Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-05-27
THE ARIZONA OUTLAWS.
Ruffians that are More Feared than
the Indians-Living "A Life of I'm
ending Violence-How they Occa-
sionally Capture a Town.

sionally Capture Town.
The outlaws of Arizona, who have
been the subject of q proclamation by
President Arthur, writes correspondent
of the San, are known as rustlers. They
are the same breed, however, as the cow
boys of Colorado and Texas. Being
further away from civilization, and in a
country singularly well adapted to bust
ness such as theirs, they have become
habitually vicious. Wherever the cow
boy may be put, and under whatever
circumstances he may be met, he will be
found to be the same animal, lazy, foul
mouthed, desperate. Incorporate, full
of swagger and bravado, and careless as
well of his own life and property as of
those of others. He wears buckskin
suit, with hat having a rim wide
enough to cover his ears and neck and
tuck in at the collar band. In his
leather belt hang two large and fine re-
volvers, generally self-cockers. and in
one boot leg, held in place by two Sits
in the leather. rests knife of murderous
pattern. The cowboys range in age
from eighteen to thirty. The life which
they lead is not conducive to longevity,
and it is therefore very rare that gem
uine cowboy more thirty years of age is
found. IL one succeeds in lodging the
bullets of deputy sheriffs and the gibbet
of Judge Lynch until that period is
passed, he generally abandons that trade
and takes to train and stage robbing as
q profession. The cowboys are almost
invariably American born, and about
: &c fV,c{ n Of
romance. In their motley ranks will be
found young men from almost every
Eastern State The causes which i'm
PEELED them to the border and into their
wild and dangerous life are as diversified
as the whims and impulses of the hu-
man mind.
The cowboys, who make their appear
ance occasionally at frontier towns in
Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado, devote
the greater part of their time to the cat
tie which they are employed to herd,
and, IN the shipping season, drive
them to the nearest desirable railroad
station. On the great ranches they
find no opportunity TO indulge their
lawless propensities. They literally
live among their cattle, faring but little
better than the brutes which they are
hired 10 guard. The little cooking
which is necessary they do themselves.
They are their own tellors and doctors,
and once or twice year, when near q
fine stream, If the weather Is not too
cool, their solitary shirt is washed after
fashion. When the round-ups occur
and the great cattle drive is begun, the
COWBOYS life begins to take on differ
ent aspect. The drive is often long,
and always dangerous aud laborious
The boys are eplendidly mounted. their
horses and saddles being, with the eX-
ception of their revolvers, the posses
sions in which they take the most pride.
They ride among the cattle at imminent
. risk of being trampled to death, and at
night sleep on the ground. When the
herd has been delivered and the bows
have partaken freely Of frontier whisky,
the trouble begins. If there is dance
house near at hand they head for it, and
signalize their presence by attempting
to "shoot out" the candles or lamps as
the case may be. As a rule, they are
not disturbed III pastimes such as this.
II they conclude before morning to
"take the town." then war is declared
and somebody will be killed. The
boys are loyal to each other, and an in
dignity, such as an arrest, offered to
one of their number usually results in
an attempt on the part of his comrades
to release him. IL they are successful
in this, the men who were responsible
for this interference with their pleasure
are compelled to pay for their folly,
sometimes with their lives, and some
times with their property or money.
"Taking the town" means a great
/, deal. There may be from fifteen to
fifty well-armed and finely mounted
} desperadoes riding up and down the
streets, firing at every human head they
see and yelling and swearing ct the top
of their voices. II there is store door
large enough, they ride through it and
help themselves to such of the contents
of the store as snits their taste. The
ringing of their horses hoofs on the
threshold of n store or saloon is the sig
nal for the retreat of the lawful occu-
pants through the rear windows In
rare instances the people, after their
first stampede, organize and drive the
ruflians out of town, as was done i'll
Caldwell, Kansas, not long ego but
generally the boys go of their own ac-
cord when the frenzy wears off and,
unless some one has inflicted an injury
on them which must be redressed, they
will not return.
The Arizona rustlers are simply
northern cowboys on an unending
spree. They are wild men. No Apache
that ever lived has less regard for life
than they. They pretend 10 pay some
attention to cattle, but us that industry
in Arizona is not yet large one, there
is not much in that line for them to do.
Their occupation Is pillage and muir
der. They travel IN small parties, and
rob everybody they meet. They viii
kill man whenever they think best.
Besides their other accomplishments,
they are expert horse thieves. In ia t..
nothing that is portable and can be
!, made to serve their purpose is safe
when they are around. The reign of
: terror which they have inaugurated i,
, equal to any ever caused in this sectioi
, By the Indians. Their crimes are so nu-
merous, and the terrorism which they
exercise over the settlers is so coror rlete
that not one III fifty of their depreda-
: tions is ever known outside of the
: neighborhood III which it is perpe-
trated. To speak Of them disrespect-
fully, or to call their crimes by their
| right names in newspaper, means GER