|
Henry Plummer in Montana: Overview |
|
Henry Plummer rode into the Bitterroot Valley in September of 1862. Fourteen months later, he was dead—strangled by a mob of self-appointed vigilantes, without a chance to arrange his affairs, without a letter to his wife, and most importantly, without a trial. In the intervening months, Plummer married Electa Bryan, a young Christian woman; was elected Sheriff of Bannack and Virginia City; and owned productive mining claims. He raised funds to construct the first public building in Montana (the Bannack jail); sold a house at a Sheriff's auction to Sidney Edgerton (future Governor of Montana); and entertained the families of Edgerton and Wilbur Sanders (future Senator from Montana) at the house of his sister-in-law Martha Vail. A few days before he was hanged he escorted a shipment of gold from Virginia City through Bannack to Fort Benton, and returned to Bannack quite ill. This presentation is about the way stations in his life from his arrival in the Bitterroot Valley in September 1862 to the cold, black Sunday night of January 10, 1864, at Bannack. I constructed this series of web pages for a presentation to The Bitter Root Valley Historical Society on February 28, 1999, at the Museum in Hamilton. It is my intention to state only incontrovertible facts, giving dates and places based on firsthand witnesses whenever possible. In doing so I hope to"un-demonize" Henry Plummer—to present him as a human being—not a mythical character in a melodrama.I wish to acknowledge my debt to Ruth Mather and Fred Boswell who, in their challenging book, Hanging the Sheriff opened my eyes to the century old coverup of the truth about the Montana Vigilantes. Erna Dominey and Margaret Anderson of Athabasca University helped me with layout and editing, but any errors are of my own doing. Written by Louis Schmittroth. Last revised: February 18, 1999 |