The January 25th Philipsburg Mail had an article in “From the Archives” that reminded me I had written about that same story in “Mettle of Granite County Book Three”. The article described a saloon fight in Garnet on January 1899 that resulted in serious stabbing wounds to Thomas McGuire. Mike and John Lavelle, Dan McPherson and Joe Irwin had all been arrested and were housed in the Philipsburg jail and the news stated “there was no hope in any chance of recovery for the stabbing victim.”
Research at that time failed to find any follow-up or obituary for Thomas McGuire.
Since the time, Book Three was published many avenues of online research has become available so I set out searching for what happened to Thomas and the men jailed. The following is what I found: The men accused were tried in District Court and acquitted, because it was shown that McGuire was “a quarrelsome man and always hunting for trouble.”
The Philipsburg Mail May 24, 1901, continued with the following story.
“He (McGuire) had no doubt not profited by his experience in 1899 and continued his search for trouble until he again found it. There is very little sympathy for him this time, and it is generally accepted that Bumbaugh was justified in shooting his assailant.
L.R. Bumbaugh of Garnet last Saturday afternoon shot and seriously wounded Thomas H. McGuire…of the Bear Gulch metropolis. Mr. Bunbaugh had for some time been in charge of the Mussigbrod mill at Garnet and several parties who had been discharged laid the blame for this on Mr. Bumbaugh and harbored a grievance against him on that account. Among those parties was Tom McGuire, who had the reputation of being a bad man. For this and other reasons Mr. Bumbaugh always carried a revolver when alone or at work at the mill at night. The night before the shooting, there was a dance at Garnet and McGuire, with others, celebrated the event by staying up all night and drinking, and this celebration continued well into the day—Saturday. About 3 o’clock that afternoon while Bumbaugh went after his lunch bucket prepatory to going on shift he was met on the street by McGuire and several others. McGuire was sporting for a fight and without much ceremony pitched in on Bumbaugh. He struck him and then clinched and was getting a strangle hold on him when Bumbaugh managed to get out his gun and fired. The ball entered McGuire in the breast and ranging upward lodged in the shoulder. Mr. Bumbaugh gave himself up to Constable Elkins and was brought to Philipsburg the same evening. He is now at the county jail awaiting a hearing.”
The June 14th Mail continued the above story: “Mr. Bumbaugh’s hearing was postponed until the extent of McGuire’s injuries could be determined and since then he has entirely recovered,” McGuire declared his intentions to not press charges on Bumbaugh and in writing made an affidavit to relieve any blame toward the shooter so a hearing was scheduled for June 15th to “terminate the unfortunate affair.”
The news article went on to say: “McGuire’s course is generally commended. It is a manly act and reflects credit upon him. It further shows he is a good man and willing to do what is right and just, but , like many of her good men, he has his faults and that evil influences at times get the best of him. He is willing to forgive and so is Mr. Bumbaugh and it is hoped they will continue to be the best of friends.”
In 1900 McGuire was working as a teamster in Gold Creek according to the Federal Census. I then found a census from 1880 in Nebraska showing Thomas as 10 years old with his parents Michael and Alice, with an older sister and four younger brothers.
Hours of research has failed to disclose any other Census data, death certificate or grave site.
I had initially thought he may have been Stonewall McGuire’s great grandparent but cannot link any of the two families.
So at this time, we still do not know if McGuire had nine lives or settled down to be a nice old man.
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