Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-04-28


KANSAS CITY, Mo, April 26.-Ex-
Gov. Thomas Moonlight Of Wyoming,
now resident of Kansas, writes
to the Star of this city in regard
to the trouble in Wyoming between the
cattlemcn and rustlcrs. The governor
says:
The trouble dated back twenty years to the
time when the Indians with their red blankets
and herd OF bunllocs covered the plains and
hill sides As the Indians were driven back
and the buralocs killed. the white man stepped
In and stocked the plains with domestic cattle,
or rather with the wild cattle from Texas
which they improved by the Introduction OF
splendid shorthorn aud Hereford bulls. The
Indian was no longer factor and the buffalo
was extinct The clttcmcn ruled the country
and the cowboys were an Improvement upon
the Indians Just IA their cattle were an i'm.
provcmcnt upon the bufTalors.
This then, was the first step In tho cyiliza-
tlon Of Wyoming. but II was only step and rs
the Indians claimed oil the lands by inheritance
so the cuttcmcn claimed all the lands by virtue
Of conquest and discovery, as they said, and
cooly proceeded TO parcel out the public do
main for their own purposes occupying all the
streams aud taking possession Of all the water
WAYS TO the exclusion OF any agricultural set
tloment And hero Is where the tonflict began.
Wyoming Is a very dry country and there can
be no settlements Of any moment back from the
streams. To take possession OF the streams
was the far seeing intelligent but unlawful work
OF the cattle companies They very rarely dis
puted among themselves touching locations, but
were combined against outsiders They were
loyal TO the cattle interests and loyal TO them
selves and every company had its particular
brand for the cattle and named It's ranch after
the cattle brand hence the 4. A. ranch, the
CTossbar ranch, the Flat.irOn ranch, the Two
bar ranch, the Halfclrcle ranch, the Goose.cgg
ranch and 40 on The home ranches, as they
were called, were far apart and the cowboys,
with light COlorcd sOmbrerOs, standing collars
and buckskin leggins, astrdo OF their game
little prancing ponies, with clanSing spurs
dangling from their high.hoelcd top boots bc-
spangled At the top with silver stars and
pointed ut the toes like French dancing
masters were cocks Of the walk' sure enough
and God help the poor, weak handed settlers
who dared to come within range OF the ever
present lasso
The cattle business was very profitable for
many years ana men who had been poor soon
became very rich and began forming syndicates
and large stock companies, composed Of many
OF the wealthy and leading men Of the east
with large sprinEling Of leading politicians OF
both parties for tho cattlOmen understood the
value Of having friends IA court, 80 10 speak
Many foreigners were interested In large ranch.
es, hut In almost every instance the original
eattlemon became managers Of the new com
panies at princcly salaries and built themselves
palatial residences In Cheyenne, Laramie City
and other places only going out 10 the ranches
two or three times a year, thus leaving the
foreman and his crew at each ranch complete
masters OF all they could survey, and they
grasped lhc situation and loved the power.
Was Il any wonder tnat these now cattle
barons began TO look around for the connie "
POSSESSION and ownership Of all the land ad
Joining the streams, 20 that they might por.
peiuate and hold their power like the barons Of
oldi
Under the desert claim act Of congress every
COW boy entered up quarter section Of land for
his master, ana every master and his wife and
all their relations back through Ohio, Pennsyl
yania, New Jersey. New York and all the New
England states made desert claim entries and
dumped them into syndicate pools thus rob
bling the United StOtes, and making Il impossi
bic for any agricultural settlement TO even maize
Q beginning. There they then began 10 fence
panles had hundreds Of miles Of wire fences
inclosing oil the government lands on both side
Of the water courses 10 the complete exclusion
Of any settlement They then became lana
barons as well as cattle bar0na and any at
tempt 10 locate upon their domain, although II
was government land subject To entry for home
stead proemption and other purpOse6, WAS
met by charge Of cowboys and the half dozen
head Of cows and calves, the small holding OF
the poor homeseekor, were gone forever
Tho cry went up from these small ranohmen
thus driven out, and Pres dent Cleveland and
Secretary Lamar took hold Of the matter, re-
moved the territorial Officers and ordered tho
fences torn down, and down they came. Old
fence wire was very che0p for sometime after.
This was the nrst CLEAN Of daylight for the
b0n1 nde fprmEE settlers and thar beaan 70 ger