The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-05-20

attributed to Sheriff Plummer and
the band of cutthroats who had or
ganized under his direction and act
ed under his order. The trial of Dill
lingham's murderers was no less a
crime than the murder itself, since
it convinced the sheriff that no power
in the territory was superior to that
which he and his confederates exer-
cised. Professor Dimsdale's story of
the trial follows:
AS a proof of the address and tact
of Plummer, and of the terrible state
of society, it may be mentioned that
he got himself elected sheriff at Ban
mack, despite his known character,
and Immediately appointed two of his
road agents, Buck Stinson and Ned
Ray, as deputies. Nor did he remain
contented with that; but he had the
effrontery to propose to a brave and
good man in Virginia City that he
should make way for him there, and
as certain death would have been the
penalty for a refusal, he consented.
Thus Plummer was actually sheriff
of both places at once. This polite
move threw the unfortunate citizens
into his hands completely, and by
means of his robber deputies-whose
legal functions cloaked many a crime
he ruled with a rod of iron.
The marvellous riches of the great
Alder Gulch attracted crowds from
all the west, and afterward from the
east also; among whom were many
diseased with crime to such an extent
that for their cure the only available
~-N-4-s4s@ - -+A,,4 a@xl 4-l =
good drop.
Plummer had appointed as his de-
puties, Jack Gallagher, Buck Stinson
and Ned Ray. The head deputy was
a man of another stripe entirely,
named Dillingham;, who had accurate
knowledge of the names of the mem
bers of the road agent band, and was
also acquainted with many of their
plans, though he himself was limo
cent. He told a man named Dodge,
who was going to Virginia with Wash
S%tapleton and another, that Buck
Stinson, Haze Lyons and Charley
Forbes intended to rob them. Dodge,
instead of keeping his counsel, fool
ishly revealed the whole affair to the
robbers, who, of course, were much
at the news. Haze calculated
"-i Is that so?" The three men
at once concluded to murder Dilling-
ham. At Rattlesnake, Haze Lyons
came to Wash Stapleton, who was on
the road between Bannack and Vir-
ginia, and asked him if he had heard
about the intended robbery, adding
he had followed Dillingham; that
far, and that he had come to kill
him, but he said that he feared that
ne had heard about it, and had got
1ut of the country. Wash, who says
ne has felt more comfortable, even
when sleeping in church-at once re-
olied, "No; this is the first I've heard
If it. I have only 500 in green
packs, and they may as we'll take
hem, if they want them, and let me
TO-" The other swore it was all a
lie, and they separated, the robbers
to Virginia. Jack Gallagher
anne to x. Beidler and wanted a
'ony for his friend Stinson to ride
own the gulch. At first his request
vas refused, the owner saying that
e wanted to ride it down the gulch
imself. Jack insisted, and promis-
ng that he would be back in half an ]
our, Beidler loaned it to him. He s
ras away for two hours and the pro {
was "as hot as a WOLF when |
e came back. The truth was that {
hey had been consulting and fixing c
programme for the murder which /
as arranged for the next day, they
av1ng discovered that Dillingham; h
as in the gulch. In the morning, [
uck Stinson, Haze Lyons and Char t
y Forbes were seen engaged in a a
rand medicine talk" in the neigh e
orhood of a brush wakiup, where v
r. Steele was holding court and try S