Rocky Mountain husbandman., 1884-08-21
THE WAR UPON HORSE THIEVES.
Countless Numbers Of Range Cattle Slaughtered
for the Subsistence Of Thieves and Roy
ing Bands Of Starving Indians.
Paying Taxes and Receiving no Protection,
Either from Civil or Military
Authorities
Good and Sufficient Cause for Resorting to the
Rope and Rife-Courage Of the Much
Abused Cowboy.
MAGINNIs. Mont. Aug. 16, 1884

MAGINNIs. Mont. Aug. 16, 1884.
Editor Husbandman:
In your local column of July 3lst you
Rocky Point and say Mr.. Fergus and
some others who were in the chase strayed
away and were out ten days" While |
doubt the policy of giving names in matters
of this kind will say that there are several
Ferguses now in this part of Montana and
you don't say which, but as am the oldest.
have been longest in the country and best
known, people at distance would natural
ly suppose it was me, which | am sorry to
say is untrue. Old age and i'll health and
that alone kept me at home. But is it true
that men have been hung and shot in this
so-called civilized country without due pro-
cess of law? Yes, no doubt of it-and more
will be-and why? All of Eastern Montana,
and particularly along the Upper Missouri,
is overrun with horse and cattle thieves to
whom nothing comes amiss. Montana
herses are stolen from ones and twos to
whole bands, taken north and sold in the
British country. Horses are brought from
there and sold here. or taken east by beat
or rail and sold in the States. Cattle are
taken singly or by droves, killed and eaten
by these horse thieves. by bands of Half
breeds and Indians, dried and sold AS bufia-
10 meat, used as wolf bait, often shot for
mere pastime. They are mostly run off in
bands during winter in snow storms, taken
into the bad lands near the river and slaugh-
tered, and some have been taken into the
British country. One man boasted of hav-
ing shot seven on the range before he 'bro't
one down so he could get steak for his
breakfast. Rather dear steak, costing
somebody at least $3.50. Another said he
had killed over seventy. Twenty-Five head
are known to have been killed in one ravine
last winter near Carroll, and over forty at
another place. Wolves, horse thieves, Halt
breeds and Indians have all been making
common property of range cattle One man
noted above all things for his honesty, has
been killing cattle on the range for years
and hauling the beef to the Missouri river
for a market. Don't you keep men on the
range? Yes; but few men cannot cover
a range seventy-tive miles square, and they
watch as we'll as US.
| Notwithstanding the natural increase we
brand but few more calves than we did five
years ago. Now what is to be done: We
must either gather up what stock we have
lett and leave the country or gather up these
desperadoes and put them where they will
kill and steal no more; there is no alterna-
tive, and we choose the latter. 1t is now
simply a state OF war. Wars are often
waged between peoples without provoca-
tion Here we are waging war on thieves,
bandits and deSperadoes. 1t is true we are
doing it inside of an organized government,
or governments, but these organizations
are doing us no good-further than taking
our money for taxes, which may be good
for them but bad tor us. We have been
here four years and have not seen an officer
but the assessor; we pay our taxes but get
nothing in return; we have no school, nc
road money, no poor to be supported by
the county.
We have a Military Post near us fort
Maginnis5 kept up at great expense by the
peoples money, in charge of men supposed
to be above the average in ability, educated
at government school, at public expense