The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-27
THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER.
His Remains Found by a Pioneer and BurIe
Near Fort Buford.

Near Fort Buford.
An Omaha correspondent of the Chicago
Republican says:-
On the night of July /, 1867, Mai or General
Thomas Francis Meagher, acting Governor
of Montana, fell over the bulwarks of the
steamer Thompson into the Missouri river, at
Fort Benton, and was drowned The wife of
General Meagher offered $1,000, and the
Territory of Montana $4,000 additional, for
the recovery of the remains. But although
every effort was made to recover the body,
no trace of it could be found.
Finally, all search was given up as useless
and Mrs. Meagher returned to New York
without the sad consolation of being enabled
to give the relics of her famed husband
honorable obsequies. In the month of
August, 1867, James Tobin, of Yankton, Da-
kotah, with six companions, proceeded up the
Missouri river, intending to reach the gold
mines in the mountains of Montana. Above
Fort Buford their boat struck upon rock
and was broken SO as to be unserviceable.
While waiting to remedy the evil they met an
old pioneer who was engaged in telling timber
and poisoning wolves. They invited him to
Join their company, and proceed further up
the river; but the old man declined on the
ground that the Indians in the region they
proposed going towere on the war path. In the
course of conversation the pioneer stated that
the day previous to meeting the party he had
given burial to the body of a white man,
which he had found floating in the stream
of the Missouri, the left bank. The
remains were those of gentleman apparently
about forty years of age, stoutly built,
with dark hair, turning grey and slightly
curled; THICK brown mustache and imperial,
marked and massive features, and having
altogether the appearance of being all that
was mortal of an army officer. The remains
we're attired only in shirt and drawers, and
were slightly decomposed. The old man
showed the party the mound where lay buried
the body, and they marked the spot. The
pioneer had heard nothing of the melancholy
fate of the acting Governor, and thought no
more of the affair, because he did not know
there was O reward offered for the body of
Meagher
James Tobin knew General Meagher when
in the flesh, and had learned before leaving
Yankton of his untimely death. He became
convinced, from the pioneers description,
that the remains consigned to earth by the
lonely river were those of the famous but
bapless commander of the New York Irish
Brigade. He told as much to his companions,
and they agreed to send the news to the
Territorial Government at Virginia City. The
next day Tobin left his companions to go
hunting with the aged pioneer, hoping to
return before evening. BY some accident the
hunters were delayed longer than they antici-
pated. Returning whence they left, on the
succeeding morning, what was their horror
to find the mutiated corpses of the five
men they had left but few hours previously
in health and vigor. Evidently the murder
ing Indians of that region had come upon the
luckless party while they slept, and so mur-
dered and mutilated them. The survivors
dug trench near the grave of Thomas
Francis Meagher, and laid the five victims
side by side. Then Tobin and the pioneer
struck northward, out of the Indian
oolr 6afta he Of ha6
the white settlements in Washington Terri
tory. From thence they came down to
Helene, Montana, but could get no one to
take an interest in the matter, most of the
people thinking they were impostors.
About six weeks ago Tobin returned to
Yankton and told his tale to Charles Collins,
ESQ.,, of the Sioux City Times. That gentle
man, knowing Tobin to be an honest man,
published portion of his statement, and sent
an account of it to the present government of
Montana Territory. The officials being busted
with other matters, and all General Meagher's
friends being out of Office, took no heed of
the matter. Therefore Mr.. Collins offers to
be one of an exploring party to go up
to Fort Buford and investigate the
affair He and Tobin have little doubt
that the dead man found by the pioneer in
August, 1867, was no other than General
Meagher. The reasons for believing this are
many. First, the pioneer had heard nothing
whatever of the catastrophe, and did not even
know that Meagher was Governor of the Ter
ritory. Second, his description of the re.
mains tally with the appearance of the dead
soldier, whose personnel was known
perhaps better to millions of oul
Irish citizens than that of any man
living or dead. Third, General Meagher
fell overheard the Thompson after 10 o'clock
on the night of his drowning. He had re
tired to rest, divesting himself of everything
excepting the garments found upon the float
ing body one month afterwards-a shirt ant
drawers. Fourth, the story can be substan
tiated on oath, and Tobin will accompany an.
committee to the scene of massacre, ant
point out the graves of his hapless compa
mons and that of the luckless Irish soldier
orator. Mr. Tobin wants no reward, ant
will form one of the committee from purel
patriotic motives.