provoked the hatred of certain officers of the
militia under Neugent at the early age of seventeen, and their
persecutions, whether just or unjust, caused him to desert his home, even
his plan of attending school at a distant place being interfered with.
Early in 1862 Cole joined the famous Quantrell band of guerillas, with
whom he remained until late in 1864, when he enlisted in the Confederate
army. He became a captain, and remained in the service until the war
ended, when he went to Mexico and California, where he stayed until 1866.
Cole now resolved to settle down and redeem the family farm, which had
been sadly neglected. His enemies, however, would not permit him to work
in peace, and he together with his brothers James and John were forced to
go to Texas, where they intended to make a new home for their mother, but
she died in 1870, before their plans were completed.
In March, 1875, a preamble and resolution was introduced into the Missouri
house of representatives, relating the crimes charged against the Younger
brothers, and granting them full amnesty and pardon. It was, however,
defeated by a small majority.
Cole Younger possesses talents of no ordinary degree, and his claim that
he could never live a reputable life is absurd, as he could have
established himself in a distant community or in a foreign land and
prospered, if he had so desired. This is proved in the case of his brother
James, who, when the Northfield raid was planned, was living and
prospering in California, where he had accumulated quite a sum of money
and was in a fair way of becoming well off. Money was needed for the
enterprise, and after frequent solicitation he was induced to return to
his old life and embark his savings in the speculation that has proved so
terribly disastrous, and has consigned him to a living tomb.
Cole appears to have early cultivated a taste for the wildest of
adventures, and with a ferocity and cruelly almost fiendish, the taking of
human life, when it interfered with his plans appears to have been no more
to him than the use of hard words among ordinary men. During his
connection with the Quantrell gang he was the boldest and bloodiest of the
outlaws, and was guilty of many terrible deeds when his passions got the
better of his judgment, while at other times he would treat his defeated
antagonists with a magnanimity which showed that there was really a heart
hidden away somewhere about him. At times he would spare none of his
enemies, shooting them down like dogs, even when wounded and unable to
defend themselves, and at other times he would himself nurse and comfort
his most hated foe.
His statement that he NEVER KILLED A MAN except in legitimate conflict, is
of course absurd, and none will believe that a man who has had so
desperate an experience as Cole Younger can place any high value upon
human life. At horse races, in gambling hells, on the prairies, in
railroad trains, and in quiet valleys, he has pursued his nefarious
profession, and satisfied his revenge or gained money by force of arms,
intimidating and killing those who came in his way.
It is told that at a certain horse race he had wagered money on his horse,
but one of the crowd, all of whom were enemies of Cole, by a cowardly
trick caused his horse to lose. He forbade the stake-holder to deliver the
money to his opponent, and when he insisted upon doing so Cole drew two
large pistols and as he dashed away he discharged them into the crowd
killing three men, and escaping unharmed.
The exploits of Quantrell and his men have been so often published that it
is not necessary to rehearse them at this time, but in nearly all of the
most desperate and bloody encounters of the desperate gang Cole Younger
played a prominent part. He was appointed to lead the most dangerous
expeditions, and his success was such that it appeared as if the DEVIL
HIMSELF WERE AT HIS ELBOW.
One of the most sad and cruel murders that Younger was forced to commit,
was when, after a visit to his grandmother, he was met on the threshold by
his cousin, Captain Charles Younger, who belonged to the militia of the
state. The cousins shook hands, after which Captain Younger informed his
relative that he was his prisoner. Instantly Cole drew his revolver, and
placing it in front of his cousin’s face fired, killing him instantly.
Although the vicinity was filled with militiamen the guerilla made good
his escape with his usual luck.