Cole Younger the three Youngers (Cole, Bob, and Jim) did not. They and another gang member, Charlie Pitts, waged a gun battle with a local posse in a wooded ravine along the Watonwan River west of Madelia, Minnesota. Pitts was killed, and Cole, Jim, and Bob Younger were badly wounded and captured. Cole, asked about the robbery, responded, "We tried a desperate game and lost. But we are rough men used to rough ways, and we will abide by the consequences." Cole, Jim and Bob pleaded guilty to their crimes to avoid being hanged. They were sentenced to life in prison at
Cole Brothers was incorporated. However Skelton Cole did not see this achievement, dying in 1896, while his brother John died in 1898. The business continued to be run by the Cole family, with two sons of the brothers Thomas and Thomas Skelton taking over the reins. By 1909, the business had started employing women, which was to be a benefit with the outbreak of World War One looming. The business had also grown to local prominence with locals regarding the area as Cole's Corner, something that lives on to today. Technology was at the forefront of the store, with delivery vans being