Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-04-11

the crowd, amid the shedding Of sym
pathetic tears.
But this business was abruptly stop
ped when Beidler, perched on the roof
of a shed, demanded In his bull-hke
voice, ASK him how much time he
gave the Dutchman."
This was a grim reminder to the
crowd that Ives had given Tiebalt no
time to pray or otherwise prepare HIM
self for eternity before shooting him
in cold blood and brought the as
sembled throng back to its senses. The
hanging of Ives thereafter proceeded
according to plan.
One would think that Beidler, who
lived amid danger most OF his days.
would have gone out with his boots
on, amid blazing guns. But what his
enemies couldn't do, pneumonia &C
complished. Beidler died in Helena,
Jan. %, 1890. at the age Of So, and In
tribute to him Col Wilbur f. Sanders
said at his funeral:
His courage amounted TO the high
est audacity. There were no risks that
he was ever asked to take that he did
not do with a spirit of cheerfulneSs, |
the like Of which is seldom known to /
be paralleled."
He was buried in Forestvale ceme-
terry, his grave marked by a granite
shaft erected by the Society of Pho
neers. On it was inscribed these words:
Public Benefactor. Brave Pioneer, to
True Occasions True"
Beidler was born in Harrisburg, Pa,
Aug. IA, 1881.
While he was deputy United States
significant paragraphs ap-
peared more than once in the Helena
weeklies, such as:
1.-TWO men robbed a store last night,
shot the proprietor and made their es-
cape. x. Beidler is out Of town"
A few days later would appear an
equally significant item running in
substance as follows:
Two men were found hanging to a
tree in the foothills this week. x.
Beidler has returned to the city and
Is again on duty"
x. was employed at one time by
Wells, Fargo & Co., which ran stage
line from Virginia City to Corinne,
Utah. He acted as messenger-the
guard to accompany coaches on which
there we're special shipments Of bull !,
ion.
On one occasion everybody in the :
seemed to know a large :
amount of bullion was to be sent out )
IN a certain day. X got the express
lgent to hold the shipment up for
lay. AS he surmised, the coach that
vas supposed to hold the bullion was I
'obbed. x. carried the gold through I
iafely to Corinne the next day. When ]
Theodore Tracey, agent at Salt Lake, I
ieard Of the robbery Of the coach on ,
which he supposed the gold was car Z
led, he wired Beidler. /,
why in he'll amt you there when
'ur coaches are robbed?" b
Beidler, in characteristic fashion, t,
Tired back: IL
why in he'll don't they rob them h
'hen I am there?" G.
Although Beidler was a terror to his a
oes. his friends could poke fun at 7
i'm without fearing for their lives and a
It few occasion pass without doing so. Il
'OOk Cold Plunge D
Perhaps the slickeSt trick ever pulled el
n x. occurred after a stagecoach rob-
cry in the late fan Of 1873 at what D
'as known as the Sheep Creek stage n
sation, changing point on the route ST
, Utah. The theft was not discovered bl
ntii the coach reached Eagle Rock, lie
changing station IN Idaho. Il
Beidler was called from Virginia City IN
make an investigation He decided II
lat the gold had never been taken
ON the county but was buried some VI
here In the Beaverhead river. The a
seory brought ridicule down upon his
cad but he chung to it and was ripe in
II plucking by the jokesters. e
To Beidler one day came a man with 10
he information that an iron-bound jl
lest was 70 be seen IN the bottom Of oc
le river few miles above Beaverhead