Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-05-07

! the body Of Nick Tbalt CThiebauIt)
that the Vigilante organization wa
; formed.
Capture George Ives
This organization then captured
George Ives, whom they knew had
murdered Tbalt, and hanged him. His
death was the first that saw "a men,
bers of the gang hanged and eight
banished within a few weeks.
Following this, Beidler again found
himself in Bannack. There a friend
warned him to stay in his hotel room,
as StinSon and his gang were looking
for him.
K was reluctant to do so, having a
desire to engage in game Of billiards
but finally allowed his better judg-
ment to prevail On his way back To
the hotel he met Stinson, who asked
where he was going after he left Ban
mack.
7 told them" Beidler wrote in his
! journal THE next morning I started
out early in raging snowStorm for
Rattlesnake. I was surprised upon ar
irving there to find StinSon and his
gang already there.
Il was cold and stiff from my long
ride and, as I had a bottle Of, brandy
/ in my pocket, I walked into the bar
and toward the stove where I could
get warm. AS was walking across the
room I saw Andy Lewis Che was the
only friend I recognized there) and
stopped to talk with him"
The gang headed by StinSon greeted
x pleasantly, asked him to the bar to
have a drink.
Beidler eyed them coldly.
Gentlemen" he said, IT have a
bottle Of brandy Of my own and pre-
fer drinking that"
Lewis and Beidler thereupon con-
tinued their conversation and pre-
pared to sleep together that night. AS
night approached, Stinson asked Beid-
Ter a number Of questions concerning
the VigilanteS and, being informed
that there were. about thousand of
them and that they would get Stinson,
barricaded the doorway.
Beidler asked him why he was doing
that.
Held as Hostages
II expect the Vigilantes," Stinson
replied, and If they come we're going
to hold you and Lewis as hostages"
The Vigilantes failed to arrive, how
ever, and the next morning StinSon
and his gang headed down Rattle
snake creek. Immediately when they
were gone x and Lewis headed up the
creek and soon met band of the
VigilanteS.
Il told them about Erastus Red
Yeager, member of the road agents
who was acting bartender at Rattle
snake, and George Brown" Beidler
I'VE arrested these two men and,
after Yeager had named the remain
ing members of the gang for us, hung
them the next night to a cottonwood
tree"
That was the beginning of the end
and it was only a few weeks after
that the entire gang had been hanged
or banished.
Although Beidler's fame rests chiefly
on his exploits while member of the
VigilanteS, he had many other thrill
ing experiences during his life in Mon
tana He was a deputy United States
marshal under nearly every marshal
in Montana territory ontil his death, 1
and also spent considerable time as a
plotting many cargoes Of treasure
one of the richest of these cargoes
consisted of 100000 worth of gold |
dust Ctwo and a quarter tons) which |
he guarded from Diamond City, in |
Confederate gulch, to Helena and then |
to Fort Benton, where it was shipped |
by steamer to the states.
Single Pans Run $1,000
Confederate glllch was located about |
35 miles from Helena and was re-
putedly one Of the richest placer dig
gings In the area. many single pans
of dirt taken from bedrock running
81 900.
BeidIer was employed by a man
named Fredericks. The trip to Helena
was uneVentful.
with the gold loaded in three two
mule wagons" Beidler wrote, with IA
men to guard it. The first night we
camped on Prickly Pear. Shortly after
dark one Of the men posted about the
treasure approached me and asked me
II I would see to 1t that the guards
guns were fixed so there could be no
killing while he and his gang stole the
treasure. He said he would whistle
when he was ready, and was to
whistle so that he would know every
thing was all right.
IT told him I would do no such
thing and that would kill him If he
to signal his gang, He
didn't whistle, and the gold was taken
10 Fort Benton safely. ] received ia
ounces for my work"
Beidler had been given the job as
guard of this shipment by Freder1cks
as partial payment for a debt OF graf
ltude which Fredericks felt he owed.
Fredericks had been a prospector
In Colorado In 1861 and had gotten
showed in one winter. His food sup
DUeS ran Oub dAlQ nc Woo AO4SCA W C1S
ais pack animals in order to survive.
Beidler found him early in the spring,
alf starved, and gave him food
Have a Nugget, ,"
They never met again until 1865 at
Diamond City. At that time, Fred
ericks set out q pan of dust and mug
gets, said, TX, help yourself to mug
asome Of those nuggets were worth
as much as $780," Beidler reported
later. at picked out a small one.
Fredericks said, *, there are larger
pieces there, take a big one
81 kept the small one, however. l
always was foolish"
The stocky deputy marshal was
noted throughout the territory as a
liness. and no small part of his fame
rested on his ability as story teller.
When he died in Helena in Janu-
airy, 1890, the Helena Herald reported: |
Always cheerful, happy and good
he made friends of all he
met, and clinched that friendship by
-. 1rtvst