Comments on: "We're dead, come and get us."

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

Bookhouse — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 14:01:23 -0800

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).

By: bjork24

bjork24 — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 15:43:24 -0800

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.

By: sourwookie

sourwookie — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:47:19 -0800

Nothing good comes out of this town.

By: washburn

washburn — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 17:00:39 -0800

You've gotta love the colorful, judgmental, and highly speculative prose of these 1930's pulps. Fun in a pretty icky way.

By: three blind mice

three blind mice — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 18:33:37 -0800

Thanks for this.

By: scruss

scruss — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:24:22 -0800

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?

By: bayliss

bayliss — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:27:10 -0800

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.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 21:17:41 -0800

Cool post. Nothing good comes out of this town. B. S. I posted about the Wil Bill shootout earlier this year.

By: Bookhouse

Bookhouse — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:44:33 -0800

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