It was almost useless to undertake to conceal
anything from them; and resistance was met with death. Such a
reign of terror, such an organized system of highway robbery,
such a light valuing of human life, has been seldom found in any
other time or place.
There were, as we have seen, good men in these camps--although
the best of them probably let down the standards of living
somewhat after their arrival there; but the trouble was that the
good men did not know one another, had no organization, and
scarcely dared at first to attempt one. On the other hand, the
robbers' organization was complete and kept its secrets as the
grave; indeed, many and many a lonesome grave held secrets none
ever was to know. How many men went out from Eastern States and
disappeared, their fate always to remain a mystery, is a part of
the untold story of the mining frontier.
There are known to have been a hundred and two men killed by
Plummer and his gang; how many were murdered without their fate
ever being discovered can not be told. Plummer was the leader of
the band, but, arch-hypocrite that he was, he managed to keep his
own connection with it a secret.
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