The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-27
Desperad0es Had Hard Time In
Virginia City.
HANGED BY VIGILANTES
SLADE CUTS OFF THE EARS OF A
FRENCHMAN.
An Old Timer Tells of Days When
bad Men" Were Sure to Die With
Theirs Boots on-''Road Agents.
Hunted Down Unmercifully-The
Wild West When It Was Wild

/ Capt. W. +. Drannan in Chicago Record.
In the summer of 1863 Jim Bridger an
1 started out from Trunk Meadows witt
the intention of going to Fort Kearney
Jim Bridger was going from there L
Missouri to see some OF his relatives.
was going TO New Mexico to see XII
Carson. When near Rock Springs
which is close to the mouth Of Bite
creek, we met train of emigrants OF
their way to Montana They had beef
troubled with the Indians the day be
! fore, and had lost some of their mel
and some of their STOCK. We campeC
with them that night. After the!
learned who we were and what oul
business was they proposed hiring us Il
go with them TO Montana. Bridger said
Il can't go. but probably you can make
arrangements with this man." turning
TO me. He knows the country as wei
as l do
They made me an offer then ane
| there. 1 told them 1 would give then
an answer in the morning. Wher
morning came l accepted their offel
and we pulled out, Jim Bridger COINS
one way alone. and 1 going, another way
| with the emigrants. / asked the cap.
tain OF the train if 1 could choose foul
or five men from among the emigrants
TO assist me in scout work, asking hin
to allow me TO pick such men as
! pleased.
Yes ne said, and I think you viii
find some good men in the outfit" Thai
night when we camped and the picket
guard was put out L selected my men
These men were to be exempt from al
picket or camp duty, as a scout was
supposed to be all ready TO go at any
time when necessary, day or night.
FOLLOWING LANDER'S CUTOFF
We took what was called at that time
'Lander's cutoff" leading us in by
what is known now as Soda Springs
and from there to Fort Hall. At tina;
! time there We're no soldiers at Fort Hall
nothing but mOuntaineers and trap
pers. When near Fort Hall the Ban
mock Indians attacked us and we had
quite a fight, but lost no men nor
sctOck. We succeeded IN driving the
Indians off and camped there until next
day. We crossed Snake river almost
due north from Fort Hall.
1t was on the second day, I think, af-
ter crossing Snake river thar we met
the stage coming from BannOck to Salt
Lake. The stage was making trips every
two weeks and invariably had six
horses attached. but when we met it
that day the driver had only threa
horses. His name was James Brown.
He said he had been attacked by road
agents up in Coon canyon: that they
had killed all the passengers, four in
number, and also one of the horses. TAX
ing the other two horses with them
We went on TO BannOck, but the news
Of this stage robbery had reached there
ahead of us-how / never learned.
From Bannock we went to Alder
gulch, now Virginia City. We got there
early enough for some of the emigrants
to stake good claims. At Alder gulch
stopped with Boon & Bivian, VINO were
merchants there. They had a train of
goods coming from Salt Lake city. and
asked me to go out and meet the train
and assist it in. The day was set when
1 should start.
During the few days previous o. my
starting there had been
\ NUMBER OF ROBBERIES :.
committed on the road. One incident
that 1 remember particularly was the
rCbbing of the SOuthmaid brothers.
These two brothers had come to Alder
gulch from the state of New York.
They told me after the robbery that
their father had mOrtgaged his home
for money TO send them out into that
country to make a raise They had
good luck that season. and the younger
brother had started to BannOck with
$780, which was to pay off the mortgage
and still leave the old folks $500 to live
on. As there was no express company
at that time III Virginia City. il was ne
cesSaTy TO go 70 BannOck to eXpreSs-th the
money. When fifteen miles from Vir-
ginia City road agents attacked the
stage and took SOuthmaids money
away from him. He was obliged to
walk back TO town. Afterward a vigi-
lance committee was secretly organized
in the lower end Of the gulch. about a
mile below Virginia City. y great many
miners i'll and around the city Joined
the organization. and I presume that
all the business men in the town knew
of it,
The morning before I was to start to
assist this train in for Boone & Bivian
1 got up early and went down TO a ra-
vine to get a bucket of water. on the
way down there l looked up on the
ridge north of me and saw d picket
line and knew from the actions of the
men that they were on picket duty.
When 1 started back l looked in an
other direction and saw another line.
When / reached the house ! woke up
MIR. Bivian and told him the town was
under guard. Yes he said, in
laughing way. mo doubt it is under
guard, and we will see
SOME FUN BEFORE LONG"