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Collection: Directories and Documents > Pamphlets
The Saga of Henry Plummer Book 1 by Sven Skaar (PH 3-1) (1959) (97 pages)
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Page: of 97
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. .inding Tom Bell than he had ex_Jaotel as.Dr. Thomas Hodges,
Bill Gristy alias Bill White, Ned
Sonvery, alias Ned Conners, and
jim. Smith who didn’t bother
vith aliases,; were with Tom
Sell. If, thought Webster, I’m
accepted Ill be set.
Jim Webster had less trouble
ected. He was staying at the
‘reating anyone who came to him
‘or help in his direct, capable
nanner.
He showed no pleasure at meetng up with Jim Webster again,
sut he accepted him into the gang
vith the threat of immediate exe2ution, should he refuse to obey
wrders or in any way betray the
gang.
Had Great Plans
Tom Bell had great plans for
che future. The field of operation
was to cover the entire Northern
Mines Region. He would post regional agents at the main -towns
vho would report gold shipments
to him either at Jack Phillips
Mountaineer House between Auburn and Folsom, or at Mrs.
Elizabeth Hood’s Western Exchange on the Sacramento-Nevida City road.
Webster knew of the Exchange
which was run by Mrs. Hood and
her three daughters. The youngrst, a beauty .of fourteen, was
Tom Bell's mistress. .
Bell was recruiting 75 toughs
for the gang. Montague Lyon,
ilias .Monte, Jack, was to take
sharge of the most northern reaches of the gold fields with headquarters at Mrs. Cole’s Califordia House twenty-five miles north!
of Marysville.
Geotge Walker was to oper-'
ate’ on the southern fringes, with
Folsom as headquarters. {
Tom Bell wanted Jim Webster
as his agent in Nevada City to
Operate among the camps hetween’ the American and South
Yuba Rivers. He was to assist
Wallace Gehr, the blacksmith
who did the shoeing of most of
the express companies’ horses
and mules.
Bell had also learned from
Gehr that ‘City Marshall Henry
pias might be recruited’ into
the gang. Such protection, expensive as it might be if Plumer
would consider a proposition at
all, would be invaluable.
Bell would ride north with Jim
Webster as soon as Jim Smith
had escorted Webster back to Tim-. i
juctoo, to swear that he had been
a witness to the wanton attack
on Webster by the three Bostonjans.Next week, we'll see what Plumer had:to say when interviewed
>y Bell and Webster.
Bell and Webster
Get Bad News
ln Nevada City
“Tom Bell, Jim Webster, Talman Lee and Arthur Shelly lett!
Smartsville for Nevada City on
a buming September day, having
timed the twenty mile ride so
that they would arrive’there just
after dusk. .
At the Downey House-in Rough
and Ready, they dismounted to
have supper and a ‘few drinks and
to pick up, if possible, news that
might be of value -such as the
location of a good spread of
ground sluices, or the date’ of a
fat bullion shipment.
Much Talk of Fires
But nothing: of such nature was!
mentioned, either in the dining
room or bar. The place was alive},
with talk of the’ fire that had
just leveled Grass Valley and the
Nevada City fire of a few weeks
before. Several men were discussing the possibility of arson
and the advisability: of forming
@ vigilance commitiee as a warning against an attempt on their
town. A few hangings, it was
said, would certainly do no harm;
there were enough foreign tramps
drifting about the country to pick
from, :
“Let's get out of here,” whispered Jim Webster.
“The ‘ging. talk getting you
down?" #
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