Gold, land, jealousy, and murder - all play a role in this classic tale of the Montana Territory. From dance hall women of "easy virtue" to masked highway desperadoes, The Vigilantes of Montana vividly portrays the rough beginnings of Montana's mining-camp society, when the will of the people could lead without warning to speedy public trials and hastily arranged executions.
Originally written in 1864 as a vindication of the Vigilantes who hanged the notorious Sheriff William Henry Handy Plummer and his band of road agents, this new edition features a foreword by prominent Western historian R.E. Mather.
Was Sheriff Plummer a corrupt lawman, or a victim of overzealous crusaders? Was Thomas Dimsdale an objective observer, or a secret member of the Vigilantes with a one-sided story to tell? Mather addresses these issues and offers new insights into the controversy behind the legend.