Clubfoot George
Encyclopedia
George Lane, better known as Clubfoot George, was an alleged outlaw
who was hanged
on January 13, 1864, in Virginia City, Montana
. Lane was later alleged to be a member of a criminal gang known as the Gang of Innocents
and sentenced to death. The execution was carried out by the Montana Vigilantes, a committee which functioned during Montana's gold rush
in 1863 and 1864.
. He was a laborer from Massachusetts
who traveled to the Western United States
to find work. Lane then worked several jobs in California
, Idaho
, and Montana
but was haunted by persistent allegations that he was a horse thief. Sometime between 1848–1855, during the California Gold Rush
, Lane moved west. This was then a common practice among adventurous men. While in California he worked at a farm in Yuba County
and later as a store clerk in Calaveras County
. In 1860 Lane moved to Washington Territory
following the path of gold miners. Two years later he was accused of "running off horses" in Idaho and turned himself in to the commander of Fort Lapwai
. Lane was sentenced to do construction work. The next year he was accused of stealing horses again, but escaped the town before he was caught. Lane then moved to Virginia City in Montana, another common destination for gold miners.
In December 1863 a member of the Innocents
, George Ives, was subjected to a vigilante trial in Nevada City, Montana
. Lane rode to Bannack, Montana
in order to inform Bannack sheriff Henry Plummer
of the trial. Lane's aim was to convince Plummer that he should request a civilian trial for George Ives. After he learned that Plummer was absent, Lane spoke with two of Plummer's deputies. He complained to them of the common vigilantism in Virginia City. His sentiments were seen as suspicious by the deputies, who soon had Lane arrested. He was told that he was arrested because he was "a road agent
, thief, and an accessory to numerous robberies and murders on the highway". He did not resist arrest, but told them that "If you hang me, you will hang an innocent man."
Though some local residents believed that Lane was innocent, the members of the Vigilantes Committee still found him guilty and sentenced him to death by hanging. Shortly before the execution Lane appealed to his employer to confirm his innocence. Dance responded that although Lane was always honest in dealings at work, he had no knowledge of George's other activities. Dance also admitted that the evidence against Lane was rather strong. Lane asked for no more help, but he said, "Well, then, will you pray with me?" Dance agreed: "Willingly, George; most willingly," and, according to biographer Langford, "suiting the action to the word, the judge dropped upon his knees, and, with George and Gallagher kneeling beside him, offered up a fervent petition in behalf of the doomed men."
Lane was then led out of the building to the gallows
. He saw a friend of his who came to see the execution and said to him, "Good-bye, old fellow. I'm gone". Lane then took action, and witnesses reported that "without waiting for the box to be removed, he leaped from it, and died with hardly a struggle".
One witness to the execution said that "He was perfectly cool and collected... He evidently thought no more of hanging than the ordinary man would of eating his breakfast."
Sheriff-outlaw Henry Plummer, an alleged member of the same gang, was hanged shortly afterwards.
clubfoot was found. For some time the clubfoot was kept in the courthouse, but later it was moved to the Thompson Hickman Museum in Virginia City. It has since become one of the Museum's most important exhibits.
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
who was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on January 13, 1864, in Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City, Montana
Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. In 1961, the town and the surrounding area was designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District...
. Lane was later alleged to be a member of a criminal gang known as the Gang of Innocents
Innocents (gang)
The Innocents were an outlaw gang of road agents from Montana that operated during the gold rush of the 1860s. The gang attempted to steal gold while it was being transported and killed many travelers who resisted. Sheriff Henry Plummer of Bannack, Montana was accused of leading the group...
and sentenced to death. The execution was carried out by the Montana Vigilantes, a committee which functioned during Montana's gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
in 1863 and 1864.
Early life and journey west
Lane was born in Massachusetts and suffered from a congenital deformity in his footClub foot
A club foot, or congenital talipes equinovarus , is a congenital deformity involving one foot or both. The affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle. TEV is classified into 2 groups: Postural TEV or Structural TEV....
. He was a laborer from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
who traveled to the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
to find work. Lane then worked several jobs in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
but was haunted by persistent allegations that he was a horse thief. Sometime between 1848–1855, during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, Lane moved west. This was then a common practice among adventurous men. While in California he worked at a farm in Yuba County
Yuba County, California
Yuba County is a county located in the U.S. state of California's Central Valley, north of Sacramento, along the Feather River. As of the 2010 census, its population was 72,155. The county seat is Marysville. Yuba County is part of the Greater Sacramento area.-History:Yuba County was one of the...
and later as a store clerk in Calaveras County
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
. In 1860 Lane moved to Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
following the path of gold miners. Two years later he was accused of "running off horses" in Idaho and turned himself in to the commander of Fort Lapwai
Fort Lapwai
Fort Lapwai , a Federal fort now in the Nez Perce National Historical Park, was originally called Camp Lapwai until 1863. It was located on the left bank of the Lapwai River three miles above where it joined the Clearwater River...
. Lane was sentenced to do construction work. The next year he was accused of stealing horses again, but escaped the town before he was caught. Lane then moved to Virginia City in Montana, another common destination for gold miners.
Virginia City
Lane came to Virginia City in the fall of 1863, the same year that the Montana Vigilantes Committee was formed. In Virginia City Lane became a boot maker working for Dance and Stuwart’s Store. His employers respected him as a hard worker.In December 1863 a member of the Innocents
Innocents (gang)
The Innocents were an outlaw gang of road agents from Montana that operated during the gold rush of the 1860s. The gang attempted to steal gold while it was being transported and killed many travelers who resisted. Sheriff Henry Plummer of Bannack, Montana was accused of leading the group...
, George Ives, was subjected to a vigilante trial in Nevada City, Montana
Nevada City, Montana
Nevada City was one of the two major centers of Commerce in what was known as one of the "Richest Gold Strikes in the Rocky Mountain West", it shared that role with its sister city Virginia City. The town site is located 1½ miles west of Virginia City, Montana on Hwy 287. Today the town is managed...
. Lane rode to Bannack, Montana
Bannack, Montana
Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon.-History:...
in order to inform Bannack sheriff Henry Plummer
Henry Plummer
Henry Plummer served as sheriff of what became Bannack, Montana, from May 24, 1863 until January 10, 1864, when he was hanged without legal system trial by the controversial Montana Vigilantes. [Notes of historical clarification: the original Idaho Territory, declared July 4, 1863 at Lewiston,...
of the trial. Lane's aim was to convince Plummer that he should request a civilian trial for George Ives. After he learned that Plummer was absent, Lane spoke with two of Plummer's deputies. He complained to them of the common vigilantism in Virginia City. His sentiments were seen as suspicious by the deputies, who soon had Lane arrested. He was told that he was arrested because he was "a road agent
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
, thief, and an accessory to numerous robberies and murders on the highway". He did not resist arrest, but told them that "If you hang me, you will hang an innocent man."
Though some local residents believed that Lane was innocent, the members of the Vigilantes Committee still found him guilty and sentenced him to death by hanging. Shortly before the execution Lane appealed to his employer to confirm his innocence. Dance responded that although Lane was always honest in dealings at work, he had no knowledge of George's other activities. Dance also admitted that the evidence against Lane was rather strong. Lane asked for no more help, but he said, "Well, then, will you pray with me?" Dance agreed: "Willingly, George; most willingly," and, according to biographer Langford, "suiting the action to the word, the judge dropped upon his knees, and, with George and Gallagher kneeling beside him, offered up a fervent petition in behalf of the doomed men."
Lane was then led out of the building to the gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
. He saw a friend of his who came to see the execution and said to him, "Good-bye, old fellow. I'm gone". Lane then took action, and witnesses reported that "without waiting for the box to be removed, he leaped from it, and died with hardly a struggle".
One witness to the execution said that "He was perfectly cool and collected... He evidently thought no more of hanging than the ordinary man would of eating his breakfast."
Sheriff-outlaw Henry Plummer, an alleged member of the same gang, was hanged shortly afterwards.
Burial and exhumation
Lane was buried in an unmarked grave in Boot Hill cemetery along with other executed men. In 1907 some residents of Virginia City started questioning who was buried in each grave in the cemetery. A former vigilante showed questioners where exactly Lane was buried. The body was exhumed and his petrifiedPetrifaction
In geology, petrifaction, petrification or silicification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone by impregnation with silica. It is a rare form of fossilization...
clubfoot was found. For some time the clubfoot was kept in the courthouse, but later it was moved to the Thompson Hickman Museum in Virginia City. It has since become one of the Museum's most important exhibits.