Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-24
Henry Plumner, Brilliant and Polished Chief of Gold Camp Road Agents
As Sheriff Planned Murders and Robbeies That Caused Reign of Terror

and order was the bandit lead
err, Henry Plummer, often re-
ferred to as the Claude Duval'
of the gold camps. AS a matter
of fact there is little basis for
such an association of the
names of the men, for while
Plummer was a suaVe and pol
ished william with certain bril-
liant traits, he was as ruthless
and unchivalrous a thief and
murderer as ever stretched
hemp, while the French high
wayman is given credit in his
tory for some good impulses.
Plummer was in some ways
the most extraordinary char
acter among the criminals OF
America. Well educated, agree
able in manner, and witty, he
possessed remarkable executive
ability and was a natural lead
er. Handsome, well-dressed and
carefully groomed at all times,
his manner and bearing sug-
gested the aristocrat, and yet
he commanded the liking and
held the loyalty of a big band of
as rough, untamed desperadoes
as ever has been organized in
America. At the same time he
was able by his pleasing per-
sonality and superior mentality
to inspire confidence in the
minds of the best men in any
community. So successfully did
he hoodwink the better element
of the two great mining camps
of Montana, Bannack and Vir-
ginia City, that he was chosen
as sheriff of Montana and act
ed in that capacity while direct
ing the operations of a large
and well-organized band of cut
Threats who carried on their
operations over a considerable
area in the Rocky mountain
region. This was at a time
when gold dust was carried in
stage-coaches and private con-
veyances in large quantities,
making highway robbery a
lucrative vocation.
Plummer, like most of the
road agents of his time in the
west, gained his education in
crime in California, where he
went from the east in 1852 at
a very early age, being then, in
fact, not more than 16 or II
years Of age. Mystery sur
rounds his earlier life. Many Of
his associated believed he was
from Boston, while others de-
clared he was an Englishman
by birth and came to America
when quite young. He engag-
ed in business in Nevada City,
Calf, in 1853, and two or three
years later was elected marshal
of that town. While holding
that office, his criminal tend
encies made their appearance,
and besides taking part in sew
eral robberies, he murdered two
men. For the second murder
he was sentenced to 10 years in
prison, but managed to secure
his release after a few months.
Shortly after he went to
Washoe, Calf, where he join
ed a band of road agents and
took part in an attack on a bull
lion express of Wells, Fargo &
Co.
California Gets too Civilized
In the late sos California's
citizens became so persistent in
furnishing crime that an exodus
of roughs and bandits took
place, and Plummer, with many
others, headed for Virginia
City, Nevada, where fortunes
were being made from the rich
Comstock mines. However, as
silver did not provide as favor
able opportunities as gold dust
for robbery, most of the jes-
peradoes were attracted by re-
ports of rich gold strikes in the
territory of Idaho, which then
included in it's boundaries what
are today the states of Montana
and Wyoming. The principal
camps in Idaho in 1859 were
Lewiston, Orofino and Florence.
Plummer made his headquar-
tiers at Lewiston, and organized
a band Of ruthless and murder
Gus bandits, whose operations
extended throughout the terri
tory in all directions where the
amount of travel made it profit
able. In the mountains he es-