The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-12-14
Henry Plummer, Famous Idaho Outlaw
and Montana Gold Camps

4
E ing there with him returned the fire
/ and managed to escape through a rear
: door with the gold dust and money
that had been hidden beneath Hide
brandts bunk. Several citizens who
, were on the street saw and recognized
the robbers as they STROBE away from
the saloon. cursing because their plan
had been frustrated. mass meeting
was called by a number Of the better
men OF the camp. for Hildebrandt had
been popular and feeling was bitter
against his slayers. Several addresses
were made in favor of hanging the
latter and action of that sort was in
prospect, when Henry Plummer step
lped onto a wagon on the street in the
center Of the crowd, and raising his
hand for silence, began to speak with
considerable eloquence on the horrors
of anarchy and made plea to spare
the name of the camp from any such
disgrace as would accompany an Incl
dent of this character.
Among the crowd was one Patrick
Ford, a gambling house proprietor,
who was known as being both square
and fearless" He had won the i'll will
of the tough element by his out spoken
opposition to the liberation of their
presence in the camp. He replied to
Plummer and made a plea for the pun
ishment of the murderers These
men," he said, ARE as cowardly as
they are cold blooded Let us take a
firm stand for law and order and you
will see how quickly they viii disap-
pear from among ms. l favor the i'm
mediate capture and hanging of the
murderers of Hildebrandt."
The crowd however, had been split
by the pleas of the two men and a suf-
icient vote to take action against the
lroughs could not be secured. Ford
openly tainted the men who stood be-
fore him with being towards and said
the day was coming when murderers
and robbers would be hanged in that
community
Plummer Leads Trio That Kills
Patrick Ford.
A day or two later Ford started for
Orohno to establish a gambling house
and dance hall at that camp, and the
news of his departure soon reached
the ears of Plummer. He determined
ito discourage champions of law and
order by killing this man who had had
the temerity to speak openly against
the road agents. He rode out of Lew
iston, therefore. with two companions
who were among the most desperate
and bloodthirsty of his band. Their
names were Ridgley and Reeves.
When the trio reached Orofno they
entered Ford's dance hall, and finding
him absent they began destroying the
property in the place. Soon Ford
walked in from the street and ordered
them out at the point of his pistol.
With three against one they did not
show courage and retreated. Ford
followed them into the street and
continued to denOunce them. BY this
time they had their horses by the
brides and taking shelter behind the
animals, began shooting at Ford A
bullet struck Ford. wounding him
MORALLY but before falling dead he /
fired several shots. wounding Plum /
mer's horse and striking Ridgley twice /
with bullets He is given credit for |
being the first man in the northern /
gold camps to stand forth boldly for 4
law and order.
Plummer having been recognized as
me of Fords slayers. found that even
the favorable reputation Ell had ac-
CURED would not avail him in the face
of growing hostility of the camp to- I;
ward thieves and murderers, and he
departed for new fields With one of
his robber band. Jack Cleveland, he ,
left for the new Montana gold camps I
Of Bannack and Virginia City.
Realizing that his record of crime
might follow him to these camps,
plummer after brief sojeurn In
hem, decided to return to the east by
way of the Missouri river but before 4,
eaching Fort Benton. found that the
asst boat of the season had left there :
or st. Louis. He therefore returned
With Cleveland to the little settlement
# Sun River some 20 miles west of {
he present city of Great Falls where
az AfteNNNANNN AAANAtAh etE0AANA was tc-
ablished. The agent was one Vail, n
Who had with him at the agency his 4
sife ami sister OF Mrs. Vail. Electra Il
Bryant The latter was a handsome a
-rl of is. Plummer fell in love with i,
er and they became engaged. Then o
e determined to risk a return to the Il
old camps for he was short of money o
nd wished to make a stake" before m
Il may be said for Plum
her that his attachment was in this n
ase sincere. Apparently he really o
wed the girl and subsequent events Il
rove this fC
Upon arriving again at Bannack he j
nee more set about to organize a ;;
and of road agents from whose oper- n,
tons he might make a fortune rap OF
ly. 1t is probable that BannaclS had ii
ore desperadoes and lawless charac-