COLE YOUNGER - INSCRIBED PHOTOGRAPH MOUNT SIGNED - HFSID 350569

COLE YOUNGER
Rare sepia-toned photo of a middle-aged Younger, one of Quantrill's Raiders during the American Civil War, and a member of the James-Younger gang.
Inscribed photograph mount signed "To/W. A. Bell./Yours Truly/Cole Younger". B/w sepia-toned, 4¼x7¼ photo affixed to an 8x12 sheet of brown cardstock. Younger (1844-1916) was one of Quantrill's Raiders, a notorious band of American Civil War guerillas, as well as a member of the James-Younger Gang with Frank and Jesse James. Younger, a Missourian, joined William Quantrill after Union-supported bandits from Kansas killed his father. He participated in Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas, one of the worst atrocities of the war, in which about 180 people were killed. After the war, Younger became an outlaw with brothers James, John and Robert, later joining the James brothers, who had also been members of Quantrill's Raiders. He may have felt forced into crime; a new state constitution passed after the Civil War severely curtailed the rights of former Confederate sympathizers. Younger robbed trains and banks and murdered policemen and civilians from at least 1868 until Sept. 7, 1876. On that day, the James-Younger Gang tried to rob the First National Bank in Northfield, Minnesota. After the murder of cashier Lee Heywood, the town fought back and captured Cole and his brothers Bob and James. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released in 1901, spending his last days lecturing and touring with Frank James in a Wild West show. Lightly toned, foxed, soiled, stained and creased. Water stain at bottom right corner (does not touch signature or photo). Pinholes in corners of mounting card. Otherwise in fine condition.