Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-02-07
FEBRUARY Z, 1873
..I.YxgH Law IN BOHEMIAN.

TO those who are familiar with our com
munity.s anil acquainted with our peaceful
and som. what d0nicsticated ha bits OF life
the above captiel may seeH startling; while
10 stllers, living far beyond the lines d
our Territorial limits. it may appear only i,
keeping with orr first Territorial history
In the latter, when civil tribunals had io
bveu established; judicial forums yet I'm
known among us, and the absence Of ths
legal means usually provided for the pun
ishmcnt OF CRIME, there could be found, ex
ten,latai,g circumstances, If not justification
for The terrible and appalling events that W.
now are- about to chronicle, while to ths
former they must al pear, - they DO to US
---,.nealled for, ,injustifiablc. and provocative
OF the worst and most detrimental conse
Qnenccs In our efforts to open mp for occupa
lion of unmlmbered thousandssa new world
blessed with the yet uudsvcloped, resources
of nateld wealth, and awaiting only The
various and multifarioas meaIrs Of develop
nleat, expected from divers parts OF tlis
Union, and more particularly so fiom tllt
industry and wealth Of. the eastern stateS
That IN the earlier settlement of Montana.
and under the disadvantages alluded to
many vile men and blood thirsty wrctches
= carving crime within their breasts, stalked
our streets, pcercd into the sanctity OF oul
homes, robbed Our persons and flung de Il.
ance In our teeth; when, as NE believed, We
were bzskfng In the sunshine Of peace and
prosperity, and SO believing, were only toe
ofte,.lulled into fatal delusion, is, alas too
trtie.r Then; -SEcEssIfY, that jealous ant
: Inc xorablc agency which knows not, anl
Will not hear, the meaningless excuses ant
Intellectual whnes Of pla,tsibllity, or the still
less reliable voice Of sympathy with crime
In TIME fa
g5i4ytEg HWhen rice prevailed,
And mpiolis mrn bore sway 8f54
issued her mandates in tie interest nf life,
law and order and the self constituted All.
thority disposed of murde rers, thieye and
naral,ders as ifthey were so many useless
bszzards on tree or prowling wolves
around the shccpfold.l Good followed;
worthless beings and rcprehcnsiblc villains
were consigned to the grave on the one hand
or absentea themselves, once for all from
our midst, OH the other. But, mark you,
}. these things occurred when critne WAS ram
pant. and good character and prosperity
mere tile signal tor onslaught and attack;
when our Territory was 0verrun with a
floating and fiuctuating population. sudden
ly gathered here in the hope of immediate
wealth, aud when no other means existed
for self preservation or The punishment OF
wrong. To-day We stand differently; the
presence OF wrongdocrs with us Is the nor
iice.ilihs exception. And ;irc not the avenues
OF justice and the appliances OF legal punish
meiif, hfily ample for every emergency to
save our citizens from the dread crime just
now committed in the execution OF Triplctt
and ..Bill,'' against which the Almighty has
i.suc,l Ills eternal fiat in the language
..Thou shalt do no murder" We may be
told that they deserved death. and for our
present purpose we will belle ourselves and
sny 50 too;, but, we ask, and hope you Will
ask yourselves, who gave you the right TO
put them to death: 500 4e 94@ss
Necessity cannot como to your aid. nor
ineiiiclency in our public officers. either IN
the past or present. be urged in your behalf.
Let facts De submitted. From the first settle
rrrent of Galatin county to tho present day,
a few cases only of magnitude in crime have
been committed; that retributiyc justice
was meted out. We have only to recoIlect the
dread truth, that three of the five men al
ludcd to were killed In the effort OF the silsr-
III. and his posse to arrest them, and the re-
lraining two captured, one of whom Is now
in the Territorial Penltentiary and the other
escaped, the only escape ever effected IN the
county. When crime Of lesser grade was
committed, has not justice been equally done
between the accusing and the accuseds Have
we.not community and population among
whom an honest jury and truthful witnesses
can be found, ard where or when have YOU
had occasion to lose contide zee in your judi
cial officers III the punishment Of crime? #.
The cll to which VIC have alluded, is only
TOO well kiowR TO our citizens. A man
named Triplcts. who was cmotnitted to
Jail for the murder OF Gemblcr and another
known as .'Stcamboat Bill' was also In jail,
charged with the murder OF a chinawoman.
1t IL not our purpose to argue tile case OF
ei her, for whether deserving death or other
penalty, it belonged not to the populace to
s,djudge ar inIlict it. Suffice it TO say that
the first nsllleu was awaiting his trial, which
was expected to come OIL at the next
term of the District Court of this county.
and the latter held tor examination to be had
the second day after the eve on which he
WAS executed. On Saturday evening about
ten o'clock, the cry Of murder was heard
from one William Roe then confined IN
iail as accessory to the alleged murder by
..Steamboat Bill.'' The sheriff, Jno. Guy
ESQ.,, in hearing the call. went to the North
Pacific. Hotel for assistance, aud not finding
any there locked elsewhere and succeeded
I'm getting twelve or fifteen together who, ut
tlrst rt.f..setl to act under his orders because
they had 10 arms, but attcrward accom-
panied him nearly As far as The bridge
short tiistai &c tram the Jail. Here an mn
known man placed his arm around the
sheriff, when the example was followed by
two or three other men, who took him to
the store Of Dr.. I.amnc, and there detained
him fbr one al,d halt or two hours. In Tie
meantime however. the attention OF Judge
Langhorne was attracted to the jail by the
same cause, and Immediately repaired to-.
ward il: but when within some distance Of
the building was told to halt. He announced
his nasn,, and commanded that the peace be
preserved, but no attention was paid To his
IN