, so I gave him the sign.

I had to protect Asbury from the crowd for a few minutes, but there was no
harm done to any one. Mrs. Hurley had her goods, and the creditor had his
money, and I was out $80, while Asbury's reliability as an auctioneer was
called into some question until his position in the matter was fully
understood.

20. LAURELS UNSOUGHT

Although every book purporting to narrate the lives of the Younger
brothers has told of the Liberty robbery, and implied that we had a part
in it, the Youngers were not suspected at that time, nor for a long time
afterward. It was claimed by people of Liberty that they positively
recognized among the robbers Oll Shepherd, "Red" Monkers and "Bud" Pence,
who had seen service with Quantrell. Jim White and J. F. Edmunson were
arrested in St. Joseph, but were promptly released, their preliminary
examination failing to connect them with the raid in any way.

In October of that year a bank at Lexington, Mo., was robbed of $2,000,
but so far as I know it was never connected with the Younger brothers in
any way until 1880, when J. W. Buel published his "Border Bandits."

March 2, 1867, the bank at Savannah, Mo., was raided, but the five who did
this were identified, and there were no Younger boys in the party. This
raid was accompanied by bloodshed, Judge McLain, the banker, being shot,
though not fatally.

May 23 of that year the bank at Richmond, Mo., was raided, Mayor Shaw was
killed, and the robbers raided the jail, where were confined a number of
prisoners whose arrest, it was claimed, was due to their sympathy with
secession. Jailer Griffin and his 15-year-old son were killed there.
Warrants were issued for a number of the old guerrillas, including Allen
Parmer, afterward the husband of Susie James, although he was working in
Kansas City at the time, and proved an absolute alibi. No warrant was
issued for the Youngers, but subsequent historians (?) have, inferentially
at least, accused us of taking part, but as I said before, there is no
truth in the accusation.

The bank at Russellville, Ky., was raided March 20, 1868, and among the
raiders was a man who gave his name as Colburn, who the detectives have
endeavored to make it appear was Cole Younger. Having served in Kentucky
with Quantrell, Jim Younger and Frank James were well known through that
state, and it being known that the previous bank robberies in Missouri
were charged to ex-guerrillas, simi