Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-05-27

a short time till hundreds were in pos
session of well-hlled pokes Of clean. yell
low gold.
To most of those thus fortunate, this
was a sudden rise from poverty to riches;
which was, as is usually the case, fol-
lowed by a state of wild recklessness
Saloons and hu~rdy-gurdy houses, OF
which there were many. were crowded
every day and night; and the various
games of chance, with as many clever
"sharps," took heavy toll without mercy
or respect of person; but leaving little
regret, for the gold was plentiful and
each evening always brought forth a new
supply.
There are few left who know, and it
is difficult for the rest Of us to conceive
the true picture of this turbulent and
amazing life that marked Virginia City
sixty-four years g o when thousands Of
struggling, seething, m~oney-crazed hui
man beings swarmed that single street
day and night. 1t wa a life perhaps
without parallel at any time or place on
this continent.
In those days, there existed nc written
law; the only means for bringing mis-
creants to justice being the Miners or
Peoples Court" which sat, when the &C.
casion arose, at Virginia City; but which
at best was feeble In its efforts to subdue
the crime inevitable under such condi-
lions.
"Gentlemanly Cutthr0ats"
1t Is, then, easy to understand why
this Vigilante Trail, then the sole wagon
road to and from Virginia City and the
outside world, should become infested
with "sentlemanly cutthroats" Tor road
agents." as they we're commonly termed)
who, as the camps become more popular
and traffic increased seemed to swell
in numbers faster than the respectable,
" xrf0rHfVay vxovftnvn 1T fho Nnvrv1r1ntfU
This aggregation Of thieves, rowdies and
footpads organized into an almost irwin
chile band under the leadership OF a
man who had managed to secure the ap-
pointment as sheriff Of the territory. The
story Of Henry Plummer is a narrative
in itself. He was a natural leader. While
agreeable and exceedingly affable, as a
rule, when crossed by any one of his fol-
lowers. he became a fiend; and few there
were who cared to defy him. Yet, the
majority Of those numbered among his
followers were loyal and held him in
greatest esteem. His polite move in hav-
ing himself appointed as sheriff OF both
Virginia City and Bannack threw the
populace of both these camps, as well as
the traveller along the connecting trails,
completely into his hands; and by means
of his deputies, whose legal functions
cloaked many a crime, he ruled with q
rod Of iron. One of the deputies ap-
pointed by Plummer at the request OF
some prominent citizens of the camps,
became suspicious of Plummer's activi-
ties The not being a member of the
gang). He was shot down in cold blood
by three road agents on a street in Vir-
ginia City.
Then there followed a carnival of
crime such as few communities in the
United States have ever witnessed. Muir
ders and robberies became so frequent
that men feared to take their lives into
their own hands by riding in stages or
on horseback along the Vigilante Trail or
other highways. Feeling against these
murderers finally eliminated in the ar
rest and trial of one of Plummer's lieu
tenants, George Ives, for the particularly
brutal murder of Nicholas Tiebalt, a
German.
"RObbers' Roost"
plummer and his followers maintained
their headquarters for the most part, at
the famous old rendezvous. Robbers
stands about three miles up Vigilante
Trail from the door of my one-time
newspaper Office at Sheridan. This place
was built by Pete Daily, a pioneer OF Vir-
ginia City, who was believed to have
"stood In" with the robbers, and who
unquestionably knew many Of their Sc
crets. DAILY was twice taken out OF this
OlQ DldCG ny blC VlklAuA1tCos AAACA oNh
tence OF death, but on both occasions hi
convinced the law and order leaders OF
his innocence. or at least raised in their
minds sufficient doubt Of his guilt to pre-
vent their hanging him. DAILY never made
q statement concerning the road agents,
he being extremely rettcent on the SUB
ject. He died at the Montana state hos
pital for the insane several years ago.
Robbers ROOst was the scene OF many
q secret meeting of the road agent gang;
and many dark and bloody crimes that
were carried out by these htghwaymen
were planned and plotted within Its
walls. When the notorious George Ives
was captured n was being conducted
back to Virginia City by his captors. he
managed to send word ahead to ROD
bers' RoOst to have his fast saddle mare
tied outside the building; and under pre-
tense of a horse race with his captors'
he tried to get far enough ahead to Sc
cure his mare and ride of into the hills,
It was in this same Robbers o that
Bill" Fairweather, discoverer OF the fab
ulously rich placer diggings of Alder
Gulch, died a pauper in 1875.
Beginning of the End
After a public trial on the streets OF
Virginia City, Ives was convicted n SEN
fenced to hang. Public sentiment had
crystallixed to a point where justice
would no longer be denied; and, despite
q formidable demonstration by the road
agents at the trial and at the gallows,
Ives was strung up" and the beginning
of the end of a reign of outlawry had
come.
The execution of Ives was followed by
the organization of the famous Montana
Vigilance Committee Commonly known
as the vigilantes). 1t was from this com
mittee that the Vigilante Trail received
its name. BY January 10, 1864, the ter.
ritory-wide organization whose officia
MARY was the famous 3-7-77, was estab-
lished and in working order.
Then 1T was that there could be seer
along the route of the Vigilante Trail
and posted in conspicuous places. the fol
lowing meaningful notice:
ITO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Whereas divers and foul crimes and out
RACES against the persons and property OF
citizens of Montana have been lately com
mitted, and whereas. the power OF civil
authorities, although exerted to It's full
est extent, lis frequently insufficient tt
prevent the commission and to punish
the perpetrators thereof: Now, this is tx
warn and notify all whom 1t may con
Germ that the Vigilance Committee, com
posed of the citizens OF the territory
have determined to take this matter int
their own hands and to infiict summary
punishment upon any n all malefac'
tors in any case where the civil authori'
ties are unable to enforce the proper pen