Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-11-22

Montana's most celebrated Thanks
giving day feast had as its host the
/ territory's most celebrated criminal
and some Of its most illustrious citi-
zens
It occurred at Bannack in 1853 and
was provided by Sheriff Henry Plum
mer. kingpin Of the road agents, a
Jekyll-Hyde type OF a gent. who could
pose capably as a respectable citizen
when the occasion demanded but who.
when he reverted to type. was one
Of the worst hooligans, killers and
crooks who ever came into the west.
The shadow Of death hung over the
festive board that day. Plummer had
less than two months to live. The
Vigilantes we're about to catch up with
the 'Innocents," as the road agents
dubbed themselves. and had Plummer
known this sinister fact he doubtless
would have improved the time by get
ting out of town rather than wasting
the moments consuming turkey and
being the gracious host.
Governor and Mrs. Sidney Edgerton
and Col. Wilbur F. Sanders and his
wife we're among the prominent guests
that day and Plummer was IN fine
fettle. He liked to mingle with his
betters and wear the mantle OF be-
nevolence and sanctity, and you get
a frequent bunch. from reading about
him, that he sometimes actually
wished he, could be on the level But
these qualms Of conScience-if he ever
had them-never kept him in the path !
Of Righteousness for more than a few
hours
The Food Was Tasty
Henry had spared nothing to make !
that Thanksgiving dinner a worthy |
occasion. The viands were varied and /
delicious, and the turkey imported
from Salt Lake, repeatedly set the /
sheriff back $40. But Henry could I
afford 1t. He wasn't spending his own
money anyhow The $40 was chicken
feed compared to the time. effort,
good yellow metal and loss Of life
that it took to eventually make Plum
mer as dead as that turkey was.
He got paid for being sheriff, Of
course, which should have come un-
der the heading Of misappropriation
Of funds, as he never dignified the
position with a real honest Lick Of
work but used 1t as a convenience
for his real occupation, which was
sending his henchmen out to appro-
pirate gold shipments and do what
ever numbering was necessary in the
process.
Plummer doubtless threw the
Thanksgiving party in order to chase
any doubt that might exist In the
minds Of the honest people Of the
gold camp regarding his activities. His
for George Ives, Ned Ray,
Buck Stinson, Clubfoot George Lane,
Boone Helm, who were criminals to
the core, must have caused much rails
ing Of the eyebrows. And the fact
that he had some Of the ablest and
most daring Of the gang sworn in as
deputies also certainly resulted in
some disquiet among the lovers Of
Justice and fair play.
The dapper sheriffs big mistake
was that he hung around trying TO
allay suspicion when he should have
Known that he could be successful in I
his only temporarily. He banked too
much on his ability as q charmer and
not enough on common sense. The
was that when the sun
-ose on the morning Of Jan. 10, 1864,
ollImmer was as dead as q butcher
hop herring.
II he didn't know In what direction
he wind was blowing on that Thanks
living day, he certainly should have
,een aware Of 1t a few weeks later,
N Dec. 81, to be exact, when George r
YES was hanged at Nevada City. Ives
vas almost as urbane and foxy as
Eas the gang leader himself and when
lie couldn't get out of the jam he
1as put into by the discovery Of the
rozen body Of Nicholas Thiebalt, who
lad been shot because he was unfor-
tunate enough to own span Of mules