The James-Younger Gang was a legendary 19th Century gang of American outlaws that included Jesse James.
The gang included (but was not limited to) the Younger Brothers (Cole, Jim, John and Bob), the James Brothers (the famous Jesse James and his brother Frank), the Miller Brothers (Clell and Ed), Charlie Pitts, John Jarrette (who was married to Cole's sister Josie), and later, the Ford Brothers (Robert and Charlie) and The Hite Brothers (Wood and Clarence).
The Jameses and Youngers were distant cousins by marriage. The Hites were first cousins of the Jameses. The Youngers were cousins of the Dalton brothers (of the infamous Dalton Gang) who were killed in an attempted robbery in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1892. Adeline Younger Dalton, the Daltons' mother, was an aunt of the Youngers.
Various other people are said to have ridden with the gang, but often there is no evidence for the claim (or insufficient evidence), or the person only rode with the gang for a short time.
1866 to 1870.
The gang's first robbery was committed on February 13, 1866 at 2 p.m. in Liberty, Missouri. Frank James, Cole Younger, John Jarrette, Oliver Shepard, Bud and Donny Pence, Frank Greg, Bill and James Wilkerson, Joab Perry, Ben Cooper, Red Mankus and Allen Parmer (who was married to Jesse's sister Susan), robbed the Clay County Savings Association of $60,000. George Wymore, a student on his way to school, was killed by the robbers outside the bank.
They next robbed the Alexander Mitchell and Company Bank in Lexington, Missouri on October 30, 1866. Frank and Jesse James, Cole Younger and John Jarrette were the robbers and the take was $2,011.50.
The gang waited a year and a half before the next robbery on March 20, 1868. Frank and Jesse James, Cole Younger, Oliver and George Shepard and John Jarrette robbed the Nimrod Long Banking Company in Russellville, Kentucky, killing Bank President Nimrod Long and taking $14,000 in the process. George Shepard was caught by a posse after this robbery.
On December 7, 1868, Frank and Jesse James robbed the Davies County Savings Bank in Gallatin, Missouri for $700. Jesse killed bank clerk John Sheets when he pulled a gun on Frank.
The gang was inactive for about two years. During this time John Jarrette and his wife Josie were killed in a house fire in 1868.
1871 to 1875.
On June 3, 1871, Frank and Jesse James, Cole Younger and Clell Miller robbed the Bank of Corydon in Corydon, Iowa for either $6,000 or $45,000. The amount taken is reported differently by different sources.
On April 29, 1872, the same group robbed the Bank of Columbia in Columbia, Kentucky for $600.
On May 23, 1872, Frank and Jesse James, Cole and John Younger and Bill Chadwell robbed the Savings Association Bank in St. Genevieve, Missouri of $4000.
It has been reported that Frank and Jesse James robbed the Kansas City Fair on September 26, 1872 of $978, but this is unconfirmed.
The next confirmed robbery was on July 21, 1873 near Casey, Nebraska, when the gang decided to try robbing a train. They picked the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Jesse James, Cole, Jim, John and Bob Younger (the only time all four Younger brothers robbed together), Clell Miller, Charlie Pitts and Bill Chadwell robbed the train of $3,000. Train Engineer John Rafferty was killed. He was crushed when the train was derailed by the robbers as a way of stopping it. The gang had expected to find $100,000 in gold on the train but it was not there.
Another unconfirmed robbery occurred on January 15, 1874. Frank and Jesse James, Cole and Jim Younger and Clell Miller reportedly robbed the Concord Stagecoach near Malvern, Arkansas for $4,000.
The gang decided to try another train robbery on January 31, 1874. Frank and Jesse James, Cole, John and Bob Younger, Clell and Ed Miller, Jim Reed and Jim Cummins robbed the Iron Mountain Railroad near Gad's Hill, Missouri for $22,000.
On March 15, 1874, Pinkerton agents Louis Lull and James Wright (lawman), rode with Osceola, Missouri Deputy Sheriff Edwin Daniels in search of the Youngers. They encountered John and Bob Younger on the road. John saw them and told them to stop. Wright fled and Jim shot his hat off as he kept on riding away. Lull and Daniels tried to pass themselves off as cattle buyers, but the Youngers knew better. John lowered a shotgun at Daniels and Lull shot John in the neck, which triggered his shotgun to shoot Lull. Lull fled and John rode after him and shot him again then fell out of his saddle, dead. Jim killed Daniels and took John home to bury him. Lull died several weeks later.
The gang robbed another train, the Kansas Pacific Railroad near Muncie, Kansas on December 8, 1874. Frank and Jesse James, Cole and Bob Younger, Clell and Ed Miller, Jim Cummins and Bud McDaniels robbed the train for $30,000. McDaniels was caught by a posse after the robbery.
On January 26, 1875, the Pinkertons surrounded the James farm. They demanded that Frank and Jesse surrender. Neither of them were there but a Pinkerton agent threw a bomb into the house which exploded and mangled their mother Zerelda's right arm and killed their 9-year old half brother, Archie Samuel.
On May 13, 1875, Frank and Jesse James, Cole and Bob Younger robbed a store in Clinton, Missouri for $300.
On September 1, 1875, the gang ventured far out of their local area. They robbed the Huntington Bank in Huntington, West Virginia. Frank James, Cole Younger, Thompson McDaniels and Tom Webb robbed the bank for $10,000 but McDaniels was killed by a posse and Webb was caught.
1876 to 1880.
On July 7, 1876, Frank and Jesse James, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger, Charlie Pitts, Bill Chadwell and Hobbs Kerry robbed the Missouri Pacific Railroad near Otterville, Missouri for $15,000. Kerry was arrested after spending some of his take and he readily identified his accomplices.
The gang next planned another robbery outside their usual territory, the infamous Northfield, Minnesota Raid. They planned to rob the First National Bank of Northfield. The bank supposedly held $200,000 at any given time. Frank and Jesse James, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger, Charlie Pitts, Clell Miller and Bill Chadwell attempted the robbery on September 7, 1876 at 2 p.m. Jesse, Bob and Pitts entered the bank. Cole and Miller stayed out front. Frank, Jim and Chadwell were guarding them down the street. The townspeople were suspicious. A hardware dealer named J.A. Allen walked up to Miller and asked him what was going on and was told by Miller to get away. Allen alerted the townspeople who armed themselves. In the bank, teller Joseph Heywood refused to open the safe, claiming it was on a time lock. Cole stuck his head in the door to warn them about the armed townspeople who were arriving outside and they grabbed some money on the counter, $26.70, and left. Pitts shot and killed Heywood on his way out.
Outside, the townspeople opened fire on the escaping robbers, with a shootout ensuing. Jesse was just missed by a bullet that went through his open vest. Miller was shot in the face, Pitts was shot in the ankle and shoulder, Frank was shot in the leg. Jesse rode up and grabbed Frank's arm to lead him out of town. The Youngers and Pitts, all wounded, followed. Miller and Chadwell lay dead in the street.
The gang gathered to decide what to do next. There is a legend that Jesse wanted to shoot one of the Youngers due to his wounds and that Cole stood him down, but in interviews later on Cole said it never happened. The Jameses went one way and made it back to Missouri. The Youngers and Pitts travelled 80 miles to Madelia, Minnesota, where a posse surrounded them and killed Pitts. The Youngers surrendered and were given life sentences in prison. The James boys got away and hid in Kentucky under assumed names.
Frank and Jesse James soon decided to form a new gang to commit more robberies. They recruited their cousins, the Hite brothers, Wood and Clarence, Dick Liddell and Ed Miller, Clell's brother.
On October 8, 1879, they robbed the Chicago and Alton Railroad near Blue Cut, Missouri. Frank and Jesse, Wood Hite, Dick Liddell, Ed Miller, Billy Ryan and Tucker Basham robbed the train of either $6,000 or $35,000. The amount of the take is disputed. Basham was captured by a posse. He got 10 years jail sentence and informed on Bill Ryan, but did not inform on the James brothers.
On September 3, 1880, Jesse James and Bill Ryan robbed a stagecoach near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky for $5,000.