MISTAKEN FOR COLE YOUNGER AND ARRESTED

MISTAKEN FOR COLE YOUNGER AND ARRESTED

By S. A. Hickok, Karnes City, Texas

I was born at Columbus, Ohio, December 8th, 1842, and moved to Mattoon, Illinois, when I was about twenty‑four years old and engaged in buying chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese and shipping them by carload to New Orleans, Louisiana.

When I would go to New Orleans with my shipment of poultry I heard a great deal about Texas, and the money that was to be made in sending cattle up the trail, so I decided to move to Texas.  I met a man by the name of Couch who was making up a party to go on an excursion train to Dallas, Texas, and made arrangements to meet him in Saint Louis and join the excursion party there.  My brother accompanied me to Saint Louis, and a short while after our arrival we passed a man on the street and he said, “Hello, Younger.”  I told him he was mistaken, that my name was not Younger. He asked me if I was not from Marshall, Missouri, and I told him that I was not. We went to a cheap boarding house and made arrangements to stay all night. We went to the Southern Hotel that night to see if Couch had arrived. While we were there a man came in and asked me if I was from Marshall County, and I replied, “No; I have been asked that question twice today.”  He then called me aside and asked me several questions, and just then motioned a policeman to come near. They asked me if I was armed and I told them that it was none of their business, but as they insisted on searching me I told them to proceed, but be sure they had the proper authority for their action. They found a small six‑shooter, a draft for $1,000, and about $100 in cash on me, and the policeman said he would have to take me down to the police station. When we arrived there I learned that they thought that they had Cole Younger, one of the Jesse James desperadoes. I told them to telegraph the First National Bank of Mattoon, Illinois, and they could get all the information they needed to establish my identity. But they locked me up in a cell and kept me there over night.  Next day they released me, and returned my pistol and money to me."

Bank Raid at Comanche, Texas

This is an interesting article about a bank robbery in Comanche, Comanche County, Texas which neighbors Brown County to the west.

"M.E. "Boss" Greene Chases Outlaw Joe Horner
Posted on June 15, 1876 by Fredda Jones

After the Civil War, M.E. "Boss" Greene went on to become a U.S. Deputy Marshall who lived in Comanche, Texas when in 1876 a wanted criminal by the name of Joe Horner rode into town and robbed the banking house of Henry R. Martin, which was located on the east side of the square.

As luck would have it, an army scout named Henry F. Stone was trailing Horner at the time of the robbery, and he witnessed Horner and his men running out of the bank.

According to Stone, Horner and his companions ran out of the bank yelling, "CHARGE THIS ONE UP TO THE JAMES BROTHERS!!" Then they jumped on their horses and rode off. It was fairly common for bank robberies to be blamed on the infamous James boys whether they were within a hundred miles of the robbery or not.

Anyway, Boss Greene and a posse chased Horner over 200 miles to San Antonio before they lost the trail; however, the outlaw was arrested a few months later and given a 10 year prison sentence, soon escaping.

Horner next robbed a stagecoach, was caught and sent back to Huntsville where, believe it or not, he escaped again!

This time, Horner changed his name to Frank Canton and headed west to Wyoming where he became (as you might expect!) a deputy sheriff. Later, he moved to the Oklahoma Territory and eventually became the adjutant general for the state of Oklahoma.

Of course…No money was ever returned to poor Henry R. Martin of Comanche, Texas!*