GOD & TEXAS: Cole Younger

The church-going family of Col. Henry Washington Younger was large and prosperous. He and his wife, Bursheba, had 14 children who helped manage several large farms that they owned in Missouri. Col. Younger served in the Missouri State legislature and was an admired judge. The Younger family was related to Gen. Robert E. Lee and descended from noble ancestors who fought in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812.

But during the Civil War, Col. Younger lost his life, and the farms were ruined. As the surviving family coped with financial hardship and acrimony, some of the sons turned to a life of crime. Occasionally they teamed up with other outlaws and began robbing banks and trains.

By 1868, their thievery had netted them enough bounty to move to Dallas County, Texas, and start a bustling cattle business. They blended in with the residents and even joined a local church choir. At this time, it is believed that the oldest son Cole had a relationship with infamous outlaw Belle Starr.

The desire for more wealth prompted the Youngers to go on a robbery spree in the upper Midwest. In cahoots with the Jesse James gang in 1876, they attacked the bank in Northfield, Minnesota. After a violent shoot-out and botched raid, one of the Youngers was killed. Jim and Cole were captured and sent to state prison in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Jim died in prison, but Cole became a model citizen. He helped to initiate the Mirror, a prison newspaper designed to encourage prisoners through uplifting articles. It was here that Cole met prison guard Benard “Barney” Casey. Barney was a devout Christian and he urged Cole to quit his rebellion and to turn to Christ. Later, Casey became a beatified Catholic priest who started the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit, MI.

When Cole left prison with a full pardon in 1903, he struggled to find himself. He worked in Wild West shows and even wrote a self-flattering autobiography that met public scorn. In 1908, he launched an unsuccessful lecture tour titled, “What My Life Has Taught Me.” But he had one more lesson to learn.

It was in a revival meeting in 1913 when Cole Younger made a full commitment to Christ. At the age of 70, Cole walked his bullet-scarred body to the altar as the congregation sang the hymn, “Just as I Am, Without One Plea.” He died in 1916 with his Bible next to him, and is buried in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

Like Cole Younger, many of us could have let bitterness and rebellion write sorrowful chapters in our lives. When we let our losses drive us to the unthinkable, only the grace and mercy of God can rescue us. Still today, we find hope in the lesson that Jesus taught in Matthew 11:28 NKJV, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

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