Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-09-27
IN . Birthplace Was In Name AcUdngn WELL uthmnaRdA - ~
NW FIIu1101nAT - ct of Mrs Matilda Th1alauW Who Says Her. Mr NN
" - Recognized 1.-The Sheriff Ouhnv as the Son ia FmmrN ehbor W
d in Wisconsin, Where A Had myuhdF From 1.-THE Pine Tree STATE: Langmds Story Doubted i

criminal who successfully posed as an
honest man. everything we can learn Of
Plummer is valuable as q means OF gain
ing further information OF how sue
criminals come to be. From q psychology
ical standpoint his life is worth studying.
For this reason all data concerning him
should have the stamp Of accuracy.
Lynched IS Years Ago
Others beside the writer I met in Hell
ena are not satisfied with the brief ref
erence to the Plummer family given by
Langford, yet do not know where to look
for more reliable information on the SUBJ
ject. Nearly sixty-fve years have elapsed
since hat bitterly cold night in January.
1854. when Plummer. Ned Ray and Buck
Stinson, ended their dark careers in
Hangman's gulch at Bannack. There are
few surviving pioneers h o part in
that hanging, and lone OF them, SO far
as I know, have made any effort to learn
more regarding Plummer's antecedents.
Nevertheless. 1t was q pioneer-one who
Glanced to be too young during vigilante
days to help in Kidding the territory Of
its criminal element-who made this
very effort.
James U. Sanders, who preceded David
Hilger as librarian Of the state historical
library, evidently believing that the
Langford account of Plummer's relatives
left much to be told, that 1t was vague,
and unsubstantiated, started out to in
vestigate the subject as best he could. 1t
was a discouraging task to undertake at
this late day. One Of Plummer's marked
characteristics was reticence. 1t Is doubt
full If his wife in their short married life
ever learned where he was born or who
were his parents n If he did not con-
fide in her. he was not likely to tell these
things to the kind Of men who were most
intimately associated with him. Two en-
inently respectable men, Messrs. Thomp-
son and Swift, who were his friends un-
til the last, certainly Knew nothing Of
his past, or my father, or Colonel San
ders would have heard of 1t after his
death. as both of the men ,eferred to
above were almost daily visitors at our
home and the Sanders home.
Killed Man on Coast
Mr.. Thompson, while on a Journey to
the Pacific coast, heard a report that
Plummer killed a man in San Francisco,
and this led him to advise Miss Bryan not
to marry until she knew more Of the
man to whom she was engaged.
Killings were not infrequent In the
mining communities, and often self de-
Tense was sufficient excuse for them. Both
Miss Bryan and Mr.. Thompson were will
ing to give Plummer the benefit OF the
doubt in the California affair blu Mr..
Thompson, being older and better versed
in the ways of the world, thought 1t a
wise ~precaution to postpone the wedding
pending inquiries regarding the would-be
bridegroom.
From the result Of Mr.. Sanders investi-
cations, We may surmise that possibly
Hank Crawford knew something Of Plum
mer's childhood and youth, as will be
explained later.
Due to the courtesy of Mrs. James San
ders, I have in my possession copies of
the letters written by Mrs. Matilda Dali
ton ~Thibadeau. who was married in Ban
mack early in its history. The story she
tells rings rue and seems far more cred
ible than that of Langford.' The letters
were written to her son, ". w. Thibadeau
of Anaconda, who forwarded them to Mr..
Sanders.
The second letter supplies the tdentih-
cation of the writer, to such of the
pioneers who were in Bannack in 1862
SO, and should be given first, in order
that the reader may feel some assurance
that Mrs. Thibadeau knew whereof she
spoke. She says:
M Sanders that wrote you is I'M
doubtedly the son of Colonel Sanders
and you can say that Granville Stewart
would tell him of my father and our
family, or any old timer of those days
who knew us there (Bannack City. Faith
er's-William Dalton's-was the first Ma
sonic funeral held in what is now Mon
tana. Father and mother are both buried
at Virginia City. Babcock said he looked
for their graves but could not find them,
though there was a strong plank fence
built around them"
Fortunately we have IN the first vol
ume Of the Montana Historical society
reports, a list purporting to contain the
names OF all, or nearly all persons who
were in Bannack during the winter of
1862-63. Among them we find three Dali
tons, male, first names not given, n of
the females, a Mrs. and Miss Dalton, also
Miss Matilda Dalton, undoubtedly the
one who Knew Of the Plummer family.
Mrs. Thibadeau's first letter after a few
Introductory sentences relating to bust
ness, adds: Now in regard to Henry
Amos Plummer I will have to go away
back to the state of Maine. I will say
that my dear old father was a born pio-
neer, always moving west. From Maine.
near the town of Holton, my father
moved to Wisconsin. near Portage City
Later, his near neighbors in Maine moved
out to Wisconsin n took up land near
my fathers home. There were two broth
ers of the Plummers, and a family OF
Turner's, all old neighbors In Maine
highly respectable people and all with
large families, and with my fathers farm
1T made four farms adjoining, all on the
Wisconsin river.
II was a mall child, but remember
,Plummers dear old mother, a sweet
Christian lady. Two of the boys were
grown, and Henry went to the California
excitement. My father went to Cali.
fornia in 1851-52. While there he met
Plummer often, who was in some bust.
ness with a man who had a wife, anc