Two Vigilance Committees [pp. 285-291]

286 Two Vt6~ian ce Commitfres. [Sept.
kindred spirits, and the absence of any sort Jack Gaflagher, for whom I had done some
of civil authority, it seems that they set out trifling professional service in Denver. I
at once to take possession of the Territory. remember him (Plummer) as a well dressed,
The head peace officer of the country was gentlemanly man, of plausible speech, but
the head of the gang, and he displayed con- with a rather bad eye. His reception of me
siderable ingenuity in organizing the trash was very polite, and I felt good when so
and in forestalling any regular attempts to great a man assured me he would take sinbring them to justice. It was said he was cere pleasure in promoting my professional
guided by the counsels of a demoralized old career in Montana. He looked askance
lawyer. Before Montana was set off from upon me afterward, with a wary eye, when
Idaho Teuitory (in the winter of 1862-3) he he found that his deputy, in the exuberance
had contrived to get appointed sheriff for the of his whiskey-inspired confidence, had
region east of the Rocky Mountains, where nearly guaranteed me a general retainer for a
Bannack City now is. The rich discoveries powerful band of the most blood-thirsty
in the summer of`63 in Alder Gulch, about scoundrels on the earth. He rescued him
eighty n~iles east of Bannack City stampeded from me before he had let out the true inthe population to that place. To prevent wardness of the business, but not until I got
cavil or question as to his authority extend- a glim~ that horrified me. I went on my
ing there, he came over in the fall of`63, way to Virginia City and never saw Henry
issued his election writs, and caused himself Plummer more.
to be elected sheriff there at Virginia City. At this time Montana was erected into a
So that, for all the then settled parts of Mon- Territory, and the most of the officers had
tana, except a few scattered parts on the been appointed, but none of them were there
west side of the mountains, he was the only -- at least none of the judges. And no courts,
one exercising the functions of peace officer. except of inferior jurisdiction, were opened
His next strategy was to F~lant deputies where there until well along in the following year.
they would do the most good in concealing Nearly all the business of the country - such
crime, preventing pursuit, obtaining infor- as the location and working of the diggings,
mation of lucky strikes and intending de- the use of the water, the settlement of dispartures for the benefit of the road agents, putes, etc. was conducted by arbitrations, in
and in planning mischief generally. One or miners' meetings, and in local provisional and
two honest men were appointed for a blind, self-constituted tribunals. And it was well
but the most of the deputies were members managed. I have observed in many such
of the gang, who pretended to be engaged cases that the sound sense and abiding justin some lawful vocation. His chief lieuten- ice of the American people, thrown thus upant was settled in Virginia City (Montana) on their own resources, discarding forms,
as a cobbler, and seemed to be a most quiet often lead them to better results than are
and inoffensive citizen. He went by the reached by more regular proceedings.
name of ~?lub-foot George, and was reputed Side by side with this well ordered comthe brains of the gang. munity, and mingled with it, was another,
This high sheriff and head of the con- its very antithesis. The one digging and
federacy was Henry Plummet. He kept his delving and buying and selling in quietness
headquarters at Bannack City, and super- and peace, without legal organization.
intended operations from there. I was in- The other robbing and murdering, with as
troduced to him on my arrival in Montana, compact and complete organization as was
late in the fall of'63, byamemberof his band possible to the nature of the brutes. The
(as it afterwards turned out) of the name of majority of its members were assigned to