NORTHFIELD CITIZENS FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE JAMES GANG

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Over in Northfield, Minnesota, in September seventh, eighteen seventy six.
What was meant to be another swift and lucrative robbery
turned into a bloodsoak disaster for the infamous James Younger
Gang as townspeople of Northfield briefly fought back, gunning down
several outlaws and sending the rest fleeing freaking chaos. Around
two pm Wednesday, eight men rode into town, split into

(00:23):
two groups. While three entered the First National Bank on
Division Street, the others remained outside to watch for law
enforcement and keep citizens at bay. Inside the bank, the
gang demanded the vault be opened for bank employee Joseph Lee.
Heywood refused, even after being beaten and threatened. He was
ultimately shot for his defiance. Outside, suspicion quickly grew. Local

(00:45):
merchant JS Allen announced something wrong and cried out, get
your guns, boys, they're robbing the bank. Within moments, armed
townspeople opened fire from behind barrels, fences, and upstairs windows.
The gunfire turned the quiet Minnesota town into a war zone.
The robbers caught off guarb of the townspeople. Resistance attempted
a chaotic escape, and the hell of bullets. Gang member

(01:06):
Cleude Miller and Bill Chadwell were shot and killed. Several
townspeople unfortunately were wounded in two including Haywood, lost their wives.
The remaining gang members fled southwest on horseback, pursued by
Posse's for nearly two weeks. Eventually, the Younger's brothers, col Jim,
and Bob were cornered in a swamp near Medelia, Minnesota.
They were captured after a fierce shootout. They were badly wounded,

(01:29):
but survived. Jesse and Frank James managed to escape and
vanished into legend. The bravery displayed by Northfield citizens a
stunned the nation and turned the tide against outlaw gangs
who once operated with impunity. Governor Pillsbury praised the town's
heros and heroism, stating, let it be known that Minnesota
would not yield to lawlessness. In an era when the

(01:49):
James Younger gang had been terrorizing the Midwest with robberies
and shootouts, the failed Northfield raid marks a decisive and
symbolic defeat. No longer as seen as Reuben Robin Hood
like figures, the outlaws have been recast as murderous criminals
brought the heel by ordinary Americans defending their homes. It's
a fascinating story about the Northfield bank robbery incident, and

(02:11):
that's it for now.