the passing of the frontier-第11章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


hey　had　ever　been　aught　else。　All　classes　of　society　were　represented　at　this　general　exhibition。　Judges；　lawyers；　doctors；　even　clergymen；　could　not　claim　exemption。　Culture　and　religion　afforded　feeble　protection；　where　allurement　and　indulgence　ruled　the　hour。〃

Imagine；　therefore；　a　fabulously　rich　mountain　valley　twelve　miles　in　extent；　occupied　by　more　than　ten　thousand　men　and　producing　more　than　ten　millions　of　dollars　before　the　close　of　the　first　year！　It　is　a　stupendous　demand　on　any　imagination。　How　might　all　this　gold　be　sent　out　in　safe…keeping？　We　are　told　that　the　only　stage　route　extended　from　Virginia　City　no　farther　than　Bannack。　Between　Virginia　City　and　Salt　Lake　City　there　was　an　absolute　wilderness；　wholly　unsettled；　four　hundred　and　seventy…five　miles　in　width。　〃There　was　no　post　office　in　the　Territory。　Letters　were　brought　from　Salt　Lake　first　at　a　cost　of　two　dollars　and　a　half　each；　and　later　in　the　season　at　one　dollar　each。　All　money　at　infinite　risk　was　sent　to　the　nearest　express　office　at　Salt　Lake　City　by　private　hands。〃

Practically　every　man　in　the　new　gold…fields　was　aware　of　the　existence　of　a　secret　band　of　well…organized　ruffians　and　robbers。　The　general　feeling　was　one　of　extreme　uneasiness。　There　were　plenty　of　men　who　had　taken　out　of　the　ground　considerable　quantities　of　gold；　and　who　would　have　been　glad　to　get　back　to　the　East　with　their　little　fortunes；　but　they　dared　not　start。　Time　after　time　the　express　coach；　the　solitary　rider；　the　unguarded　wagon…train；　were　held　up　and　robbed；　usually　with　the　concomitant　of　murder。　When　the　miners　did　start　out　from　one　camp　to　another　they　took　all　manner　of　precautions　to　conceal　their　gold　dust。　We　are　told　that　on　one　occasion　one　party　bored　a　hole　in　the　end　of　the　wagon　tongue　with　an　auger　and　filled　it　full　of　gold　dust；　thus　escaping　observation！　The　robbers　learned　to　know　the　express　agents；　and　always　had　advice　of　every　large　shipment　of　gold。　It　was　almost　useless　to　undertake　to　conceal　anything　from　them；　and　resistance　was　met　with　death。　Such　a　reign　of　terror；　such　an　organized　system　of　highway　robbery；　such　a　light　valuing　of　human　life；　has　been　seldom　found　in　any　other　time　or　place。

There　were；　as　we　have　seen；　good　men　in　these　campsalthough　the　best　of　them　probably　let　down　the　standards　of　living　somewhat　after　their　arrival　there；　but　the　trouble　was　that　the　good　men　did　not　know　one　another；　had　no　organization；　and　scarcely　dared　at　first　to　attempt　one。　On　the　other　hand；　the　robbers'　organization　was　complete　and　kept　its　secrets　as　the　grave；　indeed；　many　and　many　a　lonesome　grave　held　secrets　none　ever　was　to　know。　How　many　men　went　out　from　Eastern　States　and　disappeared；　their　fate　always　to　remain　a　mystery；　is　a　part　of　the　untold　story　of　the　mining　frontier。

There　are　known　to　have　been　a　hundred　and　two　men　killed　by　Plummer　and　his　gang；　how　many　were　murdered　without　their　fate　ever　being　discovered　can　not　be　told。　Plummer　was　the　leader　of　the　band；　but；　arch…hypocrite　that　he　was；　he　managed　to　keep　his　own　connection　with　it　a　secret。　His　position　as　sheriff　gave　him　many　advantages。　He　posed　as　being　a　silver…mine　expert；　among　other　things；　and　often　would　be　called　out　to　〃expert〃　some　new　mine。　That　usually　meant　that　he　left　town　in　order　to　commit　some　desperate　robbery。　The　boldest　outrages　always　required　Plummer　as　the　leader。　Sometimes　he　would　go　away　on　the　pretense　of　following　some　fugitive　from　justice。　His　horse；　the　fleetest　in　the　country；　often　was　found；　laboring　and　sweating；　at　the　rear　of　his　house。　That　meant　that　Plummer　had　been　away　on　some　secret　errand　of　his　own。　He　was　suspected　many　times；　but　nothing　could　be　fastened　upon　him；　or　there　lacked　sufficient　boldness　and　sufficient　organization　on　the　part　of　the　law…and…order　men　to　undertake　his　punishment。

We　are　not　concerned　with　repeating　thrilling　tales；　bloody　almost　beyond　belief；　and　indicative　of　an　incomprehensible　depravity　in　human　nature；　so　much　as　we　are　with　the　causes　and　effects　of　this　wild　civilization　which　raged　here　quite　alone　in　the　midst　of　one　of　the　wildest　of　the　western　mountain　regions。　It　will　best　serve　our　purpose　to　retain　in　mind　the　twofold　character　of　this　population；　and　to　remember　that　the　frontier　caught　to　itself　not　only　ruffians　and　desperadoes；　men　undaunted　by　any　risk；　but　also　men　possessed　of　a　yet　steadier　personal　courage　and　hardihood。　There　were　men　rough；　coarse；　brutal；　murderous；　but　against　them　were　other　men　self…reliant；　stern；　just；　and　resolved　upon　fair　play。

That　was　indeed　the　touchstone　of　the　entire　civilization　which　followed　upon　the　heels　of　these　scenes　of　violence。　It　was　fair　play　which　really　animated　the　great　Montana　Vigilante　movement　and　which　eventually　cleaned　up　the　merciless　gang　of　Henry　Plummer　and　his　associates。　The　centers　of　civilization　were　far　removed。　The　courts　were　powerless。　In　some　cases　even　the　machinery　of　the　law　was　in　the　hands　of　these　ruffians。　But　so　violent　were　their　deeds；　so　brutal；　so　murderous；　so　unfair；　that　slowly　the　indignation　of　the　good　men　arose　to　the　white…hot　point　of　open　resentment　and　of　swift　retribution。　What　the　good　men　of　the　frontier　loved　most　of　all　was　justice。　They　now　enforced　justice　in　the　only　way　left　open　to　them。　They　did　this　as　California　earlier　had　done；　and　they　did　it　so　well　that　there　was　small　need　to　repeat　the　lesson。

The　actual　extermination　of　the　Henry　Plummer　band　occurred　rather　promptly　when　the　Vigilantes　once　got　under　way。　One　of　the　band　by　the　name　of　Red　Yager；　in　company　with　yet　another　by　the　name　of　Brown；　had　been　concerned　in　the　murder　of　Lloyd　Magruder；　a　merchant　of　the　Territory。　The　capture　of　these　two　followed　closely　upon　the　hanging　of　George　Ives；　also　accused　of　more　than　one　murder。　Ives　was　an　example　of　the　degrading　influence　of　the　mines。　He　was　a　decent　young　man　until　he　left　his　home　in　Wisconsin。　He　was　in　California　from　1857　to　1858。　When　he　appeared　in　Idaho　he　seemed　to　have　thrown　off　all　restraint　and　to　have　become　a　common　rowdy　and　desperado。　It　is　said　of　him　that　〃few　men　of　his　age　ever　had　been　guilty　of　so　many　fiendish　crimes。〃

Yager　and　Brown；　knowing　the　fate　which　Ives　had　met；　gave　up　hope　when　they　fell　into　the　hands　of　the　newly　organized　Vigilantes。　Brown　was　hanged；　so　was　Yager；　but　Yager；　before　his　death；　made　a　full　confession　which　put　the　Vigilantes　in　possession　of　information　they　had　never　yet　been　able　to　secure。*

*　Langford　gives　these　names　disclosed　by　Yager　as　follows：　〃Henry　Plummer　was　chief　of　the　band；　Bill　Bunton；　stool　pigeon　and　second　in　command；　George　Brown；　secretary；　Sam　Bunton；　roadster；　Cyrus　Skinner；　fence；　spy；　and　roadster；　George　Shears；　horse　thief　and　roadster；　Frank　Parish；　horse　thief　and　roadster；　Hayes　Lyons；　telegraph　man　and　roadster；　Bill　Hunter；　telegraph　man　and　roadster；　Ned　Ray；　council…room　keeper　at　Bannack　City；　George　Ives；　Stephen　Marshland；　Dutch　John　（Wagner）；　Alex　Carter；　Whiskey　Bill　（Graves）；　Johnny　Cooper；　Buck　Stinson；　Mexican　Franks　Bob　Zachary；　Boone　Helm；　Clubfoot　George　（Lane）；　Billy　Terwiliger；　Gad　Moore　were　roadsters。〃　Practically　all　these　were　executed　by　the　Vigilantes；　with　many　others；　and　eventually　the　band　of　outlaws　was　entirely　broken　up。


Much　has　been　written　and　much　romanced　about　the　conduct　of　these　desperadoes　when　they　met　their　fate。　Some　of　them　were　brave　and　some　proved　cowards　at　the　last。　For　a　time；　Plummer　begged　abjectly；　his　eyes　streaming　with　tears。　Suddenly　he　was　smitten　with　remorse　as　the　whole　picture　of　his　past　life　appeared　before　him。　He　promised　everything；　begged　everything；　if　only　life　might　be　spared　himasked　his　captors　to　cut　off　his　ears；　to　cut　out　his　tongue；　then　strip　him　naked　and　banish　him。　At　the　very　last；　however；　he　seems　to　have　become　composed。　Stinson　and　Ray　went　to　their　fate　alternately　swearing　and　whining。　Some　of　the　ruffians　faced　death　boldly。　More　than　one　himself　jumped　from　the　ladder　or　kicked　from　under　him　the　box　which　was　the　only　foothold　between　him　and　eternity。　Boone　Helm　was　as　hardened　as　any　of　them。　This　man　was　a　cannibal　and　m