Henry Plummer (1832–1864) was a prospector, lawman, and outlaw in the American West in the 1850s and 1860s, who was known to have killed several men, some in what was considered self-defense.[citation needed] He was elected sheriff of Bannack, Montana from 1863 to 1864, during which period he was accused of being the leader of a "road agent" gang of outlaws known as the "Innocents," which preyed on shipments from Virginia City to other areas. In response some leaders in Virginia City formed the Vigilance Committee of Alder Gulch, and began to take action against Plummer's gang, gaining confessions from a couple of men they arrested in early January 1864. On January 10, 1864 Plummer and two associates were arrested in Bannack by a company of the Vigilantes and summarily hanged.
Plummer was given a posthumous trial in 1993 which led to a mistrial. The jury was split 6–6.
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The Alder Gulch vigilance committee was centered in the Masonic Lodge. My wife is proud that her gg grandfather was then a member of that lodge. 3-7-77
ReplyDelete(We named our bbq team the Pigilance Committee and hung our bullet riddled sign with a couple of hangman's nooses.)
A lot of bodies scattered around the countryside.
ReplyDeleteI reckon Plummer was the Sherf at the time of his arrest. I say we bring back the summarily hangings of certain public figures when it is shown they have acted in opposition to the common cause of liberty.
ReplyDeleteThe other Rick
Ditto, and I second that emotion.
Deletethe plummer gang specialized in wagon freight and stagecoach robberies with much mayhem and killing. everyone knew who was involved and wanted them caught but because life was already tough enough in Montana, some men of serious mindedness took on the task with out being asked.
ReplyDeletemuch later, I believe in 1905, a two man gang from Chicago showed up in Lewiston Montana by train, walked over to the bank and robbed it, then rented a corner room in the hotel across the street from the bank, paying cash. I believe it was their unmitigated gall that caused twenty men of the town to show up with their winchesters and just unload into the corner rooms. they took the bodies and threw them onto the fast freight on it's way back to chicago.
Montanans are kind of like that.