Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-09-10

that Of the Slouian- Crows and SIOUX
had long been bitter enemies
BK1dger and Gemmeu canped tEaas
winter at the mouth OF TIE Big horn
and IN the spring returned 70 FuFN
Rridger laden with fEzrS. The country
near the Big Horn must then have neen
fine. trapping ground. and Genaneh
season for this work, as with tbs Crows
and Sioux on good terms With one an
other the trappers were not likely 70 pS
molested
In le47, when again ON his way TO
Oregon. Genmel stopped at Salt Lake
City and engaged Ia construction WORK
overseeing the making Of ditch 111S
miles ia extent he then undertook
bridge building at Ogden and one across
the Jordan. This kind Of work Was In
great demand throughout Utah, and
Brigham Young did all IN his power
70 enlist the services Of 50 desirable
man as Gemmen with the success 0ne
might have predicted. GemmeN 1ulneo
the church Of Latter Day Saints, and
was promoted to be supervisor OF the
State Of Deseret He took 70 himself as
least one wffe-a bishops relative.
All went well, and the new convert
was prospecting, when his relations with
the church ended with quarrel he
had with Brigham Young. His 0f1enSe
against that dignitary was sufficiently
serious to have endangered his life IS
an earlier period. Gennaem was in
cautious enough TO have reported con-
versati0n he claimed to have overheard
when Bishop Hanlin came into Xoungs
office to report the coming Of train
consisting of Arkansas people. Young,
said Gemmell became very angry and
stated that If he were at the head OF
the legion he would wipe them out.
They were thoroughly wiped out
short time later. when occurred the
famous Mountain Meadow massacre,
which was fresh In the minds Of many
residents Of Montana In 1858, and for
which John y. Lee paid the penalty.
OF course we heard but one SIDE Of the
tragedy. Since then tt has come 60 Light
that those Arkansas emigrautS were not
altogether euiltless Feeling Rgatust the
Mormons ran high IN those days. and
their adoption OF polygamy intensified
It.
GemmeiI, after coming 10 Montana.
was for time an army contractor. g
trader and lastly ranchman IN
Madison county, where he spent h1s
last days
Besides Thomas Francis Meagher.
MFR. Gemnien was, so far as known, the
only English revolutionist who was
condemned for life to Van Diemam's
Land, escaped, and came TO Montana
to make bis home here. If the policy
Of our government Is read Alright,
neither OF these men would be well
coined to our shores today, and II they
arrived here they would be promptly
deported When these two made their
escape from the prison colony, we had
not outgrown the feeling OF pride In
our own revolutionary record Neither
had we outgrown our anti-British sem
tinnents. We regarded these men as
victims Of British tyranny, and 1t grati-
fled us to honor them.
Today. no yacht bearing our country's
editors viii steam out of New York to
meet escaped revolutionistS. The very
name is distasteful to us. It would be
interesting to know, however, whether
General Meagher was subjected to the
barbarous treatment on board the ship
which transported him TO prison as
was meted out in generous measure 10
James Gemmell and his fellow convictS.