"We're dead, come and get us."

December 2, 2006 2:01 PM

The Young Brothers Massacre. The gunfight that killed the most law enforcement officials is US history did not happen at Waco or Kansas City, but just outside of Springfield, MO (which was also home to the first famous "high noon" shootout of the Wild West). On January 2, 1932, the two Young Brothers murdered the six policemen who'd come to arrest one of them for killing a town marshall. Not much later, they met their own end. This 1932 quickie pulp remains the best (or at least most readable) version of the story. (Warning: a few postmortem photos are included).
posted by Bookhouse (8 comments total)

The Wild Bill "high noon" shootout happened a few paces from our theater (long paces, I admit). A guy approached me a little over a year ago about showing a documentary he'd made about the Young massacre... I haven't heard back from him.

Either way, interesting stuff.
posted by bjork24 at 3:43 PM on December 2, 2006

Nothing good comes out of this town.
posted by sourwookie at 4:47 PM on December 2, 2006

You've gotta love the colorful, judgmental, and highly speculative prose of these 1930's pulps. Fun in a pretty icky way.
posted by washburn at 5:00 PM on December 2, 2006

Thanks for this.
posted by three blind mice at 6:33 PM on December 2, 2006

c'mon sourwookie, where else but Springfield can you buy a computer from Brad Pitt's brother, then have a cordon-bleu dinner at the tackle store?
posted by scruss at 8:24 PM on December 2, 2006

I've always thought this would make a great movie. Being far too lazy to write it myself, please credit me with the idea should you write the screenplay.

The parents of the Young brothers are buried in a cemetary just outside of Ozark, MO. Near their graves are two markers where, presumably, the boys were to be buried. With all the hoopla, they were buried in Joplin, but some contend that the bodies were moved to Ozark secretly.

Oh, and also? The Ralph Foster Museum near Branson has an interesting Young Brothers Massacre display.

Great post. For reals, yo.
posted by bayliss at 8:27 PM on December 2, 2006

Cool post.

Nothing good comes out of this town.
B. S.

I posted about the Wil Bill shootout earlier this year.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:17 PM on December 2, 2006

I've always thought this would make a great movie.

Me too. My other dream for it is to write a massive From Hell-style comic about it. Seeing as the story's such a bummer, it might be the better format.

And Kirkaracha, sorry I missed your Wild Bill post, I didn't search for that part.

Bjork24, your movie theater is half a block from my brother's vintage store
posted by Bookhouse at 12:44 AM on December 3, 2006