Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-10-05
FIVE GRATEs IN MONTANA.
a Sketch OF vigilance Committee Work
in the Early Mining Days,

= Il
a sketch Of vigilance Committee Work
in the Early Mining Days.
As the traveller rides up Alder Gulch into
the Montana Virginia City," he notices
group of lonely graves on near hilltop.
The gulch has been left ragged and altogeth-
or unlovely by the placer miners who raw
aged this once beautiful valley, leaving des-
olation more hopeless than that wrought by
the flood which once tore suddenly through
the slowly. worn crevice in the Williamsburg
reservoir down the Mill River valley in Mass
achusetts. Frugal John Chinaman is rewash.
ing the gravel in Alder Gulch, from which
white men have skinned most Of the gold,
and nature is not permitted to do her part
toward repairing the wastes, This dreary val
ley swarmed in the COS with an advance
guard Of the men who rush from one mining
field to another in the mad race for gold.
Those early days in Montana were full Of ex.
citement and crowded with reckless deeds, of
whose occurrence the East took little note,
for we were then in the beginning of the war,
when the doings of frontier mining. camp
had no power to arrest the attention of the
nation. The story of those hilltop graves in
Virginia City involves q record Of the series
of terrible events which resulted in the es.
tablishment OF law and order u Montana,
making it prominently a territory in which
property and life are respected
The settlement of Montana dates from
1862, when miners began to pour into Ban
mock from Salt Lake, Colorado, California,
and Oregon.
In May, 1868, seven men went out Of Ban
nock-named from the Indian tribe in that
vicinity-to prospect on the Yellowstone riv-
err. They crossed the Tobacco. Root range of
mountains, and fell into the hands of the In
dians, who had become jealous OF such en-
croachments. The young men were exceed
ingly ambitious for scalps, and proposed to
kill their prisoners at once but the more ma
ture braves deprecated such a course, as like
ly to produce trouble, and a compromise was
finally patched up, by which the question
was referred to the mediciue-man. Fortu-
nately for the prisoners, the medicine" de-
clared for peace, and the prospectors were
despoled of their good horses, released, and
hidden never to return that way. They glad
ly turned back and went over the Belt and
Madison ranges into the Madison valley with
out stopping to make camp. They halted
for dinner one day in gulch overgrown with
aders, where Bill Fairweather, whose duty it
WAS 10 look after the horses, whiled away the
time by washing pan of gravel. He re-
turned to camp, saying, This is good enough
for me there il gold here, If anywhere" He
washed three cents worth from a pan of
gravel, and Barney Hughes took out larger
amount from another. Bill dug down to
hard pan, the underlying rock of the region
upon which the gravel rests, and the total
result WAS found to be forty five cents. Here
was eXtravaGant luck, and the party forgot
their vcissitudes in the dazzling prospect
opening before them. They remained a
week, aud washed out one hundred aud sixty
dollars.
The seven returned to Bannock and led
back a stampede. According TO the custom
of the country the miners halted on the way
in the Ruby valley to frame laws for the new
camp. The fame of the diggings spread, as
good news will and the ravine was soon de-
spoiled of its alders claims were staked off
suice ways improvised picks and shovels
vexed the face of the earth, and, us if by
magic, u struggling settlement sprang up
along the stream and on the foothills In a
few weeks Bill Fairweather, who had been
without quarter of dollar that he could
call his own, WAS spending five thousand dol
lars Il month in all sorts Of folly.
Another favorite of fortune was Baptist
minister, who came to the gulch the follow
ing year, dug a hole on the Hat, and struck
rich pay. The new settlement had been
called "Varina," in compliment to the wife
of jefferson Davis; but when the first
Judge" wGs asked to head a legal document
he fatty refused to abet the disoyal name,
and penned instead Virginia City, which was
thus made official" Fairweather and the
quondam southern pastor were fast friends.
They would don plug hats, hire coach at
ten dollars an hour, and ride up and down as
the camp swells. Many picturesque stories
are told which illustrate that time and sam.
pie the early society of Alder Gulch. There
| were many true men there but gamblers,
bounty jumpers, abandoned women, persons
of all sorts rejected by more civilized com.
munities focked to the rich diggings and
gave the predominant tone Virginia City
grew into big camp, at one time reaching 9
population of twelve thousand. 1t was @
place fostering with vice, almost abandoned
| to license, and flowing with whiskey. Hurdy,
| gurdy dance. houses hourished, and, as the
camp was divided in sentiment with regard
to the war the music on festive occasions wal
| diverted from Yankee Doodle" to "Dixie,
or the reverse, as the musicians were hired
to play for the Union or against it.
Montana was at this time part of Idaho
but the Idaho legislature had adjourned with
out authorizing a county organization, ant
this advance post of Virginia City, composed
of several thousand men, was left TO shift
for itself without shred of civil authority
|
tent to administer an oath. The Anglo-SaI
on must have some form of government
and a miners court-an open air meeting o
all the men-elected a Judge and sheriff, Off
cials having no legal status, but competent, i
of the right sort, to bring order out of chaos
The sheriff created under this authorit,
was Henry Plummer. He was Maine man
who had already earned reputation west o
the Rockies. In California he had been con
victed of murder, but had been assisted to 90
cape. He fed to Oregon, and thence to Da
kota, where he incidentally murdered tn
man who had helped him to break jail. Red
handed from that crime, Plummer came Il
eastern Idaho, now Montana. He made rap
id headway in the new country, so that hi
election AZ sheriff for the mining camps o
Virginia City and Bannock was easily com
passed. Plummer might have made an sd
mirable officer of the law had he not mRrke
out for himself instead a unique career O
villainy. He gathered a band Of highway
men-or road agents as they came to b
called. The organization was elaborate, wit
grips, passwords, and secret headquarters
aud the deputy sherGs at Virginia City an
Bannock were Plummer's first and secon
lieutenants.
While men were toiling for gold, ,-buildin
long sluice-ways down which a rill of wate
poured, rolling the gravel shovelled into it 6
that the gold settled TO the bottom, or par
ming 'the color" out by hand, or trading i
supplies which the miners must have,-th
road.agents were prepared to reap the fruit
of all this labor by the shorter way of rot
berry. The miner or merchant who left Ii
diggings did 80 at peril of purse and lif,
Stages which contained sufficient plund,
were marked for detention. Agents of IL
gang were everywhere, and reign of terrC
prevailed band which not only robbie
and murdered, but was in full control of II
machinery contriVed for bringing orimina
TO Justice, had certainly peculiar opportun
ties. It was some time before people leRrnG
| that vvhan Sheriff Plummar WIN olaimad