The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-04-15

TN the old steambOating days on the
big Muddy" there were to be
seen many strange looking river
craft plying between the Outposts of
civilization in Iowa and Missouri and
the head Of navigation at Fort Ben
ton. ueer old river boats they were.
From many an inland stream, they
had found their way to the Missis-
slpp1, and then up the treacherous
Missouri. Men from every walk of
life and from every section of the
east were needing the lure of the
western placer gold fields; and they
must be transported to the enchanted
lands which lay at the foot of the
great divide.
As news of the new discoveries went
forth throughout the land, men listened to
the insistent call, and a motley procession
OF fortune seekers headed westward. What
a queer assemblage they made. Each boat
had its own peculiar assortment of types
and characters. There was the honest youth
from the farm, clothed in Iowa hOmeSpunS
with a frank and open face and g~uileless
demeanOr which bespoke his inexperience
In the ways. of the world. Here was the
argOnaut, a man of slightly advanced years,
mis- face set westward in grim determine.
ton to stake all on a last gamble witt
rate In mountain gulcheS. Here, too, was
the gambler, the keen-eyed, suave fellow,
whose somewhat quiet and reserved man
ner aided him in his business Of studying
human nature and prOfting illegitimately
by the knowledge he thus acquired. Some
where, too, in this gathering was the out
and-out parasite-the real BAD man-whOse
philosophy of life was founded upon the
acquisition of gold with the least possible
effort, whether the means employed be fair
or foul.
The Richmond"
Or all the many companies Of adven-
turers who made the trips up the Big
Muddy and on to the gold camps of Mon
tana Territory, there probably never was
a more oddly assorted crew than that
aboard the southern river steamer, Rich
mOnd. which locked at Fort Benton, July
%, 1867, following an adventurous voyage
which had its beginning on the Red river
in Louisiana. Manned by a band of des-
peradOes with hearts as black as any
pirates ever to sail the Spanish main, the
mission of this boat was not to carry pas
sengerS and supplies to the mines Of Mon
tana. Neither did these men themselves
propose to enter into the gamble for riches
which might be panned from the bed or
bank Of some remote Montana creek. Theirs
was a more sinister purpose it had to do
with revenge and death. The story of the
Richmond is a strange One-a narrative
which would require the pen Of a Clemens
or a Stevenson to paint its true picture.
The QuantrelI GueriIlas
In reality, the story Of the steamer Rich
mOnd has its beginning with the close OF
the Civil war, when, the South defeated,
Quantrel's guerillaS-a desperate band OF
hghterS-split into small groups. Some OF
these disbanded and took up peaceful Oc-
equations, while the others, hardened by
the revolutions carnage, set out in search
of further adventure. One of these bands
was headed by a notorious character named
Farmer Peale. This group headed south
into Mexico to take up service under the
banner of Macmillan, who had proclaimed
himself emperor of Mexico and sought t.
conquer that country. However, before
Peale and his band Of Quantrell follower:
had an opportunity to see active service
MaXmilian's dream had faded, his career
finding a climax in his execution, leaving
his army adrift and at the mercy of his
enemies.
Farmer Peale AbscOnds
Peale and his soldiers Of. fortune re
turned to the United States, landing il
Texas, where they drifted into lawless ant
depredatiOus pursuits. The band was larg,
and proved unwieldy for Farmer Peale
who was not a natural leader. 1t was, then
but a short time until strife arose within
the ranks, and Peale is said to have double
crossed his followers, making away wit
all the spoils which should have beel
equally divided. Worse than that, he wa
accused by the outlaws of having, prior t
his departure from the southern rendez