What crime did Rooster admit committing with Columbus Potter?

• A. Robbing a bank in Minnesota
• B. Robbing a stagecoach in California
• C. Robbing the Pepper gang
• D. Robbing the Union paymaster on the road to Kansas City

Answer: (D)

Rooster Cogburn’s admission with Columbus Potter centers on robbing the Union paymaster traveling on the road to Kansas City. This specific heist is the one tied to their partnership and is often cited to illustrate Cogburn’s willingness to use force for money, highlighting his rugged, unapologetic criminal past. The other proposed crimes don’t align with the story’s details: there isn’t a Minnesota bank robbery or a California stagecoach job attributed to this duo, and the Pepper gang is a rival group led by Ned Pepper rather than a target they rob together. The Union paymaster robbery on that Kansas City road is the exact incident described as their joint crime.