▁Mont ana ▁history ▁such ▁as ▁M err ill ▁G . ▁Bur ling ame ' s ▁The ▁Mont ana ▁Front ier ▁( 1 9 4 2 ) ▁and ▁Michael ▁P . ▁Mal one ' s ▁Mont ana - A ▁History ▁of ▁Two ▁Cent uries ▁( 1 9 9 1 ) ▁ade qu ately ▁summar ize ▁the ▁vig il ante ▁period ▁largely ▁based ▁on ▁earlier ▁accounts ▁by ▁Dim sd ale , ▁Lang ford ▁and ▁B ied ler . ▁Additionally , ▁many ▁top ical ▁histor ies ▁of ▁Mont ana , ▁such ▁as ▁novel ist ▁and ▁Mont ana ▁historian ▁Dan ▁C ush man ' s ▁Mont ana : ▁The ▁Gold ▁Front ier ▁( 1 9 7 3 ) ▁cover ▁the ▁vig il ante ▁period . ▁ ▁Some ▁works ▁published ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁about ▁vig il ante ▁activity ▁in ▁Ald er ▁Gul ch ▁port ray ▁the ▁vig il antes ▁and ▁their ▁leaders ▁as ▁consp ir ators ▁with ▁political ▁mot ives ▁rather ▁than ▁rest oring ▁law ▁and ▁order , ▁making ▁an ▁argument ▁that ▁vict ims ▁were ▁not ▁afford ed ▁due ▁process ▁prior ▁to ▁their ▁execution ▁and ▁evidence ▁was ▁ins u fficient ▁to ▁prove ▁their ▁gu ilt ▁or ▁innoc ence . ▁Two ▁works , ▁of ▁Ruth ▁E . ▁M ather ▁and ▁F . ▁E . ▁Bos well , ▁H anging ▁the ▁Sher iff - A ▁Biography ▁of ▁Henry ▁Pl um mer ▁( 1 9 8 7 , ▁ 1 9 9 9 ) ▁and ▁V ig il ante ▁Vict ims : ▁Mont ana ' s