Two men were hanged.
George W. Brown, an alleged outlaw, was said to have been associated with Henry Plummer’s gang of Innocents in Montana.
Probably born in Minnesota, Brown grew up, married a Sioux woman, and had several children. During the Dakota War of 1862 in Minnesota, he served as a scout under Lieutenant Colonel William Rainey Marshall. By 1863, Brown had found his way to Montana, where he was said to have been an influential member of the ruthless gang of road agents called the Innocents.
During Montana’s 1863 gold rush, the law was sometimes nonexistent in the region, then part of the Territory of Idaho. Road agents actively pillaged the roads, stealing from stagecoaches, freight caravans, and especially ore wagons hauling gold shipments. During these violent crimes, nearly 100 people were killed. Outraged locals decided that justice in the court was too slow and ineffective, and the Montana Vigilantes were born.
One suspected road agent was Erastus “Red” Yager, and the vigilantes set out to find him. They soon tracked him to the Stinkingwater Valley in Madison County. With him was George W. Brown. The vigilantes told Yager that he would be taken back to Virginia City to stand trial. Although no written record exists, the vigilantes said Yager made a full confession while traveling back to Virginia City, naming most of the road agents in the gang and pointing the finger at Sheriff Henry Plummer as the leader.
Afterward, the posse found Yager and Brown guilty. They were hanged from a cottonwood tree along the Ruby River near Laurin, Montana, about 11 miles northwest of Virginia City, on January 4, 1864. The Vigilantes left the bodies hanging from the tree as a warning to the outlaws. A note was pinned to Yager’s body: “Red! Road Agent and Messenger.” and to George Brown: “Brown! Corresponding Secretary.”
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated September 2026.
Also See:
Henry Plummer – Sheriff Hanged
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