Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-03-28

been looking for. They thought nj
more of "stringing up q rustler" thar
! they did of shooting prairie chicken
A secret messenger of the Montana meI
was dispatched to Indian Territory, and
in less than a week had made terms with
as blood-thirsty a gang of upholders OF
property rights as was ever banded to
gether. Twenty eight of the "Stran-
glers" were furnished with ten good
horses each, and started overland in
punches of four or five. They were in
structed to avoid all towns and ranches
and make all haste to the rendezvous,
about thirty miles from here. 1t was a
roundabout journey of nearly 1000
miles, but every man of them showed he
possessed the proper requisite of hard
riding by appearing at the rendezvous
within twelve days.
Within two days it became known
that Halfbreed Jack had been hung near
the head waters of the Yellowstone. The
following day it was learned that Turkey
Williams and Broncho Charlie were
hanging in the cotton woods, about ten
miles above Miles City. The next day
it was Splay-Fo Hartnett's turn. 1t
was then asserted that ScarFace Mosley
and Humpy jack were lying dead in
their shack near Glendive, shot to death
by the 'Stranglers, rs they had already
come to be known. Investigation
showed that the two men were alive and
and apparently as ready to steal horses
us ever The next day they were killed
III exactly the manner rumor had already
disposed OF them. Rumor had preceded
reality in n manner dramatic enough to
put tension on the strongest nerve.
The man who had started the false re-
port was searched for in vain. Every
man who had helped spread it had heard
it from some other man. Nothing could
have so well advertised the work of the
"Stranglers. 1t showed conclusively
that they were not an unauthorized gang
of murderers whose mission it was TO
kill every man they met. They had
undoubtedly been hired to do their
work.
No one in the country had enough
money to do this except the cattlemen.
Then, for the first time, ii was noticed
that every man killed so far was noto-
rious horse thief. From high-handed
lawbreakers, the "Rustlers," who heard
of the operations of the "Stranglers, "
became the most abiect of towards.
Many sought safety in immediate flight,
never more to be seen in the cattle coun-
try. A few, foolhartly enough to brave
the approach of their Nemesis, paid the
Western penalty for their crimes, and
others in their flight rushed into the
very arms of the "Stranglers. After
the beginning Of the reign of terror
caused by the death OF Scar-Face Mosley
and Humpy Jack, the "Stranglers" had
divided into seven parties, each under
the leadership of trusty Montana cow
boy, and, striking out in ms many differ
ent directions, worked with the energy
Of fiends to gain the $1,000 prize which
was chung up" MS ''added money" to
the most successful party in this terrible
man hunt.
The end was not long in coming. In
less than two months every man known
or suspected of being horse thief was
either dead or driven from the country.
The "Stranglcrs" appeared to melt into
thin air as mysteriously as they had
come into being, and to this day it is not
known, except by the members them
selves, the eleven cattlemen, and four
who composed the famous
band of men that freed Montana and
Western Dakota from cattle thieves by
killing 63 of them and running 100
others out of tho country.