s; and after these a large number of citizens followed
close. In spite of the determined pursuit, they kept out of reach for
another week. On the morning of September 21st, two weeks after the
robbery, they were located in the woods along the Watonwan river, not
far from Madelia. Sheriff Glispin hurriedly got together a posse and
surrounded them in a patch of timber not over five acres in extent. In a
short time more than one hundred and fifty men were about this cover;
but although they kept up firing, they could not drive out the concealed
bandits. Sheriff Glispin called for volunteers; and with Colonel Vaught,
Ben Rice, George Bradford, James Severson, Charles Pomeroy and Captain
Murphy moved into the cover. As they advanced, Charlie Pitts sprang out
from the brush, and fired point blank at Glispin. At the same instant
the latter also fired and shot Pitts, who ran a short distance and fell
dead. Then Cole, Bob and Jim Younger stood up and opened fire as best
they could, all of the men of the storming party returning their fire.
Murphy was struck in the body by a bullet, and his life was saved by his
pipe, which he carried in his vest pocket. Another member of the posse
had his watch blown to pieces by a bullet. The Younger boys gave back a
little, but this brought them within sight of those surrounding the
thicket, so they retreated again close to the line of the volunteers.
Cole and Jim Younger were now badly shot. Bob, with his broken right
arm, stood his ground, the only one able to continue the fight, and kept
his revolver going with his left hand. The others handed him their
revolvers after his own was empty. The firing from the posse still
continued, and at last Bob called out to them to stop, as his brothers
were all shot to pieces. He threw down his pistol, and walked forward to
the sheriff, to whom he surrendered. Bob always spoke with respect of
Sheriff Glispin both as a fighter and as a peace officer. One of the
farmers drew up his gun to kill Bob after he had surrendered, but
Glispin told him to drop his gun or he would kill him.

It is doubtful if any set of men ever showed more determination and more
ability to stand punishment than these misled outlaws. Bob Younger was
hurt less than any of the others. His arm had been broken at Northfield
two weeks before, but he was wounded but once, slightly in the body, out
of all the shots fired at him while in the thicket. Cole Younger had a
rifle bullet in the ri