Omaha daily bee., 1892-04-13
klLLED AND BURNED
Nick Roy Shot and His Body Destroyed
by Fire,
DETERMINED FIGHTING IN WYOMING
Nate Champions Residence Surrounded
and Riddled with Bullets.
TERRIBLE FATE OF ITS DEFENDERS
Invading Army Meeting with Very
Warm Reception.
WORK OF DESTRUCTION AT T A RANCH
ERRlBLE FATE OF ITS DEFENDERS
WORK OF DESTRUCTION At T A RANCH
Fifty Cattlemcn Corncrcd by Rustlers
mt the A. Ranch and -Four
Shot to Dcath-Troops En-
route to tho Scene.

CHEYENNE, Wyo., April H.. Especial Tcle-
gram to The BEE. l-TnE BEE special corre-
spondent has safely reached Buffalo, the
county seat of johnson county, by way OF
Gillette and the stage line thence TO the
scene of the war lie telegraphs from that
place tonight this interesting story:
BUFFALO, Wyo., April l2.-When the men
who pulled out Of Cheyenne last Tuesday
| evening on a special train with everything
aboard from dynamite to a newspaper re-
porter and marched forth as though TO
grand picnic they evidently did not count the
cost now they are in a position where they
will have ample time for reflection. The
party which left Cheyenne one week ago got
10 Nate Champions ranch at O'Clock Satur-
day morning, surrounded the house and
an almost continuous fire was kept up until
after noon.
Champion, Roy and perhaps another man
were in the house. AS the fight progressed
| Champion, from time to time, wrote in his
| memorandum book an account of it, which,
after he was deal, was taken with the rcgu-
| lators and read aloud. Everything else fail
| Ing the regulators took Load of hay and
| backed 1t against the house, thus sheltcring
| themselves from Champions bullets and
| then set fire to the hay, burning the house
ana 10y, VINO hau Oeen Snot.
| Champion Shot While Running.
Champion had to run, and as he did so he
| received ten or twelve bullets. About this
| time Jack Flagg and step-son, who had in
| tended spending the night with Champion,
| ran invitingly into the regulators arms. He
| recognized Charles Ford, who shot at him
| at close quarters. Flagg was horseback and
his son was driving wagon. FlagS's son
soon cut horse from the team and with his
| father escaped to Buffalo.
| Sunday morning the regulators took break
| fast at the L a ranch, fourteen miles
| south of Buffalo, and then started for town.
| They were met by rustlers and citizens and
! retreated back to the Il A ranch
| At this time there were not over twenty
| five Of the rust!ers and citizens. By Mon
| Gay morning the force was much larger and
| closed in about the rancho. AS they did so
| one Of the regulators escaped, they say The
| surrounding forces continued to increase and
is still increasing. The first shots exchanged
| between the two parties were fired Monday
| morning by the regulators.
arrived in Buffalo Monday evening by
| the b. & NJ. stage. Buffalo was compara-
lively quiet. l went where l pleased un-
armed. Others did the same and noticed at
l
were coming and gong from the scene Of
action. About 10 o'clock twenty or more
ranchers arrived from Rock Creek. AT H.
fifteen men, including myself, started for
the camps, gong all the way through bad
blizzard. l stayed in the camp until this
morning. The regulators have a well-nlgh
impregnable position. They have log
house built OF ho%ed logs l0xl2 inches thick.
West of that 100 yards is a barn, hay and
corral.
| They Built Small Fort.
Ono hundred yards west OF tho barn,
| where their horses are, there Is small fort
built Of hewed logs and earthworks which
they have built since being corralled. 1t is
| proba bly, to be used last resort in case
the rustlers succeed in burning their house
and stable. They have some rifle pits and
| probably some underground passages. There
! are about forty five of them now When
| left Arapahoe, Brown, who runs grist mill
| here and is leader of the citizens and rust
lers, SAID he had l15 men. We met twenty
| or twenty-five on our way in and they
are still coming and include able bodied men,
mere boys and rey-haired fighters. OF the
| l75 men on the ground, | should say, judging
| from their appearance and what | hear, thai
l25 were ranchmen, twenty-five more me-
| chanics and worliingmen who own each a
| piece Of property, and the other twenty-five
rustlers, gamblers and men from about town
Brown has charge, while Sheriff Angus is
| recruiting officer. One of the men, r.. u.
| Snyder, is the first settler of Fort McIln-
ney, whom know as a perfect gentleman
and good friend of the wood choppers and
workers about here at that time.
One is Hugh Dellzall, with whom
II worked in Charley Clays outfit
in 1879. Hugh was an honest. energetic
young man, square as die, l believe he is
the same today. Frank Grouard, the scout,
was with the citizens and rustlers yesterday,
but am told was declined today at Fort Nc
Kinney
SAID to man knew; "Hcllo Are you
a rustlerin
"No,n was the indignant answer, "Dut
am fighting for my home and properly"
slowly Approaching the Regulators.
Speaking of the rustlers, he sad; "The
cattlemen taught those boys to steal"
The citizens and rustlers are camped at the
Convention ranch, one and a half miles from
the regulators, but near enough to keep then
surrounded, aud during all the terrible night
the flashes of their guns could be seen from
the coolies and hills surrounding the regu
lators. That party worked like beavers all
| night improving their position. AT daylight
volley was fired ana one bullet threw dirt
in citizens face.
They are saving their ammunition. The
citizens are digging their bitches nearer and
nearer the evidently doomed cattemen
"If we are whipped" said Brown, "there
will be nothing but cattlemen left, for we wll
all be dead"
"If the regulators wish TO surrender to the
militia" asked win you let them o so ~
yes" said he if the militia will agree
10 turn them over TO the civil authorities"
There are some young men in the party
however, who say the white caps" shall al
be killed. The regulators ana citi
zens captured three Arp q Ham