Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-04-21
THE RARIN InYoMINa.
Causes That Led TO Conflicts Between the
"RustIers" and "Invaders."

huhtitAr
A state Of things akin to IA small war"
has existed in johnson county, Wyoming,
during the past week. There has been a
so-called ''invasion,' .'siege" and a
capture OF the invaders after engage
ments in which number of the COM
batants were killed. The original ag
gressors in the affair seem to have been
the 'ristlers, by which term westerners
designate the cowboy of predatory habits.
The rustler has sometimes the unpleasant
habit, it is said, of ''rounding.n p,' or col
lecting and driving off from the ranches
ca,tle not his own. They enter the large.
wild, unenclosed ranges of the owners of
live stock and appropriate as much OF 1t as
they can get away to market. Not, how
ever, with the misgivings that might be
expected. The rustler Is a child Of nature,
and has sort of faith that all Of natures
products, cattle not excepted, belong as
much TO him us to anybody else. He ac-
cordingly has no patience with those who
assert the rights OF property-partcularl
OF property that can be made to carry itself
off. When the owners come to interfere
with him he calls them "invadcrs, " "rcgu-
tors" and other equivocal names and
sometimes, as in Wyoming this week,
beats them at their own game of force.
The situation is tersely described in the
telegram OF the acting governor OF Wyo-
L
these words:
"About 81 owners of live stock are re-
ported to have made an armed expedition
into johnson county for the purpose of
protecting their live stock and preventing
unlawful round-ups by rustlers. They are
ut II. AZ Ranch, 13 miles from Fort Me-
Kinney, and are besieged by sheriff and
posse and by rtsters from that section of
the country. said to be 300 or 800 in num-
har Thu wauona of ctnplfpat, xvara fn =,
tured and taken away from them, and it is
reported q battle took place yesterday,
during which number of men were
killed. Great excitement prevails. Both
parties are very determined and it is
feared that il successful will show no
mercy to the persons captured. The civil
authorities are unable to prevent violence.
assistance will probably prevent great loss
of life"
The fury of the rustlers had been inten-
sified, it appears, by the killing of two of
their number the week before at Nolan's.
| Two rusters, described in dispatch from
tiillett as ''free-booters," were there found
by the invaders in q cabin. A day was
| spent in efforts to dislodge them, and at
length they were left, as the dispatch puts
| it, half filed with lead.' But the tri-
| umph of the livestock owners was short
lived. The news Of their action got abroad,
and hundreds Of rustlers came together
from all quarters to resist the invaders and
revenge their comrades. The invaders were
surrounded and running fight was had
till 1T. A." Ranch was reached. Here "a
regular siege ensued, as described in the
dispatch of the governor of Wyoming. II
will be noted that the ruistlers, being poll
teal element worth considering locally,
had sheriff and posse in their attacking
party. Rifles were used without stint, and
men were wounded, it is stated ON both
sides. The siege was happily ended by the
arrival of United States troops sent by the
President in response to the governors APP
peal for aid. The invaders were made pri-
soners and the war is ended. II is one Of its
humors that among the prisoners there i:
a state senator, deputy United state;
MARSHAL" water commissioner" g
major" and other citizens described Us
"the most prominent" in the state.