Delaware State journal and statesman., 1864-03-08
Life Among the Idaho Gold Mines.
Fourteen Highwagmsn Hung Jya Niga4ncs Con
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Fourteen Hjghwagmsa Hung 5ya Vigilance Con.
nllHee.
Extracts from letter written by philsdelpbl.p "a.
siding In Rast BAnnoek City, Idaho Terriiory1
January 81 am spending the winter very
comfortably, considering, but oh, how cold il is /
never felt such weather in my life. We can't
tell anything how cold it s, for the thermome.
ters all froze up and bursted about a week ago.
pan Of mercury, set out for ten minutes, will
freeze solid, There is considerable snow on the
ground, and, in fact, we are experiencing all the
rigors Of Northern winter. Snow Is thirty
teet deep on the dividing ridge between Benton
anu Deer Lodge, and increasing in depth daily.
January l6'-0ur little community has been
very much excited during the past week. The
country has been for long time infested by a
band oil highWaymen and murderers, who robbed
the coaches and any single traveller whom they
could oaich on the road, and in many instances
murdered them in cold blood. There was Wig
ilanee Committee formed in Virginia City, and
they captured four Of the miscreants and strung
them up: Last Saturday party of men came
IN from SAT- Lake, bringing along a man they
had arrested on suspicion about hundred miles
from here Vigilance Committee was formed
immediately, and the man was examined, and
alter much discussion, they finally told him that
tney knew be was guilty, aud they would hang
him any how, aud his only hope was by making
clean breast of it, aud oonfessinR who his ac-
completes were, This he finally did, and impli g.
Gated, amongst others, four men who were living
in BannOck e
This was on Saturday evening. An hour or
TWO after he made his confession three members
Of the Vigilance Committee arrived aud said
that the men they had hung over there had, pre.
Vious 10 their execution, confessed horrible
ta'e OF crime, coinoiding In every particular with
the story OF the man they had here. After ma
ture and secret deliberaiion all day Sunday. the
Committee on Sunday evening arrested three OF
the four men he had named, residing here, and
marching them straight 10 the gallows, hung
them up. The next day they went in search Of
the fourth, greaser, or Mexican. and A verv
desperate fellow. He was alone in a cabin and
two men went to arrest him. He drew his re-
Voiver and shot one Of the men through the body,
and the other in the leg. He then ran olt and
escaped to another cabin. large crowd com.
memced firing revolvers, rifles and shot. guns
into the door and windows. lie fired back AT
intervals.
Finally, they got out the cam on and commeno.
ed hiring shells at the house After bombardinQ
1t for some time a party ventured to approach.
and found the Mexican lying on the foor niercl
ed BY a ball. lie was not dead and the infuri.
eted crowd got rope around his neck, and.
dragging him out, hung him to the nearest most
and then riddled him with balls. They then
tore down his cabin, and setting fire to il. threw
his carcase on the pile, and il was consumed
Ono OF the wounded men died next day. and the
other is nearly well. The next morning, when
went out, saw the man whom they had fret
arrested, and who had confessed, hanging up in
vacant house, and the bodies Of the other three
whom they had hung first, scattered around on
the moor truly horrible sight. After remain.
Ing there several days they were buried There
are some more Of the villains still at large. and
The Committee ere securing the country for them,
hope they will succeed in capturing all Of them
and ridding the country Of what has been one Of
its greatest evils. Heretofore il has been easier
for man to get the gold out Of the ground than
out OF the country.
January 2O.-The weather is now delightful |
and We sit with open DOORS Snow is melting
last hope we will have no more such weather
tnis winter as we had two weeks ago. Five |
more men have been hung in Virginia City, max |
ing fourteen in all thus far. Several others
nave been banished from the country 1t is said |
mere were eighty-three men in the band, and
they (ihey Vigilance Committee) are still looking
out to catch some more of them.