The Vigilantes of Montana

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Overview

Gold, land, jealousy, and murder -- all play a role in this classic tale of the Montana Territory. From dance hall women of "easy virtue" to masked highway desperadoes, The Vigilantes of Montana vividly portrays the rough beginnings of Montana's mining-camp society, when the will of the people could lead without warning to speedy public trials and hastily arranged executions. Originally written in 1864 as a vindication of the Vigilantes who hanged the notorious Sheriff William Henry Handy Plummer and his band of ...
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More About This Book

Overview

Gold, land, jealousy, and murder -- all play a role in this classic tale of the Montana Territory. From dance hall women of "easy virtue" to masked highway desperadoes, The Vigilantes of Montana vividly portrays the rough beginnings of Montana's mining-camp society, when the will of the people could lead without warning to speedy public trials and hastily arranged executions. Originally written in 1864 as a vindication of the Vigilantes who hanged the notorious Sheriff William Henry Handy Plummer and his band of road agents, this new edition features a foreword by prominent Western historian R. E. Mather. Was Sheriff Plummer a corrupt lawman, or a victim of overzealous crusaders? Was Thomas Dimsdale an objective observer, or a secret member of the Vigilantes with a one-sided story to tell? Mather addresses these issues and offers new insights into the controversy behind the legend.
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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
The cornerstone of any Montana library is The Vigilantes of Montana, Thomas J. Dimsdale's 19th-century defense of frontier vigilantism. First published in 1866, this classic has been so influential that more than one historian has claimed that more recent studies have been little more than reworkings of Dimsdale's gripping narrative. This new edition presents this essential western text in a new setting.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780762725687
  • Publisher: Globe Pequot Press
  • Publication date: 4/1/2003
  • Edition description: First Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 256
  • Sales rank: 920,892
  • Product dimensions: 6.36 (w) x 8.84 (h) x 0.73 (d)

Meet the Author

Thomas J. Dimsdale came to this country from England in 1863 and established a private school in Virginia City, Montana. In 1864 he became the first editor of the Montana Post, and The Vigilantes of Montana was originally published in that newspaper.

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Table of Contents

Foreword v
Preface xix
Chapter 1 Introductory--Vigilance Committees 1
Chapter 2 The Sunny Side of Mountain Life 12
Chapter 3 Settlement of Montana 15
Chapter 4 The Road Agents 17
Chapter 5 The Dark Days of Montana 21
Chapter 6 The Trial 29
Chapter 7 Plummer Versus Crawford 32
Chapter 8 A Calendar of Crimes 39
Chapter 9 Perils of the Road 45
Chapter 10 The Repulse 49
Chapter 11 The Robbery of Peabody and Caldwell's Coach 54
Chapter 12 The Settlement of Virginia City, and the Murder of Dillingham 60
Chapter 1367
Chapter 14 The Robbery of the Salt Lake Mail Coach by George Ives, Bill Graves, Alias Whiskey Bill, and Bob Zachary 71
Chapter 15 The Opening of the Ball--George Ives 78
Chapter 16 The Formation of the Vigilance Committee 103
Chapter 17 The Deer Lodge Scout 110
Chapter 18 Dutch John (Wagner) 120
Chapter 19 The Arrest and Execution of Henry Plummer, The Road Agent Chief, Buck Stinson and Ned Ray 129
Chapter 20 The Execution of "The Greaser" (Joe Pizanthia), and Dutch John (Wagner) 133
Chapter 21 The Capture and Execution of Boone Helm, Jack Gallagher, Frank Parish, Haze Lyons and Club-Foot George (Lane) 139
Chapter 22 The Deer Lodge and Hell Gate Scout--Capture and Execution of Stephen Marshland, Bill Bunton, Cyrus Skinner, Aleck Carter, Johnny Cooper, George Shears, Robert Zachary and William Graves (Whiskey Bill) 150
Chapter 23 Capture and Execution of Bill Hunter 163
Chapter 24 The Arrest and Execution of Captain J.A. Slade, With A Short Account of His Previous Career 170
Chapter 25 The Execution of James Brady, For Shooting Murphy, at Nevada 181
Chapter 26 The Snake River Scout--Capture and Execution of Jem Kelly 187
Chapter 27 Arrest and Execution of John Dolan, Alias John Coyle, Alias "Hard Hat" For Robbing James Brady of $700 In Gold 192
Chapter 28 Capture and Execution of R.C. Rawley 196
Chapter 29 The Trial and Death of John Keene, Alias Bob Black, The Murderer of Harry Slater 200
Chapter 30 Capture and Execution of Jake Silvie, Alias Jacob Seachrist, A Road Agent And Murderer of Twelve Years' Standing, and the Slayer of Twelve Men 213
Chapter 31 Biographical Notices of the Leading Road Agents of Plummer's Band and Others 224
Chapter 32228
Chapter 33 Conclusion 233
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