Vigilance Committies

[Drayton Calhoun]

  Looking for reference material on vigilante groups from the 1850's to 1890's. About all I have read is a novel about the Mason's that supposedly took care of Henry Plummer.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Here is some about the Bald Knobbers of southern MO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Knobbers
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-baldknobber.html
http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/periodicals/wrv/v9/n3/sp86g.htm

Slim

[Shotgun Franklin]

Well in 1860 a Vigilance Mob hung between 8 and 12 men in San Antonio in front of San Fernando Cathedral. Bob Augustine was the most 'famous' of those hung, I don't have the full date in front of me. From all accounts, Bob was hung earlier in the day and later 8 or more unsavory gentlemen were strung up.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

Our NCOWS Posse, the Scarlet Mask Vigilance Society is named after a rather large group of Indiana citizens who felt they had to take care of the Reno Gang.  The Reno Gang held the 1st train robberies in America done by civilians to civilians AFTER the train attacks during the (un)Civil War.

Here is a short history that is from our former website: http://smvsposse.home.insightbb.com/history.htm

[Hill Beachy]

Online, you can read Prof. Dimsdale's "Vigilantes of Montana"
http://www.montana-vigilantes.org/dimsdale/toc.html

and Langford's "Vigilante Days and Ways".
http://www.montana-vigilantes.org/langford/toc.html

Hard copy, you might try "American West Vigilantes and Violence" (Keith Cochran, 2000)  or for the dissenting view, try these two books by R.E. Mather and F.E Boswell:  "Gold Camp Desperadoes" (1990) and "Hanging the Sheriff" (1987).  Mather and Boswell have been accused by some of engaging in "revisionist history" for being so bold as to suggest that Plummer and others were innocent of their alleged crimes.