John Younger
| John Younger | |
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John Younger
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| Born |
John Harrison Younger 1851 Lee's Summit, Jackson County, Missouri, USA |
| Died | March 17, 1874 St. Clair County, Missouri, USA |
| Resting place | Roscoe, Missouri, St Clair County, Missouri, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Banditry |
| Parent(s) | Henry Washington Younger, Bersheba Leighton Fristoe |
John Harrison Younger (1851 – March 17, 1874) was an American outlaw, the brother of Cole, Jim and Bob. He was briefly a member of the James–Younger Gang, a band of outlaws that also included the infamous Jesse James.
He was the 11th child of Henry Washington Younger and Bersheba Leighton Fristoe's 14 children and their 5th son, the fourth to survive into adulthood.
In July 1862, his father was shot and killed while on a business trip to Kansas City by a detachment of Union militiamen. As a result of this killing, several of John's brothers joined Quantrill's Raiders, but John and his younger brother Bob were too young to join so they stayed at home to look after their mother and sisters.
In January 1866, Bob and John took their mother to Independence, Missouri to purchase winter supplies. Recognizing the family from his military days an ex-soldier named Gillcreas came up to the wagon and made some comments about Cole. John told him to be quiet and the soldier slapped him around the face with a frozen fish. John got out his brother's pistol (Cole's that they had taken to be repaired) and shot him between the eyes.
After an examination of the dead body it was revealed the soldier was carrying a heavy slingshot which still was tied to his wrist, so the killing was ruled as self-defense.
The Youngers headed to Texas for a peaceful life until Bersheba became ill, so the boys (with the exception of Cole) took her back to Missouri to die.
As soon as they arrived they were harassed, Bob was knocked unconscious and John was hung four times, the fourth time they hauled him up the rope dug deep into his flesh. They finally cut him down and hacked at the body savagely with knives. He survived. Witnessing this was too much for Bersheba, and she died on June 6, 1870, her 54th birthday.
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