Vigilantes: Lawlessness
The Vigilantes of Montana:
1864 Revisited

Incredible Lawlessness?

In the 1991 book Montana, A History of Two Centuries on page 81 :
Certainly, the incredible lawlessness at Bannack-Virginia City called for action, and most of the convictions from January 4 to February 3, 1864, seem to have been necessary and appropriate.
There are at least four questions raised by this statement:
  1. How much lawlessness was there?

    Conclusion: There was not an excessive amount of lawlessness given the turbulence of the times and the prevalence of armed men used to violence. In particular there was no evidence of organized crime.

  2. What kind of action did it call for?

  3. How can the executions (not convictions!) seem necessary when there were no trials, no written confessions, no witnesses called, no cross examinations, and no appeals?

  4. Did the 21 hangings of the alleged gang of road agents really eliminate crime in the area?