Glacier County chief., 1940-10-18
BY WILCHEY

In the old steamboatlng days on
the Missouri river there were seen
some strange looking craft plying
between the outposts of civilization
In Iowa and Missouri and the head
Of navigation at Fort Benton, the
gateway to the enchanted lands
Of gold that lay in the mountains
beyond.
Queer old river boats from many
Ar inland stream found their way
b the Mississippi and then up the
nSsouri. carrying Adventures from
he ends OF the earth. lured to the
cld camps by the chances offered all
omCr5 for a quick fortune. AS word
d the discovery of yellow metal in
he Montana mountains spread. the
nOlcy procession of goldseekers be-
an toward the new frontier, and a
queer aSSemblage they made, cast to-
Ee;her by chance.
Every boatload of passengers that
rme up the Missouri had its assort-
uen: of types and characters. There
vas the honest youth from the farm,
chose frank and open face and guile
is dcmeanOr bespoke his ineYperi-
Ece Of the ways of the world. There
vas the miGdle-aged man, broken.
perhaps, by. a series of ml5fortunes.
atmg his face westward with a grim
gamble with fate in the mountain
l,CheS.
Then there were to be found in
every company the type Of men who
lived bts their wits-keen eyed, usually
UmeWhat quiet and reserved in man
ns!, men whose business it was 10
| know human nature and to profit BY
| their knowledge. These were the gam
hers who were legion in the west in
4 those days.
Besides these there were the out
,ad-out bad men-whose philosophy
Of life was 10 get gold with the least
| effort. but TO get 1t by fair means
Or foul. 1t was this type that made
| up the desperate band Of road agents
Who terrorized the camps and the
tails of Montana until a few deter
mined men invoked the hemp and
the gallows TO check their career OF
murder and plllage.
No Stranger Crew
or all the companies of Adventures
Tho made the trip to the gold camps
Of Montana by river. there probably
vas no more oddly assorted crew than
that aboard the southern river steamer
Richmond. which locked at Fort
Benton July %. 1867, after a trip that
had It's start on the Red river in
louisiana. Manned by a band of des-
pirates as ever sailed the Spanish
main and walked their victims from
plank. the mission of the Richmond
vas not to carry passengers and sup
plies 10 the gold camps of Montana.
The men on board had a more sinister
purpose. 1t was one of revenge and
Death
The beginning of the romance of
The steamer Richmond came in reality
Al tho pni tho Civil
Nth the south defeated. Quantrells
guerillas-desperate fighters and the
cead OF the northern border-split
up into small groups. Some of them
cSbanded and others sought further
adventure in other lands under for
agn flags.
One OF these bands of Quantrell's
men headed by notorious character
Known as Farmer Peale. headed south
banner of MaXimilian, who had pro-
claimed himself emperor of Mexico
and sought to conquer the country.
But before Peale and his men of the
Quantrell band had a chance to see
active service Maximilian,s reign came
70 sudden end with his execution.
and his army was left adrift and in
precariouS condition.
Double Crossed
Peale and his fellow soldiers of for
:une returned to the United States.
ahdlng in Texas, where they soon be-
anne involved in lawless depredationS
ahd robberieS that made them out
avs and put price on their heads.
soon strife arose among them. and it
alleged that Farmer Peale, as their
eader, double-croSsed the rest and
made off with money that should have
,een divided among them. Worse than
hat. they claimed before deserving
hem. he conspired to nave his fol-
overs captured by the federal and
tate authorities, hoping in this man
Ter to end all chance of future trouble
'lth them. But his plans went amiss
nd effect their escape
Peale was noted gunman, deS-
crate and absolutely fearless, but in
hese qualities the men in his band
iere mostly his equals, and when they
ound that they had been betrayed by
'eale. they took an oath that they
'ould follow him so long as one man
them survived. and that his life
mould be the forfeit of his treachery
Before many weeks had passed, word
cached them that Peale had gone
0 Montana. At once they decided to
pillow him. and the plan of action
aese desperate adventures.
On the Red river, which flows from !
exas down through Louisiana, they
ound sizeable, light draft river boat, !
ne Richmond. This they seized one
light at its moorings, and getting up
cam, started down the river toward |
he Gulf of Mexico. Negro firemen .
nd deckhands were impressed into