Omaha daily bee., 1884-09-26
MONTANA MARAUDERS.
The Old Reputation fur Furnishing
Thieves HOlMably Sustained,
A War Between Rustlers and Cow
Boys Now Progressing-A De-
scription of the Situation.
Denver Tribune Republican.

Denver Tribune Republican.
Montana is the one place in the world
where hanging has never ''played out.
1t began very briskly in the days when
Alder Gulch was booming and when
Plummer and his gang were hung. Mon
tana has kept her vigilantes in good con-
dition ever since. and the result has been
that the territory has not been cursed
with murderers and thieves as the bal
ance of the west has been. There is
something in the very atmosphere of
Montana that has seemed to impel men
to hang a thief whenever he could be
found. Across the line, in Wyoming,
the road agents have piled their voca-
lions with considerable impudence and
success, but the treasure boxes and pas
severely alone. A MAJ could not turn out
a horse anywhere in Montana until three
months ago and be reasonably sure hat
no n would carry him off. But the
past four or five weeks have seen q
change. Some of the Arizona r~ustlers
emigrated to Montana and tried to put
their accumulating practices to work.
The result is that the grand thief round
up is ordered, and Montana is herself
again. The fun has begun, and the pine
trees are bearing their old-time fruit in
abundance. The boys seem to like the
fun, and the whole fraternity of COW
punchers is occupied in the man hunt.
AN ORGANIZED A HUNT.
The r~ustlers are in strong bands, and
the hunt has assumed something of the
nature of a military campaign. Every
scrap of information from the front is
eagerly listened to and discussed with the
greatest enthusiasm. Once or twice,
when reinforcenents have been sent for,
it has been with great difficulty that the
bosses could make their selection of re-
cruits and prevail upon those not chosen
to remain behind. 1t Is the prevailing
opinion that this Is the last grand round
up that this country will aver witness.
and the eagerness of the boys to take
part in it Is thus explained. Nothing ap-
preaching 1t IL ~thoroughness and deter
mination has ever been witnessed here.
The punishment melted out has been and
will be 80 sweeping and terrible that no
one believes an occasion will ever arise
lOI u bllIlIldl otlllOIIbUldIlOu
Cattle and horses will soon be as safe
as they have been for a dozen years past,
and Arizona and New Mexico will mour
the loss of several individuals who are
entitled to be called prominent in their
line Of industry.
Il A Lewiston correspondent in a graphic
description of the situation says: Last
Monday Just at dark the cowboys came
upon a log house set well back in the
among the hills just this side of
the international boundary, and deem
ing the place suspicious, they decided to
watch it closely. That night several men
were seen to enter and leave the house,
and one of the boys who stole up close
to the place reported that thirty or forty
horses were picketed near by.
THE NIGHT ATTACK.
The next day further evidences of the
character of the rendezvous were OBJ
and it was decided that the house
should be attacked that night. About
10 o'clock the boys, leaving their ponies
at a safe distance, crept up to within 100
feet of the cabin, from the woody side,
and awaited orders. The thieves had light
and through the open doors and
windows could be heard voices and laugh
ter. At the word every rifle in the cow
boys party was simultaneously dis.
awakening the echoes for
1t had been agreed that a second
volley should be fired instantly, and
this did fatal execution. On
the first report the thieves seized their
arms and rushed pellmell out of doors,
some of them jumping through the win
dows. The second volley caught them
just as they emerged, and the few who
survived it took to their heels and escaped
The Buys remained at the house until.day-
break. There were nine dead thieves in
and around it, and the remnants of a half
finished meal were scattered about on the
floor. The place was found to be the
headquarters for the thieves, and many
stolen articles were recovered from it.
After it had been thoroughly ransacked
the bodies of the dead were piled up in
one room and the house was set on fire.
From this point the lynching party
moved due west, with the idea of strik-
ing the original trail which they had been
following, and their search was rewarded
much sooner than it war expected. They
found at a point not more than five
miles from the burned house a camp Of
desperadoes much larger than any yet
encountered, and a hasty examination
convinced them that they were not
strong enough to capture it. The thieves
had some sort of a military organization,
which prevented any attempt at a sur
prise. After making a comprehensive
survey of the situation the boys deter.
mined to withdraw and send for rein.
forcements. Three of the boys were
sent after recruits, and from these the de-
tails of the operations at the front have
been learned. One relief party was
made up in this vicinity and another
even stronger has just left fromtheneigh-
borhood Of Fort Keogh. 1t is believed
that a pitched battle has occurred before