The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-23
in THE DAYS OF GOLD
Stirring "reminiscences by William
Dodge, Now Living at Kendrick.
HE KILLED AN INDIAN
An Exciting Ride for Life-Pursred
by the Plummer Gang Of Des-
peradoes-Other State
Notes.

Spokane Spokesman-Review: OF all
the old prospectors who left comforta-
BILE homes in the East in the sos and
SOS and came to the West TO seek Tor
tune there are. perhaps. but few lef.
or those who followed every mining e.
element from the dlggings on the Sa-
cramento river to the late Trail creek
camp there are. perhaps. fewer. Or
these, however, there Is one left who
has seen every camp of Importance on
the Pacific coast-who, ait the first
word of the rich diggings of Orc Elmo.
crossed the huge drifts of snow and
came into Florence only a few months
after 1t had become a town; from there
drifted to Pierce City. and then to Vir-
ginia and Bannack City. William
Dodge who is now living at Kendrick.
Idaho, although an old man. is as full
of life and vim as one not half his age
and, although having a fixed income
from property sufficient to support him.
yet he keeps up his search in the noun
tains after the hidden treasure.
Indeed. 1 have seen some very ex-
citing times" said he to Spokesman
Review reporter, land, being a marked
man by the notorious Henry Plummer
gang of desperadoes. you may be sure
II Is a wonder / am alive now. 1 was
gold diggings over on the Hell Gate.
and in the middle of the winter went
over there on snow shoes. The gravel
was very rich indeed, and have taken
out as high as SIS in single pan.
There on the He'll Gate ] put in the
first sluice box in the state of Monta-
ma
The next season / went UP to Ban
mack City late in the fall and. getting
10 men to go with me, we went down
near this river to kill some moose 20
live on during the winter. We estab-
lished "a camp about Is miles from the
river and one morning, separating. We
started in to get the moose. l was In
hiding along a run and, hearing some
shooting, anxiously looked for the
moose to come that way. 1t was get
ting along toward dusk and presently
] heard a splash in the water on a
nearby creek and saw a big buck In
dian. Then II flashed across my mind
that the shooting l heard had been
done by Indians. and that all the boys
had been killed. l had double-bar-
relied gun and fired both shots Into the
buck, killing him instantly. Then 4
commenced to crawl slowly up a little
knoll so that / could look down upon
the camp, and when I came in sight OF
1t, IT was empty and 1 then knew that
the boys were dead. 1 knew I was sur
rounded and, though / have been in
Il
so scared in my life. Tears came into
my eyes.
II loaded up the gun and concluded
that If had to die some Indian would
go along with me, and / took the trail
for Bannack City, go miles away. BY
this time 1t was dark, but 1 hurried
along. Once saw black stump and,
taking 1T for an Indian, gave ii both
barrels Nothing but the intense ex-
citement kept me up, and the next
evening about dark l came in sight OF
Bannack, and was completely played
out from the long walk without sleep
ing or eating, together with the great
mental strain, that 1 fell down in a
faint and was picked up by some men
and carried into town.
Shortly after recovering from this
was out prospecting and met some
Mormons with what is called valley
tan whiskey. / offered them $3.50 a
gallon, which they accepted. and had
them haul Ii to town and roll IL in my
cabin. i at once put a rough board
across the room for a bar and did a
brisk business in the poison at 80
cents a drink. AS / bought three bar
rels of 1T, / made quite a little money.
Among my customers who came in sew
eral times were those well known char
acters afterwards lynched by the Wig
ilantes, at Virginia City. Buck Stinson,
Charley Reeves and another, whose
|
saw that 1 was making money and
began to fear that they wanted II, and
afterwards learned that was then
marked man 10y the gang.
II sold out my business and started
TO go to Virginsl City. The first night
stopped with a man named Prickett
at the Fffteen-Mile house. II was only
a rude log hut and every man carried
his own blankets and paid 81 for the
privilege of sleeping on the floor As
! was about to lie down a man asked
IL he might roll In with me, as he had
no blankets, and 1. OF course. granted
the request. There was no light in the
room. but the stars were shining
brightly outside and the cabin not be-
ing 'chinked' permitted some of the
Light TO come in. / had been down but
few minutes when / heard a horse
dash up 70 the door and then Buck
Stanson came in. He asked Prickett IL
i was there and Prickett pointed out
the place where l was lying. He then
walked past me several times, but
guess he did not like to jump me as
long as the other man was there, and
SO getting his blankets he rolled up but
a few feet away. In a few minutes
more Charley Reeves came IN, the same
way, and inquired for me- He, too.
walked past me and then rolled in with
Stinson. i had my revolver cooked and
thought that IL they made a move some
one would get hurt. for 1 was sure /
was marked for a dead man.
The fellow who Law beside me was
sleeping soundly and in a few minutes
1 was convinced that both the desper-
ADDE'S were. Right back OF where / was
lying a log had been put In that was
crooked and this with the wide space
between the logs left hole big enough
for a man TO crawl through As quiet
~ as possible / pulled myself out OF
the blankets and through the hole TO
the outside. Getting NV horse. 1 start
ed on toward Virginia City. so miles
away. at a speed that would make the
ride OF Paul Revere or Phil Sheridan
sink into insignifcance. l killed my
horse. but I reached Virginia safe. 1
told my friends there what had hap
pened and to be prepared.
"Withing Is minutes from the time
came in town Reeves and Stimson also
| galloped in Seeing that j had num-