Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-06-26

N ago. One OF them, John Van
derbiIt, a third cousin OF Cor
neIius and William X. Wander,
biIt plOdded over the old Santa Fl
Trau from Prairie City, Kans to Den
yer In 1850, later started across the
plains to California, changed his des-
kinatiOn to Oregon, and without get
ting TO either place wound up In Mon
tana In time to take part In the OPP
erati0ns Of the Vigilantes Who In a
series Of summary executions, cleaned
the territory Of stage robbers and trail
bandits.
The incident which veered John
Vanderbilt from his course to Califor-
mia, then towards and finally into Mon
Wyoming, the execution by a firing
squad of emigrants Of man with
whom he was travelling, and who was
convicted Of murder on perjued testi-
After reaching Denver, Vanderbilt
had gone to Central City, Colo, where
he had cousin, and where the two
worked together as carpenters for
nearly two years. In the spring Of
1862, a Central City merchant named
Young, organized a wagon train to
cross the plains to California, taking
with him a stock Of boots and shoes.
Col. j. G. Vawter and j. A. Reed had
teams, and joined Young for the trip.
Others In the party were man named
Banty, Vanderbilt and his partner, J.
S. Scott. Vanderbilt and Scott had
horses to ride, and paid Vawter for
hauling their outfit.
In the vicinity Of Pacific Springs,
Young, tired of riding, decided he
would get out and walk for a while. He
asked Scott, who was with Reeds wagon
at the time, to drive his team while he
did so. Vanderbilt afterwards said that /
1t had become quite apparent before |
they had been on the trail out of !
Central City very long, that something /
was wrong. The attitude of Reed was
not such as to maintain a spirit Of /
friendliness among the men with the /
wagon train, but the others were at .
loss to explain the situation.
It cropped out, however, that Reed .
wanted to get hold of Young's stock of .
goods and to get rid Of Young himself
While Young was walking Reed put
Scott up to refusing to let the nler-
chant have his team back. This Scott
did, claiming, when Young returned
TO the wagon, that the outfit belonged
TO him. Young, described as a man al
ways peaceably inclined, was at a loss
what to do. He dropped back TO Vaw-
ter's wagon and told Vawter what had
occurred and asked him what he
should do.
Vawter told him to take his gun and
30 and demand his wagon, and If Scott
refused to give it up, to kill him. Armed
With shotgun loaded with buck shot,
Young returned to his wagon and de-
handed that Scott give it back to him.
scott refused, saying that the team
md wagon were his and he proposed
o keep them. Young shot and killed
lim as he sat on the drivers seat. |
The wagon train went into camp and
)uried Scott. While they were in camp
mother train came up behind them. {
Reed reported to its captain what had
happened, except that he described
Eoung's act as a cold-blooded murder
md did not reveal the facts In the
.aSe. Thee captain Of the second wagon
rain, bound for California and in
Guiding. many outfits, ordered Young
arrested and tried, as was customary ,,
n such cases.
The train captain proposed trying !
Vanderbilt also, but Vawter convinced J
lin that Vanderbilt had nothing TO
10 with the affair. A jury of six men
vas selected from the second wagon. ,
rain and Young was placed on trial. !
Vanderbilt and Vawter both testified,
S did Reed, but the fury preferred I
0 take the word of Reed that Young '
illed Scott in cold blood and without :
ause, rather than to believe the story .
which Vawter and Vanderbilt told. J
,oung was found guilty and was exc
uted by a firing squad.
The jury turned YoungIs wagon and Z
GODS over to Reed, who promised to !,
ispoSe of them and make proper dis 4 !.
osition Of the proceeds, which of =
curse he never did so far as anyone :,
yer knew. Vanderbilt, Vawter and
'anty refused to travel farther with
ICED, who proceeded west with the '
lagon train that had overtaken them. =
'anderbilt and his friends crossed 3.
ireen river and headed for Oregon =,
lStead Of California. They went past y
oda Springs and finally reached !,
make river.
The party encountered many diff
llties The streams were swollen and 8
ard to cross. In several instances they n
ad to caulk the cracks in the wagon II
OK and use it for a boat to get their h
utfit across, and to swim their horses. a
At Snake river they camped for two o.
eeks waiting for the flooded stream to I
D down. They would have had to re- n
lain longer had not party Of federal cS
Oldiers arrived there to build a ferry So
lr the government. When the soldiers h
anne there were between 100 and $50
ersons In the camp, all Oregon-bound, 6:
nd all waiting for the river to go d
own so they could cross. With the aid 81
the soldiers and their equipment, all "
ere finally put across.
After crossing the Snake river they II
| y