The Last Bank Robbery of Jesse James - Northfield, Minnesota
N 44° 27.344 W 093° 09.609
15T E 487258 N 4922504
On a fateful day in 1876, words echoed across the town of Northfield, MN, "Get your guns, boys! They're robbing the bank," marking the beginning of the end of Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang.
Waymark Code: WM50EY
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 10/21/2008
Views: 79
After a reign of havoc that included bank, train, and stagecoach robberies from Texas to West Virginia, the James-Younger gang attempted their most daring raid to date, on the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota. The date was September 7, 1876, when the outlaw gang attempted what is considered the last raid of the Civil War.
Three men entered the bank, two guarded the door outside, and three remained near a bridge across an adjacent square. The robbers inside the bank were thwarted when acting cashier Joseph Lee Heywood refused to open the safe, falsely claiming that it was secured by a time lock even as they held a bowie knife to his throat and cracked his skull with a pistol butt. Assistant cashier Alonzo Enos Bunker was wounded in the shoulder as he fled out the back door of the bank. Meanwhile, the citizens of Northfield grew suspicious of the men guarding the door and raised the alarm. The five bandits outside fired in the air to clear the streets, which merely drove the townspeople to take cover and fire back from protected positions. Two bandits were shot dead and the rest were wounded in the barrage. Inside, the outlaws turned to flee. As they left, one shot the unarmed Heywood in the head.
The gang barely escaped Northfield, leaving their two dead companions behind, along with two innocent victims. A massive manhunt ensued. The James brothers eventually split from the others and escaped to Missouri. The Youngers and one other bandit, Charlie Pitts, were soon discovered. A brisk gunfight left Pitts dead and the Youngers all prisoners. The James-Younger Gang was destroyed, except for Frank and Jesse James who later surfaced in Nashville, TN.
Date of crime: 09/07/1876
Public access allowed: yes
Fee required: yes
Web site: [Web Link]
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