Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-06-03
Before the Peoples Court
~
.NNy

Gu III BtDlit tUuft
About noon a warrant was issued and
served upon Slade, charging him with
disturbing the peace. He was arrested by
Acting Sheriff j.. NJ. Fox and taken to
the Peoples Court, there to appear, as
he had on other occasions. before Judge
Alexander Davis. At this point. occurred
the scene which spelled the beginning
or the end" for Slade. After he had
been ushered into the presence of the
Peoples Court, he became defiant. With
pistol in hand, he openly dehed the Judge
and the sheriff. Snatching the Intensive
warrant from the judges hand, he tore
It up, spat tobacco juice upon it, threw
1t upon the floor and stamped upon 1t.
He slapped Judge Davis and spat in his
face.
Slade had openly insulted and dehed
the Peoples Court. and this episode con-
stituted all that was necessary to set in
motion the machinery of the dreaded
vigilance Committee. A large number
OF the Virginia City members of the COM
mittee assembled, and while they sat in
secret council, John x. Beidler sought
out Slade n urged him to get his horse
and go home. When Beidler and Kis-
kadden found Slade at a store, Slade re-
marked: *, l guess the Vigilance Com
mittee is played out"
I guess So" replied Beidler, but you
will change your mind in three hours"
Slade looked at Beidler sneeringly with
those vicious eyes of his, and asked Beid-
Ter how he knew. Xxx replied that Slade
would soon find out. Slade, himself a
member OF the Committee, was startled
into sobriety by this stern warning. He
at once sought out old C~opperbottom, but
before he had left Main street, he met
some of his friends of the lawless ele-
ment; and after a few more drinks, again
became boisterous. Leaving q saloon, he
again accosted Judge Davis in an insult
Ing manner The latter urged the drunk
ON MAJ m 0n NY n# NNaA ara ~..
get out of town." said Judge Davis, you
may yet escape"
With an oath, Slade pulled a pistol
and threatened to hold the Judge as hos
tage for his safety.
In the meantime, the executive COM
mittee had sent runners to the nearby
camp of Nevada City for some members
of the committee who resided there, t O
ask their advice.
Sentenced to Hang
1t had always been the custom at Vir-
ginia City, when anything requiring i'm
mediate action presented itself, to send
TO Nevada City and miners woul come,
sit in session and act upon the matter.
This particular day, however, the wealth
er was fine: the miners were busy and
the diggings were yielding exceptionally
profitable. They said that nothing less
than a lynching would take them up the
hill to Virginia City that day. The call
was answered by 600 armed and deter
mined men who sent n or two of their
leaders in advance to inform the execu-
tive committee that, in their Judgment,
Slade should be executed.
The executive committee was placed in
a difficult position, for it had not been
their plan to lynch Slade; that was not
their desire. They felt they did not have
sufficient reason for such action. Most
of them rather liked the fellow. for, as
already pointed out, in his sober mo-
ments he was the most obliging and
courteous man in all the camp. They
were unwilling to commend the measure,
but finally agreed that If 1t were unani-
mously adopted. 1t should be enforced.
K~iskadden again endeavored to prevail
upon Slade to go home. land. had the
man at this time returned to the toll
house where his wife awaited him, he
would have escaped ignominious death
that day. Slade did agree to go pro-
vided Kiskadden would give him his der
ringer; which Kiskadden did. Then Slade
mounted Copperbottom. However. he
rode but a short distance. d~ismounting
in front of Pfouts' store. and proceeded
with a derringer in each hand. to Insult
Pfouts in q most disgusting
Slade Arrested
While Slade was thus busy with his
latest piece of brawlery. the main body
of determined Nevada City miners were
rounding the corner in sight of Pfouts'
l5bONe. LIE QOOileQ man WAS seated on u
bench in front Of the store when the
column came to a halt in the center of
that snow-covered vigilante Trail.
He became terror-stricken when there
stepped from the ranks of this sombre-
visaged throng a man who but a couple
of years before, on the great plains. had
proved himself SHADES superior. He saw
those same fierce, penetrating eyes; he
recognized Fate as this same Captain
Williams who had forced him to relin-
quish the wagon train leadership, walked
up and said: "The Committee has de-
cided upon your execution. If you have
any business to settle, you must attend
to 1t Immediately"
Hang me?" shouted Slade. MY God.
gentlemen, you cannot do thatl The
Committee cannot have decreed thisl"
Captain Williams was backed up by
600 miners, each one Of whom could
have shaken two or three dollars worth
of pay dust from the brim of his hat,
and who had rifles and revolvers in
abundance. Slade looked around and
gasped: My Godl"
To Elephant Corral
A party under the leadership OF Dutch
Charley was sent out to select a place to
hang the man. They found an old beef
corral, known as Elephant Corral, in Day.
light Gulch, a tributary Of Alder Gulch,
and from the crossbeam of the gate, they
made a moose, placed the box and fixed
tftAJ NAAAASS ~ VAN AAsiACAAt6s
In Virginia City, the people were very
excited, running to and fro, very few OF
them knowing the result Of the Commit
tees business; whether Slade was to con-
tinue as self-instituted king of the COM
munity, or II the Vigilantes had won.
However, as was always true when mo-
mentous work of this nature was In
progress, very little talking Of any kind
was done.
Begs for Mercy
Slade turned as white as a sheet and
went along with the Committee without
demonstration. However, when the scene
OF execution was reached, the man
seemed to lose all courage; and falling
upon his knees, begged for his life. He
begged the Vigilantes to send for his
wife at the toll-gate, SO that he might
talk to her before he died. One of the
doomed mans friends left at once for
her.
While Slade was standing upon the box
beneath the s~caffold, he asked for Colonel
Wilbur F. Sanders, then one of the most
influential men in Montana Territory,
but Colonel Sanders was not to be found.
Slade then asked for Judge Davis, who
came up. The repentent man apOlogized