Vigilantes

[SonomaCat]

Okay, this is way out of left field, but I am doing a personal writing project, and I need some help. I am sure everyone is pretty familiar with Henry Plummer and the whole Virginia City Vigilantes story. As you all also probably know, the traditional story tells them as being heroes who put down a band of highwaymen led by Plummer, thus bringing law and order to the area. Another school of thought suggests that the entire story is a fraud and that the Vigilantes themselves were a bunch of politically motivated murderers who created the highwaymen story themselves as a justification for their own crimes.

My question -- is this a part of Montana History that people are passionate about? Would a certain segment of the population get upset with someone who strongly argued either side of that debate (by say, coming out with a book that argued strongly in one direction) or is this something that people are pretty agnostic about? Are people fond of the Vigilante legends, or could they be completely destroyed without anyone really caring?

I'm not writing about the Vigilantes themselves, but the topic comes up in the story.

You are the best possible focus group I could have for something like this.

[Bleedinbluengold]

I sent you a PM, BAC.