Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-01-21
A Scrap Of History.
The Western Career of Senator
Sanders Covers Every Phaze
of Early Development.
The Organization of the Montana
Vigilantes, which fer Twenty
YearsHelo aSupremePower.
THE vIGILANTE SENATOR.
Scenes and Incidents In the rareer of sena-
tor sanders.

As contribution to the history
Of Montana we reproduce be-
low The salient features of the
celebrated article recently published
IN the New York Sun In refer.
-nce to Col. Sanders early career in
Moptans:
The republicans of the Montana
legislature have unanimously, and on
the first ballot, elected Col. Wilbur
FisSe Sanders, Of Helena, to represent
the new state in ths United States
senate. IfCol. Sanders gets his seat
he will be one of the most int resting
figures in public life at Washington.
He can tell stories in the cloak room
that will make the hair of his col
leagues stand perpendicular. He can
draw upon his own frontier experience
for narratives that will make the
puise OF the Hon. William Msxwel
Evsr's beat quicker. aud we'll nigh
curdle the blood IN the ve,us IF the
Hon. Geo. Frisbie Hoar.
the western career of Ctl. Sander.
covers every successive phsze Of the
development Of a community now
risen to statehood In score If years
there hes been crowded into bis life
sll lhst goes between the extremes Of
civilization-ceDturies cf evolution In
bodies polite of slower growth tnsn
that which inhsbits the Rocky Noun
tain region drained by the three forks
of the Missouri.
"He settled first y, Bapnack City and
undertook 10 practice his profession In
a mining csmp thronged with desper-
ADDE'S from every part OF the world and
fearing no law exceI t the swift code of
JudRe Lynch.
"The centres Of turbulence and cf
population weie al Bsnnsck CITY and
Virginia City, and no livelier settle
ments existed ut that time on the face
Of the earth. California gamblers aud
cu,throa,s, Mexican despersdoes, de.
serters from both the northern and
southern armies, fugitives from III,
juetice os n dozen different countries,
bullies and rougbs graduated In the
class If 40. prostitutes and thieves and
murderers picked by natural selection
from the forlorn hope of advancing
civilization, poured into the new gold
country along with the honest miner
and the peaeeable immigrant. There
was absolutely no government, no
law, no protection for life or prope ty
other than that which the shotgun af-
fords. The community was doubly
isolated from the east by distance and
BY the tremendous fact vf the civil
war. The Pacific coast gave IT 10
worst. Champagne was sl2 q bottle
in gold, and generally speaking, sheol
was focused on the region which Col.
Wilbur Fiske Sanders chose as the
field for his professional labor.
His first public appearances was rs
the prosecutor Of Geo. Ives, a renowned
member Of Henry Plummer's gang Of
road sgents and murderers.
"Plummer's band was the only well
organized power Of any sort IN the
community; 1t was organized for
crime. 1t consisted Of two dozen or
more of the evilest scouudrels then
unhupg, with full quota of spies,
scouts, decoys. and outside CORES.
pondeuts in every part Of the gold pro.
ducipg region. 1t had perfect sys.
tenn of communication between the
various members Of the band, OF desig.
nation OF suitable objects Of plunder,
and Of rescue aud support In case Of
trouble. The rad agents wore NOUS
taches and chin whiskers. and they
knotted their peckties In peculiar
way. In action, they covered their
faces with black silk handkerchiefs or
a bit Of blanket. They had early In
telligence Of every shipment Of treas-
urs or freight caravan cut Of the terri.
tory, and they did not disdain 10
waylay and rob the arriving eInigrant
for the sake Of the few dollars In bis
pocket. They held up coaches and
express wagons I'm the approved
fashion Of the frontier, too well known
TO require description. On their indI-
yldual account Plummer's band sway.
g.red. bullied, robbed and murdered
without check. They fired vt women
10 frighten them; butcheIed and
&C ilped inofiensive indiana In pure
waulonness; shot and killed men foi
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