Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-04-06
Safely Conceal;ng Gold
Dust Was Problem for
Early Montana Pioneers

concludes, "A chance is now offered to
some OF our miners who delight in sport
ing a large nugget as a breastplate, to
outshine all rivals. Who will be the gay,
festive, auriferous individual?"
While the value of nuggets might be
approximately estimated by the beholder,
1t was not so easy to tell how much a
given amount Of gold dust was worth.
/ shall never forget my surprise when my
father. returning from his first expert
ment in washing out gold. ook from his
vest pocket a folded bit of paper about
as large as that a physician would use
to inclose a powder. On unfolding 1t to
reveal its contents. he informed his eag-
er auditors that there was $40 worth OF
the precious metal.
The absence Of banks In Montana
made those who had O large amount of
gold extremely anxious to send it out of
the country. yet to act as messenger was
no enviable task. Almost every one who
went east carried not alone his own gold
but that OF others. 1t required q good
deal of ingenuity to bestow 1t in such q
manner about the person or elsewhere in
baggage that it would escape detection.
Until the hanging Of Plummer and his
gang every one going east had to run the
gauntlet Of these robbers and cutthroats.
Money belts worn about the waist
were common-too common. In fact, as
the knights OF the road soon discovered
them. One story is told OF a man who
Informed a group Of friends that he car
ried on his person a large AMOUNT OF
gold dust and challenged them to And
1t. One by one they went over him from
head to foot. but at length were forced
to abandon the search. The man then
lifted his arms to show them where. un-
der either arm pit. he held safely slowed
away two sacks OF gold. This story may
be true, BIT it does not argue a very
diligent search on the part of those who
father carried ingots stitched into the
front of his %overcoat. and q large piece
of gold In his suitcase, from Bannack to
Washington. Others adopted different
methods Of concealment.
1t was a long stretch of country lying
between Virginia City or Bannack and
Salt Lake, with plenty Of places which
appeared to be specially designed for
holdups. A man who 0 with him
much gold on this journey hourly ran
the risk Of losing his life, as we'll as his
money. 1t was a trip not to be under
taken lightly. I shall never forget the
anxiety written on the faces of Messrs.
Hauser and Langford. one evening when
tiiCy NtlC at Jul liOdot ptlOlc btdl tlllk
east. They knew that Plummer had
planned to rob them, and their delay In
setting out for Horse Prairie vas all that
saved them, possibly from death.
There is q possibility that his expert
ence at that time may have led MIR.
Hauser, afterward governor, to consider
the ACCESSIBILITY of starting a bank.
Checks are not bulky, neither are bank
drafts. They are ordinarily as good as
cash. and can easily be concealed. 1t
may be that it was on this visit east hat
Governor Hauser made arrangements for
opening his bank-the first in the terri
tory, although it was not established
until 1865. and the evening visit at our
house, to which / have referred, was in
the latter part of December. l think. OF
1868.
After the establishment of Governor
Hauser's bank in Helena. other men OF
wealth took courage, and similar insti-
buttons were opened throughout the ter
ritory in the larger towns soon after
ward. Their convenience and Desirable
ty had been fully demonstrated, and
since then Montana banks have never
lacked patronage.