The Vigilantes of Montana: 1864 Revisited

Dan Cushman on the Existence of a Gang

"Give me a good drop, boys," he said, and they obliged, lifting him high in the air and letting him fall. In the course of the few weeks starting at Christmas 22 men were hunted down and hanged. All were described as being members of the Plummer gang. The existence of any gang is doubtful, although the rough element knew who their friends were. A bandit organization headed by a single mastermind should have produced an example of organized banditry, but none can be found. Plummer, by the context of his career, deserved what he got, but the charges set forth would never have stood up in court. Aside from hearsay, inflated in the passage of time, no actual proof exists that Plummer profited by a dollar from road agentry, or planned a robbery. His record was against him. He was destined for a gunman's grave or the hangman's noose ever since his early days in California.