IMPORTANT AUTOGRAPH BOOK CONTAINING ALL THREE YOUNGER GANG SIGNATURES
This is the only known autograph book which contains all three autographs of the notorious Younger gang of old west fame. This collection was begun in 1887 by N. G. Dunning of Ostego, Wisconsin. The original focus was not on celebrities, but rather on friends and relatives, whose signatures are usually accompanied with lengthy inscriptions. However, on February 15th, the book must have been in the possession of one Louis Sturdock, who apparently had the opportunity to visit the Younger Brothers at Stillwater Prison, where they were serving time for the infamous Northfield Raid. The Younger Brothers signed the autograph book on the last three pages, each on a separate page and Cole added a nice inscription and date. Like all signatures of Old West outlaws, those of the Youngers are much sought after. Particularly rare is the autograph of Bob, who died in prison in 1889. It is unheard of to obtain all three signatures in a single volume. Pages are 4.75” x 3.25” and in excellent condition.
YOUNGER GANG.
Bob Younger, wounded and captured by a posse in 1876, accurately described the outlaw Younger brothers when he said, “We are rough men and used to rough ways.” Fourteen Younger children were raised on the family farm near Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Four of the boys drifted into lives of violence and crime. Cole (1844–1916), Jim (1848–1902), John (1851–74), and Bob (1853–89) were influenced as youngsters by the Kansas-Missouri border troubles. Jayhawkers raided the family farm, and their father was murdered in 1862. Cole and Jim rode with Quantrill’s Raiders during the Civil War.
Following the war the Youngers began robbing banks, often in league with Frank and Jesse James. In 1874 John Younger was slain during a wild shootout with lawmen. In 1876 the James-Younger gang were wounded or killed during a bank robbery attempt at Northfield, Minnesota. Jesse and Frank James escaped, three gang members were killed, and the Youngers were captured after a two-week pursuit. Cole had been wounded eleven times, Jim five, and Bob four. Bob died in prison, and Jim committed suicide after his release. The hardy Cole Younger, who survived his wounds and twenty-five years in prison, lectured widely on the evils of crime. He retired to the Younger farm at Lee’s Summit.
Provenance: The famous John Woods Collection
