The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-12-28

the past-to dwell on the scenes o.
ones youth This may be true o.
e many-I have seen such-but fol
l myself | prefer the living present
/ and to speculate on what the future
; has in store for our world. Look
ing backward requires effort; and
the young, half-grown girl who
heard her elders tell hair-raising
tales of road agents, and who
watched Henry Plummer, well
dressed and eminently respectable
appearing, go back and forth to
town almost daily, does not seem
to be myself at all, but some stran-
ger. Yet it was surely I, who in
that far-away past, looking out of
my window, saw two men cross the
bridge over the Grasshopper to
Yankee Flat
One of these men was not par
ticularly noticeable, although the
company he kept indicated that he
did not belong to the towns bet
ter element. The other attracted
my attention. Tall and rather slen-
der, he wore full suit of buckskin,
new and cream colored, and liberal
lly ornamented with fringe of the
same around the bottom of the coat
and its collar. His broad brinmed
SLOUGH felt hat covered partially
the carroty red hair that fell in
long, struggling locks to his Shout
ders.
could not see his face, but his
general makeup was that of the
typical bandit; and this he proved |
to be. | watched him as long as
he remained on the Flat, where he
had gone to catch some straying
horses, and when he recrossed the
Grasshopper on his way to town,
I fastened to inquire who he was.
Those who knew him told me it
was that famous outlaw, Ned Ray,
one of Plummer's band, who kept
the council rooms of the organiza-
tion in Bannack, and was later
hanged with his chief, on that fate
full night of January 10, 1868.
Although designated as council
room keeper for the robbers, Ray
took his full share in the outrages
they committed. It was he, who
with Buck Stinson, attempted to
hold up Leroy Southmayd, of
which vivid picture is given by
Prof. Dimsdale, in his Vigilantes
Of Montana, as expurgated by
Noyes; the original version doubt
less being still more vivid.
Ray did not meekly submit to
lis captors, but fought them to the
end, and he was the last to die.
After death his body was given to
he woman who loved him for
burial.
Near the close of bleak, sunless
December day, when the leaden-
lued clouds hiding the sky were
lowly growing black with the APP
roach of night, a horseman topped
he Horse Prairie hill, and rode
lowly down it. A horseman on
hat hill did not constitute an I'm
sual sight at any time of the day
ut horseman riding at snail's
ace naturally awakened curiosity.
We stood in our back door, my d.
ousin, Lucia Darling, and I, and y
-atched him descending. and noted
lat he carried a gun on his saddle, in
here it was quickly available. F
nd this was not all which caused BY
5 to wonder whom he could be. di
few feet before him walked a pa
an. The horseman could easily ev
ave passed the pedestrian, but he er
lrefully kept the same distance F.
ehind him. ag
The two came down the hill wi
ossed the Flat and the Grasshop- TO
r, and passed out of our sight. ne
e at once told my father Judge
dgerton-what we had seen, tn;
mixing he might know what it
cant, and satisfy our curiosity. hi
it he was as ignorant regarding we
as we. VIII
A half hour later there was a TIN
FRIED call for my father to at IN
Id a conference of the Citizens Blu
and the messenger in tfr
rmed us that Neil HOWE had car
Dtured one of Plummer's band, car
own as Dutch John" but whose |
-htful name was John Wagner. on
. had been brought to town, and to
was his case my father was to inc
1sider. VIII
Then it was Neil HOWE we saw to
nging in his prisoner" we said to
o." was the reply, ''Neil came OF
0 town ahead of him, to tell the mel
l1.r u