Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-06-18
Thomas Meaghe Second Acting Governor of Montana Was
Political Fugitive From England Upon His Arrival i'm United States

second acting governor OF men
tana territory, was. an outlaw
a fugitive from justice, when h'
arrived I'm the United States IN
1883. Born in Ireland, loyal 20 Irish
interests, he naturally became en-
hroiIed in Irish politics, and so, also
naturally, he was convicted Of treason
under English Law, and sentenced "a
death, sentence later c0mmuEeo 70
life Imprisonment. Somehow he man
aged to escape and sought refuge In
the United States. his active life, from
the beginning TO its very end was coll
OrfuI, adventurous, exciting, no part OF
It mort dramatic than the last day OF
his existence.
At the outbreak of the Civil war he
was instrumental in forming the ia
NOUS Irish Brigade and fought, with
the North, in many Of the historic
battles. After the war he was sent
West as secretary Of the newly organ
tied territory Of Montana. From that
day on his destiny was linked with the
West he loved. He gave himself whole
heartedly to the fashioning Of a COM
monweaith from the raw material OF
a vast expanse of bare plains,
meager handful of whites and hordes
Of inimical redskins.
1t is not, perhaps, an exaggeration
to say that, at the end, ne even gave
his life, although the manner OF ms
are still clothed in mystery.
Sidney Edgerton had been appointed
by Lincoln the first governor OF Mon
tana territory. He was succeeded py
Green Clay Smith. In the period FOL
lowing Edgerton's departure Tor the
East and Smiths arrival, 1nonas
Meagher, as secretary, assumed Jne
duties of the executive. He inherited,
with his office, q wild, lawless land,
still in the experimental period OF gov
eminent, a hotbed Of political ami
mosities, with two strong rival parties
the republican or union, and the
democratic. The former party was.
supposedly. as its subtitle suggests, IN
sympathy with the Lincoln adminiStra-
tion. with one solidified nation, ana
onDosed to state rights and to slavery,
while the members of the democratic
party were, theoretically, soutnerD
syrnpathizers. However, Meagher
democrat. had served as brave and i
IovaI soldier in the northern army. But I
the heat of civil strife, born in the /
east. had been carried TO the lar west
by drifters from both North ana SouLn' !
who had rushed to the refuge OF Mon {
tana territory to escape conscrlptlon, [
not quite loyal enough to tight Ior s
their chosen cause, but loyal enough 70 7
bring their hatredS with them. [
Faced Difficult Situation
This bitter animosity, seeping west
ward from the scene OF the Civl war I
colored the politics Of Montana terri
tory. and had much to do with the d1f-
ficult situation Meagher must face. He
called one extraordinary session OF con-
gress after another, TO meet az Ban
mack, the then capital of Montana ter {
ritory. and passed laws, some good, I
sorne perhaps bad, all Of which we're
later declared invalid. Both Judge Mum I
son and Judge Hosmer fought him with =
every political weapon their ingenuity Z
devised. their hatred Of the acting gov
ernor presumably stirred by Dill
passed at the second session, under MN,
repeating a law providing for higher
salaries of territory governors ana 9
Judges. Meagher may have been wise :
n repeating that act for the young, q
struggling Commonwealth was impoV- Y
In 1853 three years before he as 8
he white settlements of the territory z
we're confined to Bannack, Virginia q
city, Pioneer, Nissoula and Deer Lodge. x
During his governorship other coun- q
les, sparsely settled, had been added, q
,ut several of these new counties, al y
hough claiming the right Of repre- u
entation, refused to pay taxes. Among "
he 'pikers" were Chouteau, Meagher, M
1dgerton and Beaverhead counties. AT a.
he close of the fiscal year OF 1886 the u
axes collected amounted to a little Or
lore than 100000. All in all it Is 81
robable that Meagher was glad to re- Ia
nquish the reins to Smith. en
Continued to Serve
However he continued to serve the az az
Test he loved. All along the Indians ~
ad been contriving to make Life mis- NJ NJ
rable for the pioneers, particularly ~
II the cattlemen. In 1857 Meagher ~
emit to Fort Benton to receive q con- ~ -,
gnment of arms and ammunition TO da
: used In quelling Indian disturb ne
noes. And, on July /, 1857, history ~
,ates briefly, General Meagher was fgy
rowned in the Missouri river at Fort az
enton. That terSe statement was &C NJ
spted, at first, as truth. But grad -,
ally, even In that new land Of vast no
lains, where there were no railroads, me r1q
o telegraph system, few newspapers, q
he whispered rumor spread that mys- or
Try clothed the death of Montana's 81 81
scond governor. 1t was limited by M
lany, and believed by some, that IVA
Ieagher, while intoxicated, had leaped
rom the deck of the old craft, c. A.
thompson, and committed suicide. by
'thers believed the gossip that his mind ne
ad become deranged, and that, In a hi
RACED fit of dependency, he had mi