| Show the death of a famous vigilante deiv york sun stitt we told in theeo these calumus a it few days ago the story of the early carly carter career 0 of f col wilbur flake fiske sanders whom the tile republican legislature of the new state laa has elected aa as united states senator since the appearance a p pear atice of that narrative there has died in blon montana tans tle the man who next to col bauders sanders himself wa wit the most conspicuous figure in the th remarkable secret organization w which aich took the law into its own hands in the winter of 1863 64 exterminated plummers Pl band of road agents and murderers and for more than thin twenty years ruled the territory in the interest of peace and order by the terrorism ot of mask and rope john X beidler was eally sally known in the west as X and for years that letter wa 0 odious dio a s tolliev to the villains ainson of the frontier it meant bothem to them the crossbones under the skull in this form aling with the mysterious num numerals rals 3 7 77 it was frequently visible in very black ink on oil a piece of white cardboard measuring exactly seven inches by niue nine tac tacked k d to the door of a house or cabin pinned to the canvas of a tent or nailed to a stake in front of a ranch rach or waki up in the wilder wilderness nem 1 I he desperado who found in the morning that he had been served with this dreaded notice knew that col sanders Is vigilantes had bad been con considering si dering his hie case the warning meant pack up and leave within twenty four hours or swing on the second night there was no nonsense about th the e placard if a mistake had been made as happened perhaps once in a hundred times the victim sought out col sanders or X beidler or some other prominent citizen gen orally believed to be influential with the vigilantes and laid the cane case before him speaking as neighbor to neighbor if the plea of the accused seemed good it was kindly heard beard and passed along to the mid laid night nigh tribunal to be investigated fu further the r perhaps the sentence was reversed and the accused notified informally to that effect perhaps it was reaffirmed by a second placard then there wa was a no appeal on the other hand if the gentle man whose presence in in the territory was regarded as undesirable was so foolhardy as to disregard the notice and defy the vigilantes he be found himself on the second night in theli the ands of a score or more of masked men all in lead dead earnest and in countless cases of the sort the man who adjusted the noose and gave the signal signa A for the pull that ran the wretch into eternity was crossbones Cro beidler probably no other iD individual on this continent ever aas assisted isted at so many hangings hannings hang ings certainly no citizen overacted over ever acted as its executioner witha 8 sterner terner sense of duty to the public X beidler was wits an all early settler of virginia cit city y a town originally named Va varina rilia in honor of the wife of jefferson davis ho ile was one of the originators of the vigilante movement and one of the principal actors in the tragic events narrated in prof thomas J dims dales dalea we had almost ea said I 1 d col olt wilbur F sand sanders ers s valuable historical monograph his rugged personality his incorruptible integrity and sense of right and wrong and bis his dauntless co courage urage made him a notable figure in the organization and to hia his sinewy hands oftener than to those of any other vigilante was in trusted eol the unpleasant tak task of actual execution he ile was w as widely feared and universally respected the bicet vigilante execution in the new metropolis of helena wa was conducted by mr air J X beidler a and nd says the eminent historian who thinly disguised disguises his identity under the pseudo pseudonyms nyme of prof Di dimsdale madale 1 everything went off OIT in a quiet and orderly manner harry slater sister was a professional gambler who months before at salt lake take city had attempted to shoot col sanders in in the back when that statesman was on hia his way to tho the diggings slater had emigrated to last chanca gulch where ho lie waa was muri mur dered in cold blood by the celebrated highwayman bob black whose real name was john keene keene was wits caught red handed by C J D curtis and X beidler I 1 there was a short trial in a lumber yard the tire execution took place on the hill just north of the present town of helena irelena and it was witnessed by a throng of people including not a small number of ladies X beidler found the gallo gallows we ready made a large pine tree with stout limbs sta standing almost alone keene was transported to the hill in a lumber wagon allied by the rev mr air fin danied under the gallowa gallows a klauk was apanged with one end on a dry goods box and the other resting stick keene upon an upright stood upon this frail trail platform the noose moose around his neck and the other end of the rope attached to the axle of the lumber cart this w was 08 his farewell address to the ai ag emblem ladies mies anig gentlemen ent lemen of last chance gulch what I 1 have done to slater sister I 1 done will willingly he ile puni punished shet me severely honor r coin compelled rile I 1 ma me to do what I 1 have havo d done one he I 1 le run rue me from town to to town I 1 tried to shun him here but he called me a and smacked me in the face my honor corn cont ali belled me to do wh what at t have done I 1 am here and I 1 must die lie and ir i I 1 waa was to live till to morrow I 1 do the same thing again I 1 am ready jerk the cart as soon as boll vou plea please X Be idlers funeral the other da day y within eight of the bill hill where he hanged john keene years ago waa was the largest ever seen been in montana tan it was eminently ampro that the funeral oration should be del delivered i vere d by col wilbur F banders sanders hia ilia heart was as the prairies ea he loved ao so well eaid said that eloquent gentleman as be he stood over X a bier his courage belarge aa large as the mountains which lured him hither he ile wag was our most sacrificing our most laborious the weather could not bo be so threatening storms could not threaten destruction eo so much but that be he was at the head of any enterprise and expedition pursuing like sleuth hounds those men that came here for robbery abd for murder and with these heart felt if not strictly grammatical words col sanders laid away X beidler to his everlasting rest |
