The Case of George Ives

The story  so far in Montana where Sheriff Plummer and his men - Gallagher, Stinson and Ray have control of the town of Bannack, stealing, gold, property, and Killing over 100 of the townspeople. The honest citizens have begun to organize,  beginning at the murder trial of Deputy Billingham. ' Presiding was Dr. G. G. Bissell, along with two other doctors. The prosecutor was blacksmith Cutler and the citizens were the jury. 

The trial was held in Wallace Street with Judge Bissell on a  wagon. By noon the trial was  over und by second  day a verdict of guilty was returned for the Sheriff's men.   In a last minute softhearted pleas by a few women present, Plummer's men were let go. The community did not agree. Several more unpunished crimes were committed (more on that later) until one day...
 

The bloodstained and mangled body of a young boy, Nicholas Tbalt, an orphan,  was found murdered for his little money and mules in Stinkingwater Valley. The murderer was discovered to be another of Sheriff Plummer's men, George lves. The trial and conviction was the first victory of the Montana Vigilantes.

Several citizens along with 25 men captured lves and his two co-horts, "Long John" Franck and George Hilderman, the  "American Pie Eating Champion." They were captured just outside Plummer's jurisdiction on October 19, 1863. Fifteen hundred men took part in the trial-just to see justice done to “one of Plummer's men." It was decided that all 1500 citizens would serve as jury with 25 acting as an advisory jury. The accused had attempted escape several times, so he and his cronies were held in  logging chains, secured by padlocks. 

The trial began in the afternoon and lasted until night fall. Ives tried to establish an alibi through the testimony by Honest Whiskey Joe.   The defense attorney attempted to discredit the prosecutor because of his place of origin. The evidence showed lves to be a robber and a killer on other occasions. The advisory jury found 23 to 1 for  a guilty verdict.  Out of the 1500 "jurors" less than 100  voted against the verdict. George Ives   was to be "Forthwith hung by the neck until dead."  Within 58 minutes lves was on the scaffold. His comrades? Hilderman was banished from Montana forever, and Long John had turned in evidence, and allowed to remain. 

 

The Vigilante Committee grew to large proportions and determined that and order would win in the end every  time. The fate of Henry Plummer?

 
Next time  - the fate of Henry Plummer and his Highway men

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Today in Pioneer History: "On June 20, 1619, the first elected legislative assembly in America convenes in Jamestown.  The House of Burgesses convenes in the choir of the town's church.  Jamestown was just 12 years old at the time, founded by the London Company and governed by Sir George Yeardley.  The assembly included 22 representatives, free adults male of voting age. 

Vigilantism in Montana

In Bannack,  Montana, the story of vigilantism is best told in a book titled Vigilantes of Montana by Thomas Dimsdale in 1866. The book was the first book published in Montana/Idaho Territory. 

It's the story of Henry Plummer who first arrived in gold country in 1852 as a teenager.  He settled in Nevada City.  He visited many mining camps before coming to Bannock, ran professional gambling houses and organized a group of men who preyed on people moving in and out of the camps. In nearby Lewiston,  Plummer was an established merchant when gold was first discovered in Montana July 1862, at Grasshopper Creek. The discovery site quickly became the town of Bannack. In October 1862,  bandits robbed a pack train of 14 pounds of gold and were hanged in Lewiston.

Plummer moved to Bannack and organized a new group of highwaymen in April 1863. He got elected Sheriff of Bannack. On May 24 1863 another deposit of gold which was later proved to be the greatest of the world, was discovered at Alder Gulch, 80 miles from Bannack - later to be Virginia City. Meanwhile, it was decided that one Sheriff would be over all camps east of the Bitter Root Mountains - including Bannack, Lewiston, and Virginia City. Plummer got the job.

It didn't take long for Plummer's highway men to plunder the gold being shipped out of these new found deposits of Montana. Plummer discovered it was more profitable to mine these shipments than to mine the streams, and made his headquarters at Rattlesnake Ranch where his arsenal and hideout were. His cover was a signpost for practicing marksmanship. Interestingly,  Plummer could draw and shoot 5 bullets from his pistol in 3 seconds. He had the reputation of the quickest shot in mountains. 

His men also used the ranches of  innocent people who were not foolish enough to even

hunt at what was going on. A conservative estimate based on bodies actually found was that Plummer and his men murdered some 102 people, not counting those whose remains were never found.  Plummer was the sheriff and three of his highwaymen were his deputes -  Jack Gallagher, Buck Stimson and Ned Ray. The one honest deputy Dillingham was murdered  by his "deputies" in cold blood.

Next time - Community Reaction Part 2

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Today in Pioneer History: "On July 27, 1921, scientists successfully isolate insulin,  a drug they believed could prevent diabetes, at the University of Toronto, Canada.  Frederick Banting and Charles Best saved countless lives within a year of their discovery.  

Necktie Parties circa 1880

In cattle country, Cattle Kate Watson and her lover James Averill lived in neighboring ranches near Sweet water River in Wyoming.  The story goes that Averill set up Cattle Kate with her own bordello where she accepted cattle for payment of her services.

Once Cattle Kate had accumulated a  large enough herd, she began shipping beef by railroad to Denver - gaining the attention of the Stockman's Association.  At the same time, James was attacking by press the land holders in Casper's Weekly Mail editorials.

A group of Winchester clad men paid Averill and Cattle Kate an unexpected visit to their ranches and both were hung side by side at the edge of the river.  You see, horse and cattle stealing was as bad as murder and would get you hung by rope a whole lot sooner that shooting a man would.  Averill and Cattle Kate were cattle thieves, and had accumulated a vast wealth at the other land owner's expense.

Lynching a woman was a rare event.  The men who did so were never brought to trail for a couple of reasons...the witnesses either disappeared prior to trial, or were found dead.  Considerable anger and bitterness existed toward the lack of justice until civil war was feared.

It is still said that even today the name of Cattle Kate Watson is seldom mentioned in polite conversation...

Next a Madame who did shoot and often...

More Trivia on the Montana Vigilantes

During the Vigilantes reign, each morning would be found bodies hanging from any improvised gallows.  Trees, Signposts, wood posts, clotheslines...In 6 weeks, 24 outlaws were hung and countless others just hightailed it out of town before dawn.

Legend has it that the hanging's man wife and children would gather at the hanging, weeping for the man's life.  This would, of course, cause those attending the hanging to feel pity for the man and his family, often asking the law to reconsider...until it was discovered that the women were local prostitutes and the children were orphans playing a role for profit.  There were thereafter banned from the hanging festivities

For Henry Plummer, his execution was more planned. Story goes that the Vigilantes invited him to dinner - with a $60 ham they had confiscated from a stagecoach robbery of his.  The group dined, drank and enjoyed themselves for 3 days, after which they hung Plummer and two of his men in the front yard on January 10, 1864.