P a g e 5 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r HUGE GOLD DUST SHIPMENT FROM DIAMOND CITY J. X. Beidler, noted pioneer peace officer, gives the following interesting account of a big shipment of gold dust from Diamond City: “In the fall of 1866 two tons and a quarter of gold dust was shipped out of Diamond City for Helena, valued at about $900,000. At Helena it was placed In Hershfield's bank. I was at Diamond City a couple of weeks previous to this shipment, and William Fredericks asked me if I could be employed to guard this gold from Helena to Fort Benton, to which place they had concluded to ship it and then load it on boats for the states. I agreed to go along. He told me to consider myself employed and to keep a lookout for toughs in the meantime. "I had known this man, Fredericks, before either of us came to Montana. In the winter of 1861 Fredericks was prospecting in Colorado in the Gunnison country and was snowed in for the winter. He had to eat his pack animals to live. I met him in the spring as he was coming out near Twin Lakes. He came to my camp nearly starved to death. I fed him and his party some good, substantial grub, which they had not seen for six months, never forgot that square meal, and the next time I saw him was at Diamond City, where he employed me, after he had made a cleanup from his rich strike on Montana bar. After we shook hands he brought out a pan of dust and set it on the table and told me to help myself to a nugget. I picked out a large one. He said, "X, there are larger ones there—take a big piece. Several weighed over four hundred dollars, but I was too modest and kept the first one. "Well, we started from Helena to Benton with the dust loaded on three two-mule wagons, the dust in three safes, and fourteen men armed and on horseback. Job Travis went along to bring the horses back. While in the bank on Budge street in Helena, getting the money ready, one of the men interested in the money let his double-barreled shotgun go off accidentally and the charge went in to the ceiling, which raised quite a commotion. ROBBER SHOWS UP "When we left Helena we were ready for almost any emergency and camped the first night in Prickly Pear canyon. While we were in camp an outsider came to me with a proposition to steal the dust and whack it up. He said I could fix the guns in our party so they could be stolen, and then no one need be killed on either side. He said when I was ready I could whistle. Then he would have his gang take the treasure and I would get my whack. "I told him I didn't want to hear any more plans — I knew the man well, and I told him that if I heard any whistling I would kill him if I could. I reported the proposition to Fredericks and it alarmed the outfit and the men put on a heavy guard---no whistling and no money taken. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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