Henry Plummer became sheriff of Bannack, Montana in 1863 while secretly leading the “Innocents,” a gang of over 100 outlaws who committed systematic gold robberies and more than 100 murders. You’ll find he maintained this dual life by appointing gang members as deputies and using coded signals to coordinate stagecoach heists worth over a million dollars. Vigilantes executed him without trial on January 10, 1864, though historians still debate whether he was truly guilty or a victim of frontier mob justice—a controversy that continues examining the evidence and contradictions surrounding his case.
Key Takeaways
- Henry Plummer served as sheriff of Bannack, Montana in 1863 while allegedly leading the “Innocents” outlaw gang.
- His gang targeted gold shipments on stagecoaches, committing over 100 murders and stealing over one million dollars in nine months.
- Plummer used his law enforcement position to coordinate robberies through secret codes and planted deputies as informants.
- Vigilantes executed Plummer and associates on January 10, 1864, without trial after gang members’ confessions implicated him.
- His guilt remains historically contested, with a 1993 posthumous trial ending in a hung jury.
From Prospector to Lawman: Plummer’s Early Years in California
Born in 1832 to a seafaring family in Addison, Maine, Henry Plummer seemed destined for the Atlantic trade routes that his father, older brother, and brother-in-law had navigated before him. Yet tuberculosis and his father’s death redirected his trajectory westward.
At nineteen, he joined the California Gold rush, arriving in San Francisco in May 1852. He quickly recognized that supplying miners proved more lucrative than extraction itself. Within two years, he’d transformed mining profits into tangible assets: a bakery, ranch, and mine in Nevada County.
The rough camps bred miner conflicts and fostered gambling culture, where Plummer developed connections among questionable characters. His business acumen and emerging reputation prompted residents to draft him for marshal in 1856, launching an unlikely law enforcement career. Elected Sheriff at age twenty-four, he became marshal of California’s third largest settlement. His tenure was cut short when he killed John Vedder on September 26, 1857, a confrontation he maintained was self-defense.
The Sheriff Who Led the Innocents: Plummer’s Dual Life in Bannack
After Henry Crawford resigned and left Bannack following their violent confrontation—which left Plummer with a bullet-shattered right arm—the ambitious former California lawman won election as sheriff on May 24, 1863.
You’ll find his dual existence remarkable: publicly, he charmed citizens as a polished, genial sheriff even recommended for U.S. Marshall appointment.
Privately, he orchestrated criminal alliances through the “Innocents,” a gang exceeding 100 members that terrorized gold-laden stagecoaches.
Behind his sheriff’s badge, Plummer commanded the Innocents—a criminal empire of 100 outlaws plundering Montana’s gold routes with calculated precision.
His leadership dynamics proved devastatingly effective—appointing gang members Buck Stinson and Ned Ray as deputies while surrounding himself with enforcers like George Ives.
The gang operated using secret handshakes and code words to recognize one another while coordinating their systematic thefts and robberies.
Crime exploded under his badge: over 100 murders followed his election, with robberies remaining unsolved.
The Vigilance Committee eventually captured him after his road agents’ reign of terror had gripped both Bannack and Virginia City.
This calculated deception created Montana’s most audacious criminal enterprise, where institutional authority itself became corruption’s instrument.
Terror on the Gold Roads: How the Gang Preyed on Montana Miners
Plummer’s control of law enforcement machinery transformed idle criminal ambitions into systematic predation. You’d witness his gang executing stagecoach robberies with chilling precision—accessing schedules through the sheriff’s office, then timing strikes when gold-laden coaches departed Bannack and Virginia City.
His deputies, including Buck Stinson and Jack Gallagher, relayed intelligence about miners carrying payouts, enabling targeted miner ambushes along isolated trails.
The operation’s scale proved devastating: over 100 murders in nine months as road agents identified vulnerable travelers.
Plummer’s positioning as sheriff provided perfect cover—he’d investigate crimes his own men committed while directing future hits through coded signals.
The gang employed secret passwords and signals to coordinate their activities and identify fellow members during operations. The gang’s growth to over 100 members allowed simultaneous attacks across multiple camps, creating pervasive terror that only ended when vigilantes removed him from power. Gold thefts exceeded one million dollars, fueling the gang’s operations and devastating Montana’s mining economy.
Swift Justice: The Vigilantes Strike Back
By December 1863, Montana’s business leaders had exhausted their faith in official law enforcement. You’ll find they formed the Vigilance Committee of Alder Gulch on December 23, modeling it after San Francisco’s swift justice protocols. These weren’t marginal citizens—five Virginia City residents and prominent Bannack Masons, many Republicans, comprised the core.
Vigilante justice moved rapidly after George Ives’s trial. Jack Gallagher’s confession provided the instrumental list naming Plummer as gang leader. On January 10, 1864, vigilantes arrested Sheriff Plummer alongside deputies Buck Stinson and Ned Ray in Bannack.
Legal ethics vanished entirely—they hanged all three that cold Sunday evening without formal process. This execution marked the last legal hanging in the area after Ives’ conviction had set the precedent. Modern research has challenged traditional accounts of Plummer’s guilt, suggesting the narrative may not reflect the full truth.
Between January and February 1864, they lynched twenty-two men total. Crime plummeted as outlaws fled the Territory, establishing Montana’s controversial precedent for frontier enforcement.
Debating History: Was Henry Plummer Guilty or Wrongly Hanged?
While the vigilantes’ noose settled around Henry Plummer’s neck that January evening, it sealed not just his fate but launched a historical debate that has persisted for over 150 years. You’ll find conflicting evidence: Yeager’s confession named Plummer as gang leader, yet it came under vigilante custody without legal fairness.
Plummer built Montana’s first jail and organized deputy networks—actions contradicting outlaw behavior. Historical bias permeates early accounts, particularly Dimsdale’s vigilante-sympathetic narrative claiming 100+ murders.
The 1993 posthumous trial resulted in a hung jury, suggesting reasonable doubt exists. Governor Meagher later questioned vigilante methods, recognizing potential injustice.
Bannack had served as Montana’s territorial capital briefly before Plummer’s execution, adding political complexity to the lawless frontier environment. The mob forcibly removed Plummer from his sickbed despite his protests for a trial, denying him any semblance of due process. Without trial, cross-examination, or independent investigation, determining truth becomes impossible. You’re left weighing whether Plummer masterminded theft operations or became vigilante justice’s most notorious victim.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Happened to Lucy Vedder After Plummer Killed Her Husband?
“Hell hath no fury” proved prophetic—you’ll find Lucy Vedder abandoned penniless after Plummer’s conviction. Justice delayed destroyed the victim’s family as she descended into misery, separated from her three children, dying early in documented degradation and sorrow.
How Much Gold Was Stolen by Plummer’s Gang During Their Crime Spree?
Plummer’s gang stole over $1 million in gold during their 1863 spree, with individual heists yielding $80,000. Their gold smuggling operation thrived because Plummer controlled law enforcement as sheriff, enabling systematic robberies before vigilantes ended their reign.
Who Were the Leaders of the Vigilance Committee That Arrested Plummer?
Justice’s iron fist fell through Wilbur Sanders and James Williams. You’d recognize Sanders as the vigilance committee’s legal architect, while Williams captained field operations. Together, their outlaw leadership hunt executed Plummer within weeks of organizing their December 1863 tribunal.
What Became of Plummer’s Other Gang Members Like Cyrus Skinner?
You’ll find Skinner met the same fate as Plummer—hanged by vigilantes in their systematic purge. Like other alleged gang members, he became part of Montana’s outlaw legends, though gold conspiracy claims and guilt questions persist without trials.
Where Is Henry Plummer Buried Today?
You’ll find Plummer’s grave in Hangman’s Gulch, Bannack, Montana—100 yards from the gallows where law enforcement ended his gold prospecting gang. His remains lie in a shallow grave marked by wooden headstone, twice vandalized by souvenir hunters.
References
- https://montanacowboyfame.org/inductees/2008/10/sheriff-henry-plummer
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mt-henryplummer/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Plummer
- https://www.abebooks.com/9780966335507/Hanging-Sheriff-Biography-Henry-Plummer-0966335503/plp
- https://southwestmt.com/blog/infamous-characters-henry-plummer-part-1/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_KuAM3PLqI
- https://southwestmt.com/blog/henry-plummer-part-4/
- https://www.distinctlymontana.com/give-me-high-drop-boys-frontier-justice-and-ghost-henry-plummer
- https://yellowpinetimes.wordpress.com/2018/03/18/idaho-history-march-18/
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-henryplummer-hough/
