In 1867, the Younger brothers joined together as they had during the war, along with other adventurers, including Jesse and Frank James, Clell Miller,William Stiles and Charlie Pitts. Together they organized their own band claiming they were taking Confederate revenge against Yankee capitalist banks, and railroads. Soon the James-Younger gang became a large, loosely organized group of former guerrillas that carried out robberies and hold-ups throughout the South and Midwest.
Febuary 13, 1866 The outlaw's kicked off their new career by pulling off a well planed robbery in Liberty Missouri, netting them 62,000.00. How many of these robberies that the Younger's were involved in will never be known. Cole swore that he never robbed a bank in Missouri, but what about his brothers. The James, Younger Gang was said to have had as many as 40 men available at anytime. Any of these men could have been involved in any given robbery at any time.
January 1871, after being involved in at lest three of these robberies John Younger is arrested in Texas for killing a deputy sheriff trying to arrest him for a shooting where a man was wounded. John later escapes and is back with the gang in a matter of a few days.
By the end of 1872 the band of Outlaw's had pulled off eight robberies, netting them somewhere around 95,000.00. The exact amount of money collected by the gang will never be known fore sure. The banks were said to under state the amount, and the robbers, especially there families were said to over state the amount. Cole Younger would later say that some of the robberies did not net them enough money to buy feed for their horses. But times were changing. Now there were some men looking for them who called themselves, Pinkerton Agents.
Four robberies later in 1874, three Pinkerton agents are sent with the assignment to capture the James Younger gang. On March 11, 1874 one agent, Joseph W. Whicher's body was discovered, having been shot three times.
Mar. 17, 1874 Jim and John Younger encounter two Pinkerton agents, Louis J. Lull and James P. Wright, as well as local lawman Edwin B. Daniels, on a road between Roscoe and Osceola, Missouri. As the two Youngers approach, Wright flees. Jim fires a shot at him with his pistol, but only succeeds in knocking off Wright's hat. Jim and John then disarm Lull and Daniels. As they talk to them, Lull draws a small pistol from his pocket, and shoots John in the neck. John has his double barrel shotgun aimed at Lull and instinctivly fires. The buckshot catches Lull in his shoulder and arm. Lull then takes off and Daniels attempts to follow. Jim shoots and kill Daniels as he flees. John then drops his shotgun and pulls out his pistol. He chases after Lull, spots him and fires twice with his pistol. The first shot misses, but the second hits Lull squarely in the chest. John then goes back to where Jim is, falls from his horse, and dies. Lull dies days after from his wounds. Jim is devastated and leaves the Roscoe area and goes look for Cole and Bob Younger, who are in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The body of John Younger is buried at the home of Theodrick Snuffer, a family friend of the Youngers, where Jim and John had been staying the night before the gunfight
By 1876, the gang had been together for almost ten years and had had a highly profitable career. During that time, they robbed ten banks, four trains, two stagecoaches and killed or caused to be killed 15 people, although they frequently sent letters to newspapers claiming innocence.
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