, 1889-07-23
Postmaster AyeriII and His Wife
Hung for Cattle Stealing.
They We're TireIess Maverickers
Who Defied the Law.
The Man Weakened But the Woman
Cursed to the Last.

/ VII nun do nls WIG lOI bOulG luOull5.
Their offense was cattle stealing, and they
operated on a large scale, recruiting quite
a bunch OF young steers from the range of
hat section.
News OF the double hanging was
brought to Rawlins by alspecial courier
and ~telegraphed to Foreman Geo. B.
Henderson of the 76 outfit, who hap
pened to be in the capital. Mr.. Hender-
sons firm has its home ranch in that
country and has been systematically rob
bed by ~rustlers for years.
Averill and the woman were fearless
maverickers. The female was the equal
of any man on the range. OF robust
physique she was a dare devil in the sad
die, handy with a six shooter and an
adept with the lariat and branding iron.
Where she came from one seem to
know, but that she was a holy terror all
agreed. She rode straddle, always had a
vicious broncho for a mount and seemed
never to tire of dashing across the range.
The thieving pair were ordered to
leave the country several times. but paid
no attention to the warnings, sending the
message that they could take care of
themselves, that mavericks were common
property and that they would continue to
appropriate unmarked cattle.
Lately it has been runored that the
woman and Averill were engaged in a
regular round up of mavericks and would
gather several hundred for shipment this
fall. The ugly story was partially veri-
fed by the stealthy visit of a COW boy TO
their place Saturday. He reported that
their corral held no less than fifty head of
newly branded steers, mostly yearlings,
with a few nearly full grown.
The statement of the spy circulated
rapidly and thoroughly incensed the
ranchmen, who resolved TO abate the
menace to their herds. Word was passed
along the river and early in the night
from ten to twenty men, made desperate
by steady loss. gathered at a designated
rendezvous and quietly galloped to the
Averill ranch. A few hundred yards
from the cabin they dismounted and ap-
preached cautiously. THIS movement
was well advised, for Averill had murdered
two men and would not hesitate to shoot,
while the woman was always full OF fight.
Within the little habitation sat the
thieving pair before a rude fireplace. The
room was clouded with cigarette smoke.
A whisky bottle with two glasses was on
the deal table, and firearms were scattered
around the interior so at to be within
easy reach.
The lead,r of the regulators stationed a
man with a Winchester at each window
and led a rush into the door. The
sound of Hands upl' sounded above the
crash of glass as the rifles were leveled at
the strangely assorted pair of thieves.
There was a struggle, but the lawless
partners we're quickly o%verpowercd and
their hands bound.
Averill. always feared because he was a
murderous coward. showed himself a cur.
He begged and wbined, and protested
innocence, even saying that the woman
did all the stealing. The female was
made of sterner stuff. She exhausted a
blasphemous yocabularyupon the visitors,
who essayed to stop the vile flow by gag
ging her, but found the task too great.
After applying every imaginable oppro-
bious epithet to the lynchers she cursed
everything and everybody, challenging
the Deity to cheat her enemies by striking
her dead if he dared. When prepare
tons for the short trip to the scaffold
were made she called Tor her own horse
and vaulted to its back from the ground.
Ropes we're hung from the limb Off
big cottonwood tree on the south bank of
the Sweetwater. Moses were adjusted
to the necks of Ayerill and his wife and
their horses led from under them. The
woman died with curses on her foul lips.
A point overlooked by the amateur
executioners was tying the limbs of the
victims, and the kicking and writing of
these members was something awful.
Yesterday morning the bodies were
swayed to and fro by a gentle breeze
which waited the sweet odor of modest
prairie flowers across the plain. The
faces were discolored and shrunken
tongues hung from between their swollen
lips, while a film had gathered over the
bullying eyes and the unnatural position
of the limbs completed the frightiul pic
ture.
An inquest may be held over the re-
mains of the thieves, but it is doubtful il
any attempt will be made to punish the
lynchers. They acted in self protection,
feeling that the time to resort to violent
measures had arrived.
This is the first hanging of a woman in
Wyoming.
ChoIern In Michigan.
DR.. T. d. Larke of Rogers City
M;cb,gan saws the endemic of last wear