The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-23
QUEER JUSTICE OUT WEST
LED INTO A TRAP BY A PROMISE
OF LEGAL PROTECTION.

Wy "a III n EIOnblST DEdInd-W ny
Sheriff Stingley Died With His Boots
on IN Dance House-How Rustlers
are Made.
From the New York Press.
DENVER, Col. May 2.-There is plenty
Of law in the cattle country. 1t has full
outfit of sheriffs and judges, and provision
in plenty for putting the machinery of
justice into operation. That machine some
times works very queerly, though. Much
depends upon whose OK is gored. If man
is obnoxious to the big cattle
companies his arrest by a sheriff
sometimes means his being put out of the
way with neatness and dispatch. In such
cases sheriffs in charge Of prisoners have
been known to allow themselves to be
''overpowered" by lynchers and to lead their
captives into localities where the "over~
towering" and the subsequent proceedings
with rope or pistol could be most oonven-
iently executed. In short to such an extent
has this sort of thing occurred that In GER
tain quarters sheriff's warrant Of arrest is
| regarded as equivalent to death warrant.
In order to show the readers of the Press
and eastern people in general how the law
works in the cattle region, and incidentally
| 10 show them that the "rustIers" are more
| sinned against than SHINING, l will narrate
a few facts, all of which are now history
and can be verified by many people of the
towns surrounding South Park, Col.
The park is in the central part of the
! state, and in it is as fine range land as
| there is anywhere in the world. Sheltered
in wiuter from fierce storms aud high
winds, with plenty of good water from
| streams flowing through arroyas, fed by the
snow of neighboring mountains, the big
horned Texan. the white faced Hereford,
| the gentle black Galloway wax and grow
fat to grace the table of eastern epicures
and the English nobility. On the east is
the range in which the famous Pixies Peak
| is prominent, while on the west is the
| Cameron range, and to the north are many
| ranges to break the velocity of winds and to
| make this park. once an inland sea, a para
disc for herds Of cattle. esM
THEY ARE CATTLE KINGS.
The most prominent of the cattle compa-
MES are the Eddy-Bissell, whose home
ranch is at the foot OF Black mountain, and
who also own an immense amount of range
| lend at Seven Rivers, New Mexico, and the
II NJ" brand, controlled and owned by
Ira Muloch and mis- three sons, now promi-
| nent Canon City bankers. In addition to
to these there were several companies who
owned from 1000 to $1,000 head OF cattle
ana horses, and the whole were organized
ers' association.
West OF the Cameron range is the South
Arkansas valley, near which are the towns
of Salida and Poncha Springs. On one side
Of this valley are the foothills of the Col
| lege mountains, and toward the northwest
| there is an excellent, sheltered range
| country, free from storms, and no snow
deeper than four inches has been seen there
| in seven years. Coming from tho
foothills are Squaw creek and a number
of dry creeks and arroyas, and the whole
| region is traversed by number of excel
lent cattle trails. The Eddy Bissell COM
pany conceived the idea Of taking their cat
tie to the College group, as it afforded ex-
| cellent feed aud water when the grass in
| the South Park had been withered and
| burned under the summer sun OF this dry
atmosphere. The only outlet from the park
| was down the trail, which runs from Colo
RADIO Springs across the park and into the
| Arkansas valley, about six miles north OF
| Salds. At the head of this trail, from the
| park distant about twelve miles, stood the
old Cameron milk ranch.
| NABoTHS VINEYARD.
This ranch was the key to the grazing
country of Arkansas and also to the foot
hills of the Cameron range Three miles
| south of him was the Earnest Christens on
ranch, and two miles further south was the
| lie
rounded by springs of purest water with
rich lands aud constantly increasing herd.
| A picture OF prosperity was this ranch, and
Mr.. Watkins once told the writer that here,
| in this Eden. he was content to end his days,
for peace and plenty smiled on him. This
| Watkins ranch crossed the gulch, which led
TO the fine grazing country around the
| brakes of Badger creek, which emptieS into
! the Arkansas twelve miles below Salda.
In the Arkansas valley we're the ranches
of Dick Redchff, Jim Fender and Joe
Hutchinson, who had access TO the range on
the Upper Cochetopa. These last three
were all small cattlemen and did some
ranchng, perhaps had LOCO head or less
apiece.
When the companies in the park got the
idea OF driving cattle to the Arkansas coun-
try they found the passes blocked by the
ranches of Watkins, Cameron and Chris
tenson on one side and Redclif, Fender and
Hutchinson on the other. If the large COM
psnies had gone to work right they might
have bought these men out, for what west-
ern man would fight against the sale Of land
TO cattle outfit. But instead of putting
price on the cattle, brands and ranches of
the settlers, the companies drove their im-
merse herds over the titled farms, devonr-
ing new crops like an army of locusts, and,
gathering up the cattle of the small fry,
drove all over to the range along the Ar
kansas.
HOW THE TROUBLE BEGAN.
In the spring roundups, of course, the old
cattle of the settlers having brands were not
rebranded, but their increase, called
mavericks" received the brand of the
companies and were forth With herded with
the larger bunch. The school fund of the
state now receives a stated price per head
for mavericks, but very few years back it
was material addition to the wages of O
''cowpunoher" to receive from S. TO Sl2
head for these animals after they had left
the mother COW
So the settlers banded together and
rounded up the sorry remains ottheir once
promising herds and took them back to
their ranches.
Here all the trouble started. The big
companies claim that these settlers stole
cattle bearing their brand; that they shipped
beef to Poncha Springs and Salida belong
ing to the companies, and burned or buried
the hides. The latter charge never was
substantiated. while the settlers claimed
that several calves stolen by the companies
and bearing their brands followed to the
ranches their mothers, bearing the settlers
brands.
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
At any rate that charge fell through as
too fimsy, and Ed Watkins was arrested
for changing the brand of the Moloch out
fit from II. NJ" to Circle W." the circle
taking in the ~" and wv" being made