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The war between the states, as all wars, left scars everywhere. These scars were deepest on the border where the conflict was sharpest and the demoralization following the battle strife most complete. From this borderland in western Missouri, went into outlawry a group of men whose exploits have become part of the criminal history of the west. In mitigation of judgment, not in extenuation of their evil deeds, the times in which their early lives were cast must be remembered. Chief among this group were Coleman, James, and Robert Younger. This volume relates the story of these outlaws, not to gloss their crimes or to excuse their sins but to show that the way of the transgressor is ever a hard way. The volume does more. It tells how a gallant Missourian, true to sacred ties of friendship, gave time and thought and means, long and cheerfully, to securing the release of the Youngers from prison. The volume is worth reading as a contribution by high authority to the history of times much misunderstood and much misrepresented.
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