The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-01


As the party came to the place where
was. and | had listened moment. it
was apparent that he was dcransed. lie
was Loudly demanding a revolver to do
| fcntl himself against the citizens of Fort
| Benton. who in his disturbed mental
condition, he declared were hostile to
| him, and several who then Joined us
sought to allay his fears and by all the
means in our power TO restore TO sanity
his disturbed mental condition.
| His nautical friend, whose host he was
TO be the ensuing morning, suggested that
| he 20 to his StaterOOm on the boat, ana
| thithcr three or four of us ACCOMPANIED
him. He was still insstent that the peo
pie of Fort Benton were hostile to him
and was impOrtunate for revolver. dc
was induced to retire to his berth, which
was on the starboard side of the boat
next the bank. and in the hope that ht
would SIeep we all went on shore, seeking
| to allay his anxiety by the promise oil
| getting him u revolver
| As he Ind removed his outer garments
and lain down in his berth, we did not
| apprphenG there would be further trouble
thinking the temporary alteration the re-
suit of the hot and exhausting ride of Tho
morning. which sleep would speedily cor
rect II was great shock to his friends
but We were confident of his immediate
recovery.
| do rot stop here to speculate on the
cause of his halucinatiOn that the people
of Fort Benton were hostile to him; but
| have always thought that a contention
between the BlackfOot Indian Agent
George Wright. and the General Superin
Itendcnt of Indian Affairs, wherein tbs
General directed the release of all the in
! toSicating liquors il the country whIct
Ethc Agent had assumed to seize, was II
his mind This controversy had assumed
an epistolary form i'll the newspapers, as
! Gen. Meagher'S controversies We're eX
cccdingly wont to do: l only attribute Il
! to this for lack of other causes; but zen
| Meagher had no more loyal friends thar
those in Fort Benton, who solicitOusly sur
rounded him i'll his last hours.
! | cannot say that anyone remained II
| tho statc-rOOm with him. FOR nothing was
/ farther from our thoughts than the de
nuucmcnt then impending. After bret
conversation on the lower deck, | went
Ito the ulFice of the Indian Agent, opposite
1.-the q. A. Thompson, and perhaps d
yards distant, where | wrote a letter fol
The outgoing mail to Helena, which ief
at IL o'clock. Perhaps had beer in the
Office 30 minutes when | heard Capt
James German, the Stage Agent Of G. G
| Huntley. exctedly exclaim: Gen. Meagh
er is ircwned"'
| dropped my pen and FASTENED GU
1.-THE door and rushed across the gang
Dlanl. and across the lower deck Of th'
steamer. There was a cOlOred man, on,
Iof the men connected with the bGat--Th,
barber [ believe-whO. replying to my IN
tCrrOgation, said man had LET himsel
down from the upper deck to the lowe
deck and jumped into the river and gcn'
down stream. | Immediately returned t
land. and ran down the river bduk, re
p"ating the alarm until | reached one o
la. thn I hp1
go here | went across the boat TO tn
river side to watch for the General.
Boats were instantly lowered ant
manned. and many anxious eyes wer
Ipeering in the darkness at the swift roll
ing waters of the great liver. that neve
seemed. so wicked as then. 1t gave bac
no wished-for sight nor sound. TIL
search was kept up all night and for tw
or three days thereafter. LOayes of brea
were cast on the turbid waters in ODE
dience to a belief that they would cause
drowned body to rise TO the surface of tn
stream. A cannon was brought into r.
QUESTION for the same purpose, but III
mighty river defed all our SolicItudc5 an
kept its treasure well. | turned from III
steamer as | saw the boats 20 down til
river in the darkness to fulfill the sa
duty of advising Mrs. Meagher of tn
overwhelming calamity which had be
fallen her and us all. She lived in tn
same street near me in Virginia City, an
it seemed to me to be my duty to tell he
the sad story. | inclosed my letter t
DIR. James Gibson, Postmaster at Virgini
City, an accomplished gentleman and
fast friend of Mrs. Meagher, cOnfiding t
his discretion the manner in which h
should break to her the melancholy new:
As there was no telegraph. the news Q
the event went by mail that night. \
person, so far as | know, save the co
ored man, saw Gen. Meagher go into tn
river and he related to me the circun
stances as | have told. The next da
. some members of the Generals staff sal
. to me that we must report that he fe
from the boat accidentally, and must nc
mention the mental alteration nor a
tribute it to that. l said to them | ha
written to Mrs. Meagher the exact fact
as they had been related to me, and coul
see no imputation upon the General nc
, cause of humiliation to his friends if h
eager devotion to his duties in hand ha
brought upon him so great an affllctlol
Some of them seemed to think otherwise
, and in the proclamation by Gov. Gree
, Clay Smith announcing his death, it wa
| believe. alleged to have been caused "b
, accident"
, | can well appreciate the affectio
, which Gen. Meagher inspired among HI
! race and his countrymen. His form wa
/ manly, his manner cordial. his demeanc
! gracious. his conversation instructive, b
, wit kindly. his impulses generous; and
agree with Horace Greeley, who ono
said to me that Gen. Meagher was one {
, the finest conversationalsts and extempo
! aneous speakers he had ever known.
! 1t is to be regretted that so much
said and written of Gen. Meagher and til
, manner of his death that is not so. Thos
who were with him on the last day of h
life will join with me. | know. in denyin
that his death could be attributed to an
cOnvivial habit ] was with him most {
, the afternoon, and he was as resolutel
, abstemiOus as the most devout anchOrit
and it is as cruelty unjust to repeat sue
, an accusation.
The river was searched for his remain
down to the mouth of the Marias but th
i, search was in vain. Somewhere in til
stream his manly form sleeps in as 81
rene repose as it would in classic Arlini
ton, but the jealous waters guard the
secret well, and the rushing waves fror
unbound springs seem destined forever t
be his monument and his grave.
, Who Can Complete the Story?