, 1886-10-12
MOUNTAIN OUTLAWS.
Teton Jackson, the Far Famed
Robber Captain.
Bob Tarter, the Fence" of
Market Lake.
The Haunts of Bandits and Horse
Thieves.

O''Nt'h 1Shio " lDlSt SltlilnV.
This is one of the most notorious and
desperate criminals even the frontiers of
Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Utah
have ever produced.
Two years ago there began to circulate
through the frontiers tales of the doinps
of a reckless and fearless band of out
laws, with headquarters near the Teton
country, a region inclosed by the noun
tain ranges in whose Businesses rises the
Snake, Wind and Green rivers. The two
names soon made famous as leaders of
this desperate and criminal organization
we're those of Jackson and Tarter. The
former soon became known by the dis.
tinctive appellation of the section in
which he led his outlaws to deeds of VIC.
lence and theft, and was called Teton"
jackson. The other, as Bob Tartar, has
had his name blown in all directions by
the mountain b%icezes, as that of one of
the shrewdest, daring and successful Grim
NAL fences that ever harbored thieves.
or received and disposed of stolen prom
erty.
For a year or more these men preyed
upon the herds of the ranch men and
stock growers OF Montana, Utah, Idaho
and Wyoming, until their names became
the synonyms of desperate criminality
throughout the borders of the four terri.
tories.
From his f~astness in Jackson's hole
Teton led his reckless band of outlaws
on their wild fnrays, until not a ranch
within a radius of a hundred miles had
escaped visitation or a herd failed to paw
tribute. On the borders of Market lake.
In the head Of the canyon of the Beaver,
a tributary Of the Snake, Bob Tartar had
located the fence" ranch, and hither,
with their four footed plumber, came the
mountain bandits. The stolen stock was
received by Tarter, the brands blotched or
changed, and the animals Incorporated
witt those already on his ranges. From
these ranges, when the suitable time
came the stock was driven in small
punches to those portions of the surround
ing settlements where it could most easily |
be disposed Of. Arrested no less than
nine times by officers of the four terri
tories, the bold and astute fence ever
succeeded in battling his accusers, and
while his moral guilt was certain, sufh-
cicntlegal evidence could never be adduced
to secure his conviction, and he was soon
back in his old haunts, felicitatiug him
self on his old crimes, and perpetrating
new ones.
But the time was approaching when
the bold villany of the active leader OF the
outlaws was to receive a check. In May,
1886, Teton, accompanied by one of
the boldest of his gang, ''Blacky' Marks,
made a raid from Jackson's hole into
Idaho, and drove off thirty-ni head of
mares and colts belonging to the firm OF
Hines 4 Stout, ranchmen Of the vicinity
of the Blackfoot reservation. Deputy
United States Marshal Wynn, with a
posse, followed the robbers, tracing them
into Wyoming by way of the heads of the
Sandies. Here they lost the trail in the
intricacies of the southern foothills of the
Wind mountains. Until lost in the foot
hills the trail was easily followed, the saw
age and reckless spirit of the outlaws
having marked it with the bodies of
stolen animals %ruthlessly slain when they
could go no further.
Alter losing the trail, the marshal and
his posse struck for Lander, and there Sc
curing assistance from the Fremont county
officers, made a search of the surrounding
mountains, going as far as Jackson's hole
itself. Failure still attended their efforts,
and tie posse returned to Blackfoot.
At this iuncture, W. F. Hosford. who
had acquired considerable reputation as a
Wyoming stock detective, appeared at
Blackfoot, especially charged by Chief
Detective Boswell to ferret out the robbers
of the Teton country. He soon satisfied
himself as to The destination of Teton
and "Blacky' Marks, and t~elegraphed to
Sheriff Canton, of johnson county, to
keep a lookout for the thieves and
the stolen stock. So correct was
Hosforl's detective intuition. that in
aday or two from the receipt of his tele-
gram by Canton. that officer had heard of
the robbers, and was on their trail through
the Big Horn basin. At the close of a
two days ride, Canton and his deputy
came upon the stolen stock grazing on the