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On the morning of September 21st, 1876, the Younger-Pitts faction split up into two groups at Lake Linden. The first group
stopped at the Ole Suborn farm asking for some food. A boy at the age of seventeen named Oscar Suborn (the last name use to
be Sorbel) believed the men to be the bandits who robbed the bank in Northfield. His father replied, "No, they was nice men."
Oscar's father told him to go milk the cow, so he milked as fast as he could and left to tell his neighbors of the outlaws.
While gone, the second group of outlaws stopped at the Suborn farm also looking for food. Guri Suborn (Oscar's mother) said
breakfast wasn't ready yet but they had some bread. They took some bread and butter and thanked the Suborn's for their hospitality.
When Oscar came back to the house, his sister told him that two more men came wearing similar clothes as the first two. He
then dashed onto a horse and rode as fast as possible seven miles to Madelia to warn the sheriff. He rode so fast that a few
times his horse slipped on the mud spilling Oscar onto the street.
When he got to Madelia and told people of the approaching outlaws, no one believed him. He went to the Flanders Hotel and
told Colonial Thomas L. Vought. Vought ran to Sheriff James Glipson, and the men rounded up volunteers to go after the outlaws.
They rounded up five men: Captain W.W. Murphy, George Bradford, Charles Pomeroy Jr., Benjamin Rice, and Ole Severson.
The Madelia seven got word that the outlaws were hiding in a plum thicket at Hanska Slough. The posse members spread apart
and cautiously walked towards the thicket ready for battle. Their goal was to make the bandits surrender and to not fire unless
they were being fired upon. One of the men said loudly "You're losing the river, move off to the right." The outlaws heard
this and knew they were surrounded.
Even though only seven men were commissioned to capture the outlaws, many sightseers and armed citizens lined the hills surrounding
the gang. Charlie Pitts said to Cole Younger, "We are surrounded, we'd better surrender." Cole replied, "Charlie, this is
where Cole Younger dies." Pitts responds, "All right Captain, I can die just as game as you can," and with this Pitts stands
up and fires at the posse.
Sheriff Glipson dropped to one knee and fired, hitting Charlie Pitts in the chest. This was the deathblow to Charlie Pitts.
The thicket becomes a hailstorm of lead as members from the posse as well as those on the hillside fire at the outlaws. There
was so much smoke from the gunpowder that it was hard to make out anything. Glipson yelled, "Hold the line!"
There was a strange silent pause in the slough. Suddenly, a figure holding a white (mostly red now) handkerchief waves at
the posse. Bob Younger is the man holding the flag of truce and says, "I surrender, they're all down but me!" Glipson quickly
yells, "Hold your fire! Come out with your hands up!" A voice from the thicket responds, "Can't, my arms broke."
Glipson is wary of a trick and again tells them to come out with their hands up. Bob Younger hobbles his way out of the thicket
when a bullet rips through the trees and hits Bob in his shoulder blade and exits through his chest. Glipson angrily yelled,
"I said hold your fire!" Bob moaned, "I was surrendering, and you shot me." Still angry, Glipson yells, "I'll kill the next
man that fires a shot!"
The posse moved in to the thicket and found all of the outlaws lying on the ground wounded. The Sheriff ordered a wagon to
come down to carry the outlaws back to town. Cole Younger slowly sits up and barks, "I'll fight any two of you sons of bitches."
The posse stood back. He tries to stand but he can't. He again says, "I'll fight any two of you bastards in a fair fight!
Come on! Let's go!" He tries to put up his fists but can't get them both up at the same time. Trying to calm his brother down,
Bob tells Cole, "Give it up Cole, or they'll hang us for sure." But Cole insists, "What's the difference if we hang tomorrow
or today? Let's get it done!"
The outlaws are loaded into a wagon and brought back to Madelia. They were surprised that they weren't going to be hanged
immediately but they were going to stay at the Flanders Hotel until they were well enough to face trial. They were being taken
care of well, they even been given new clean clothes to wear. Many spectators dropped by to get a look at the famous outlaws.
The body of Charlie Pitts was sent to the Minnesota State Capital building and was put onto display at the price of ten cents
a person.
The brothers faced trial and where sentenced to life terms at the Minnesota State Prison in Stillwater. The Youngers were
model prisoners. When a fire broke out in the prison, the Youngers helped control the other prisoners using firearms; and
peacefully turned them over afterwards. Bob Younger died in prison from his wounds in 1889. Cole and Jim were paroled in 1901
after serving twenty-five years in prison.
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