Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-10-05

Juuhsi DelnR intended 10 ldentlty the Wearer
to his enemies the road agents.
The robbers wore masks their greeting
was, "Throw up your hands, and keep them
up" the command being embellshed with
abundant profanity and when a coach was
attacked, one Of the passengers was forced to
gather the arms and money of his fellow
travellers for the highwaymen. Resistance
meant death, and wanton murders were not
infrequent Men who studied the disguised
ruflians too closely we're sharply commanded,
Turn around and mind your business or III
blow the top Of you head or" One traveller
who yielded but five dollars was upbraided
for coming away with 30 little money, and
threatened with death if he ever did 30 again.
"D-n you" was the spoken after-thought,
81 have mind to kill you for luck !" and the
road agent snapped his pistol, which missed
fire. In other cases men were actually killed
for luck After the detained coaches had
been sufficiently examined, the passengers
and driver were told to "get up and skedad.
de- Now and then the bravery of individ-
uals prevented a raid. When two suspected
oad-agents took passage by one coach, the
driver and passenger held their guns ready
to kill the pair in case of an attack. The
warning was sufficient and the agents began
roaring out song which was continued for
miles as a signal that the band must keep off.
L luulubi nun Wtlb uOIhb AulbNbHt huu EOue
the best mounts that could be stolen. Their
doings came to be understood but with this
knowledge went the conviction that any dis
play of it was unsafe.
In community where every man was pur.
suing his own ends, the miners were usually
content to trust to luck in matters of general
public concern. Those who struck streak
Of Plummer and denounced the band were
bulied or shot and whoever told the sheriff
that he suspected certain persons Of robbing
him, more often than not sealed his own
doom. The overland stage route now a sug.
gestive line on the landscape as seen by the
traveller from his car window, was then the
only pathway by which the people of Mon.
taua could come East the road agents were
masters Of that pathway aud Of the situs
tion.
All theories Of popular government rest on
the conviction that the good men OF any com.
munity outnumber the bad ones. II often
takes time and patience to arouse and mass
the better forces but they do gather and as.
sumo the whip hand. so in Montana it was
only question how long the people would
submit for as men come tc hold stake in
society they are solicitous for the protection
of individual rights. The final war Of e1-
termination had singular beginning
Nicholas Tbalt an honest German who had
faithfully served Butschy and Clark, of Ne
vada, sold his employers a pair of mules,
pocketed the money, and vent out on the
foothills to look up the animals. He never
came back. At first it was suspected that
this hitherto trusty man had run away but
fate vindicated the absent. Ten days after,
while William Palmer was crossing the Stink
ingwater valley, he shot a grouse, and the
bird fell on the dead body of Tbslt. The
dead man was carried back to Nevada, and
good citizens struck fire at last. The en-
ployers Of Tbalt called for volunteers to
avenge his murder, and twenty five men said
they were ready for the enterprise if Gap
Williams would lead them. Williams was
fearless and proyerbially reticent, but ready
in action,-a man peculiarly fitted to lead
such an expedition. He modestly accepted
the call, only stipuating that the men must
agree to do their full duty. The party made
some hurried preparations, and started from
Nevada on their stern mission at ten o'clock
of December night.
The dry atmosphere of the Rocky Noun
tain country renders habitable a region stu
ated higher above the sea than the sterile
plains Of Mount Washington yet midwinter
is not propitious season for travellers in that
region, as Captain Williams and his band
speedily discovered. They took circuitous
route, to escape notice, and were obliged to
fifty miles, and when near where the sup
posed murderers were sleeping in "wskiup"
"a brush tent, the order was given, every
man light from his horse, and make no noise
till daybreak." There the party stood in ice
coated garments until dawn broke, when the
second order followed "Boys, mount your
horses, and let no word pass until we are in
sight of the wakiup."
The sleepers we're thus surrounded, and
the leader called out, THE first man that
raises will get quart Of buckshot in him be.
fore he can say Jack Robinson
'Is Long John here?" greeted the awak-
ened camp.
Yes" returned that individual
Come out here. l want you"
"Well, guess l know what you want me
for"
Probably you do; but hurry up We have
no time to waste"
Long John" appeared and the party
stood for half an hour awaiting full light.
Captain Williams took four of his men and
walked with the prisoner to where the body
had been found, and there, as if to witness
for his late master was one Of Tbalts mules
looming into gigantic proportions through
/ the gray half-light. The spectacle sobered
both captive and captors and lent a supersti
tious solemnity to the proceedings.
Il did not do it, boys" said Long John
| in a subdued voice
But" came the resolute answer, 'you
know who did il, John you let the body lie
here ten days, and when Palmer found it you
refused to help poor Tbslt into the wagon.
Long john" said another, handling his
pistol, you might as well prepare for anoth.
or world"
But Captain Williams interfered in behalf
of more orderly method of action, saying,
"This won't do; if there is anything TO bt
done, let us act together"
"Long John" hesitated to reveal the mur
derers of Tbalt through fear of the persona
consequences but, as his more immediate
danger was pressed home, he finally said thai
George Ives did the deed. The party re-
turned and picked out Ives from among th'
campers.
The ride TO Nevada was enlivened by Incl
dents. At Dempsey's ranch George Hilder
man was arrested. Ives proved his insinuGt
ing and agreeable qualities by persuading hi
captors to indulge in a trial of horse-speed
It was second nature for these men to EN-
brace any proposition for excitement, anC
Ives won the race, but failed TO pull up will
the rest. Urging his horse, the prisone
gained ten rods before the guard realized hi
trick TO escape. The fugitive headed TO
Daleys ranch, where word of the capture
had been conveyed and the heetest horse il
possession of the band was waiting Ives
use He did not reach it. After long chase
he broke for the mountains, and sprang from
his horse down a ravine, where he wa
brought to bay and captured. Two hour
had been wasted by this foolishness. Tn
captain restrained a movement to hang I've
on the spot and the cavalcade continued so
berly to Nevada, with their prisoners ridinI
in the centre of hollow square.
During the night road-agent galloped t
Bannook City, finding relays of horses alon
the way, bearing to Sheriff Plummer tn
news that citizens had arrested a friend o
his in defiance of the constituted authorities
The avengers of Tbalt decided TO try Ives o.
the morrow, aud his sympathizers secretl
summoned allies from all the region, as
was confidently expected that the sheri
would attempt rescue. Early in the follow
ing day the miners flocked in from every d
rection, until the crowd numbered fully fl
teen hundred men. 1t was decided TO tr
these men-George Ives, "Long John" an
HildeTmsn-before all the people, with a
advisory jury of twenty-four men to suggei
a verdict, which the miners could accept {
, reject as they saw fit. The fight was mad
on Ives, who was powerfully defended by fv
lawyers, ,-Messrs. Smith, Richie, ThurmonC
Wood and Davis-while the prosecution WI
conducted by Col. W. f. Sanders and Charlie
S. Bragg. Judge Byram, seated in a Wagon
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