Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-10-31
Aiding a Slain Mons WidotU, Saving q Friend
From Bandits, Sl0de Was Once Hailed as Hero

Rmmmack. the first capital Of
MamGammy Is to-day one OF tEe ghost
mining camps Of the state. II 9he
trees and stones Of GFassheDper
creek could talk, they cOaid teil
many 3 thrilling story Of Gne days
when the camp was in It's glory;
stories o. geld lust and Of blood
LISA aG The frontier.
One Of them concerns Joseph a
Slade, the man who terrortzed Virginia
City until the hand of the Vig1lantes
was put upon him, early IN l064. No
mixing Of the episode reached Montana
until many years after his death. The
tale that followed him most was the
acquisition of q Frenchman's ears,
which he carried in his pocket and in
variahly displayed when under the IN
flnence Of liquor.
the desperate in the role Of benefactor
TO the widow Of 8 murderer's victim,
dates back 70 his Wyoming days.
In the fail Of 1861 there lived, about
IS miles below Independence ROCK,
Wyo. two thieves and murdererS. One
was named Henry Bacon, q French
Canadian, the other, Harry Smith,
Canadian Of Scottish descent. They
KEPT a station on Sweetwater river, on
the California road. Several immigrants
disappeared mysteriously in passing
these two. Many cattle and horses be-
longing to neighborS were recognized
In their hands.
Trader PIante a Close :, riend
-Four miles above the Bacon and
Smith place lived a man named Jo-
seDh Plante, a wealthy French Cana
dian. He had a big store and a large
supply of goods. Slade could get every
thing he wanted there as If the place
were his own. He thought a great deal
Of Plante.
During the summer of 1861, Bacon
and Smith hired a man named Bar
thelamew, who had wife and two
small children. Soon afterwaTd Smith
got drunk and killed Bartholomew. The
latter had called him a liar, Smith
said, and no man could do that and
live There we're no witnesses to the
affray. Two weeks afterward, Smith
told the widow that he could give her
q home. She scorned the proposition
to marry the murderer OF her husband.
NO" she replied, you may kill me II
you want 70, but I will never marry
you"
Iariats Ready for Use
Shortly after this Bacon and Smith
planned to kill Plante, who had no
relatives around, and take possession
Of all his property. Plante discovered
the scheme and wrote Slade asking his
advice Slade replied: "Sit in your store
with a shotgun loaded with buckshot
and shoot the first one of them that
tries TO enter will be there next Fri
day and win fix those fellows. Have
two rawhide lariats ready"
On Friday, as promised. Slade was
there with four of his men and an extra
coach Smith had already been in
PIante's store about an hour, trying to
start q quarrel with him.
Slade was informed of all this. He
approached Smith in the store and
said: Smith, you said lately that no
man could call you liar and live.
Pull out your gun. I am about to tell
you what / think Of you, and expect
TO be shot" The two men stood about
10 inches apart. SHADES left hand was
on Smiths right shoulder: you are
liar. a thief, and a murderer, and the
greatest coward on earth. You killed a
man who had two children TO support,