The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-03
EARLY DAYS OF ,roNrAy,


VI me 'ishinntes in Riddi,.-
the Territory OF It's Desper,5.-
Henry II. Field in New York Fy-...--'
At last had found my man. Ir,
our second visit to Helena. ana
ond drive to his house. that ~.
Col Saunders, who was the lss5.-
the vigilantes, and the first man ~ -.-
sent Montana in the Senate Of ~.
ted States. He received me with o. 80
welcome that emboldened me IN .-..
sorts of questions.
When 1 first came 10 this
thirty years ago. Gn 1ssD." sad c-.
Saunders. Montana was without
eminent. There was not within -as
judge or court to which a man c,..,,
appeal for protection against H.. --.
characters that always drift To tb 81
der. If there had been any nee
administering justice. Il would havs ~
mere form, since no jury womb "a
Nlcl IN the presence OF men armed v.+L
shotSuns, so that violence ruie5 +t
country. This state of things ere,. .'-
and worse, till no man was safe ~.
rev cases, where men had been ca,,eh-
IN the very act Of robbery or r,trr5
ard We're executed on the spot. tbev ma,
confessions just before they were sV.,'r'-
off, that implicated many who had -
been suspected before so that we zrsu
not whom to trust. A mans nee.
neighbor might be his secret enemy an
nobody knew just what day r.ipb-
bring forth"
I never knew" said a gentle voice
that of the noble woman who she'd
his fortunes in this time of danger. when
my husband went out in the morning
whether he would return at night
"At last" resumed the colonel. IVA
grew desperate. Ii was better to die than
to live in such community. Society was
dissolved and We were thrown back uno,
ourselves for protection. There were
few Of us who knew one another well
enough to trust and be trusted and.
meeting in secret, we bound ourselves by
every tie that could bind men together
to stand by one another to the last So
was organized the famous band of he
vigilantes. The first step was to ssizs
the ring-leaders, who had been so daring
and defiant that everybody knew them
If they did not know the rank ana fle.
If we could by a quick movement seize
them and disarm them, their followers
would be left without leaders, and be
paralyzed. So we struck at the tall
heads first. To those who looked on from
the outside IL seemed an amazing piece
of audaclty. which would probably fau.
when those who had set themselves ID
as judges and executioners would have a
swift shrift. The ring-leaders were not
very much disturbed. for they saw many
ways of escape, but when they found that
the men of law and order were in dead
earnest they took a more subdued tone,
and only asked for a fair trial. But the
Vigalantes knew too we'll what that
meant-that it meant delay, with all the
chances Of rescue and escape, or OF Ona
man on the jury who would stand out
against conviction! And so when the
case was proved (for the career Of most
Of these men was notorious), there was
but one more step-and that was exc
cution. They did not have to wait for
gallows-any tree in the forest would an
swer, and a strong rope thrown around
the limb of an oak, with the other end in
the hands of q dozen strong men, would
quickly put an end TO the career of the
boldest outlaw.
These executions were not without
danger, for in the crowd we knew we'll
that half of the men who gathered TO see
an execution were in sympathy with the
victims. But the vigilantes took no risk,
and came to the scene armed to the teeth.
so that if any man had lifted a hand to
interfere with the course of justice, he
would have been shot down in an in
slant.
Under the new rule of law and order
the ranks of outlaws th-aed out This
old villains, who boosted of the number Of
their murders, as an Indian carries his
sealps as his trophies, saw that the game
was up, and their last piece of brayadO
was to show that they were not afraid 10
die. One famous desperate, who had the
rope round his neck and saw another
swinging in the air, and making fearful
struggles for release, instead OF a word OF
60, LII 10, t,aI
such an end, could only shout; KICK
away, Old Jack, I'll be in hell with you in
ten minutesi
The most extraordinary case was thal
of a man who came from the east, and be-
longed to a respectable family, and bore a
fair reputation. Strange as it may SEEM
1 had accepted an invitation to dine VIII
him at Christmas (for even then we haH
to keep up an appearance of enjoying our
selves, for which he made great prepard-
tons, sending off fifty miles for turkey
for which he paid $40 in gold 1t might
have occurred to us that such man must
have plenty of money to spend ana get IT,
in an easy way. But we did not stop 70
think of anything but to have niue
gayety in the midst of so much to Wy
our nerves; and. though it was back
woods feast, we all made ourselves as
merry as we could in those grim say.
Imagine my amazement when shorty aI'es
a man who was standing on the scalloiS
made full confession, in which ne saw
away all his comrades; among whom no
only as a member of the gang, but as 'hS
head devil who plotted all the roboeIle9s
and whose hands were red with oO1e-s
murders, was none other than the me- NO,
who had entertained us on Christmas ia.
This confession was supplemented by es
denee from without, so that there was ~
possible. doubt in the case, and 1t pecan
my duty to arrest the very man MS Ms
hospitality had accepted but SIX wen.
before. his
Never shall I forget the scene Of nv
execution 1t was in the winter anu ~
night, and yet it was not DARK a. .,. a.,
moon was shining on the snow thaI 49, ~.
ed the ground when the vigilantes 80
him to place in the woods Two oYllrs
were to die with him, who begged pl.eo't :,
" for the mercy they had never shoW ,i..ts
others If thew could only have htte
delayr only waitv But the ViBila assrs
knew too well what possibllltles .ingja