The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-04
RANCHTNG IN NEW MEXICO.
Az ENsLIsHHAN's DITERsToNs WIN
HLH, APhCBBS, AND RUSTLERS
~'r.-S.s.s,rr g. w'. g, ns.' .u..s--


| sion- nsd ISLANDERS OF Cattle Tbtevr-.
! THEY may not have been able TO win a prize
at Creedmoor. but the men who shot elk and
mountain sheep for their meat were the most
| remarkable rife shots I've ever seen"
This remark was made to n SUN reporter by
| Mr.. Montague +. s. Stevens. now cattle
rancher In New Mexico Mr.. Stevens is an
| EnGlishman. and was speaking Of an experi-
ence he had with some professional hunters in
! Wyoming. when. in 1880. he camo to this
country on his long vacation" from Cam
bridge. n year before he took his degree from
that university.
II came over" said Mr.. Stevens TO get
some big game shooting. and finding two men
who were going out to hunt for the market |
offered TO pay them 5000 "A month to let mo
go as one OF their party. At first they declined
both my money and my company. but sue
ceeded in making friends NJ them, aud they
finally took me into their party. but would ac-
cept no pay. All | was permitted to do was to
supply my share OF the grub and I tried to
make I'D in the quality and variety Of that es-
sentlal for the debt I felt l owed thom. They
gave me rare experience. / have spoken Of
them as meat hunters. in contradistnction
to the hide hunters. for they belonged TO
an entirely different class 1t was the hide
hunters who DESTROYED the magnificent herds
OF elk. They hunted in winter. following the
herds on snowsboes. when the elk simply
could not escape. and were slaughtered like
sheep in pen only for their hides. The meat
hunters Killed bulls only. and killed no
moro than they could dispose Of through buy
ers for the Eastern markets. But what was
going TO tell you about was their shooting
They would never shoot II they we're not sure
OF killing but they killed at from 200 to 200
yards Their experience made them wonder
fully accurate In judging distance and wind.
They had TO do this on the instant for n
mountain sheep, which they also hunted.
will not stand conveniently motionlpss while
you nre carefully calculating range and wind.
But with all tho haste with which they had to
determine these matters they not only always
killed. but seldom cent a bullet elsewhere
than through the heart Frequently after
making n shot tho man who made it would say
that was too high, or low. or too far forward or
back. and. sure enough. when he would como
up to the dead animal the bullet would be
found as indicated. When asked them how
they could tell this they said they felt it
when they pulled the trigger.
On that trip We had a couple OF pack mules
that were remarkably intelligent. wc would
go out In the morning to where some game
killed the day before had been hung up to
trees, pack the mules with meat. and turn
them loose. They never failed to return
straight to camp. where they would bray to
arouse the cook. who would unpack them and
give them good feed. The cook then pre-
pared the meat by Jerking or smoking it. and
at intervals would take load to tho nearest
railroad station. whore it brought in those
days ten cents pound. The men were mar
ket hunters. to be sure. but they had the in
stincts OF a sportsman. They never killed u
COW elk. nor killed for the hide alone. They
hated the hide hunters and with good reason
haFdR hnntarG' of
earning good liyings; good many hide hum
tiers mysteriously disappeared. 1t has been
mistaken for bull clks"
Alter being graduated from Cambridge Mr. |
before he settled down to cattle raising in New
Mexico hunted and canned from, the Yellow |
The most exciting hunting he engaged in was |
the pursuit Of Apaches.
said Il IS in New Mexie leo on the hTS uIsrose
River. near old Fort Tularosn, and takes in |
tsin wen, no the cattle tie bS.ihSss IN N.g
Mexico In 1852. and am now n pioneer among |
he b haite r.r and EnGiish r9nehers there
for number OF years. and until |
the Geronimo outbreaks were all finally |
some Of the Indian hunts ia my neigh borhood. |
and was fortunate to be of some service at
did me good turn once. had Joined Capt.
Smith. who was out with detachment OF caval-
~ from San Carlos Reservation. The command
had ridden for two days practically without
stopping; and were pretty well worn out. their
Indians. This was in what is known as Devils
Park, In the MoGolion Mountains. The Apachcs
foot Of CAPT Smith could II not oow q" th .S
with his force, but could hold them, and AS 1
and man with me had the only fresh mounts
We volunteered to carry dispatches to Col
Morrow. at Fort Bayarl. for Ternforcements.
The country was fun Of Indians. nut we were
riding and driving made the trip. $50 miles
there and back, in thirty hours.
OF rough work with the Indians in those days,
but there wero some funny incidents even in
was, returning from silver City with u wagon
lead Of goods, among them two tubs of can
as much Of his goods as they could Among
the ANDY they took were a lot wrapped in
followed them miles hy the scattered Wrappers
an the notices Following the hot trail OF a
lot OF murderous Spaches by slips OF papers
which asked May have the next dance with
you 2 or informed you that the givers love
but there was something iunnier whom the
paper trail gave out. We picked upa ball Of
4 pac6e's teeth lie had evidentIy thought 4" il
was candy too, and had tried TO eat Il.
do not come from red renegades. The white
cattle thieves are a bad and Troublesome lot.
Them there now. Whom / started in " tMelys
ears pr aES BENZ an EnSlishmnn Snd thOHGnt
Tor every swndier and thief in the co ,a
never had any trouble in getting along with
used to be- baneoed or Se mep who Te
allied in trying those games on me raised a
great cry OF arrogant BTitisher.' oppressor
Of tho Door TancheT.' and that sort OF thing.
Une OF thu cleverest tricks that Is played
By the cattle thieves is TO brand a maverick. or |
sven n calf with some made-uT brand, assert |
hat the brand belongs to a man who has left
he country. and then set uD ~ claim for the !
animals SO branded on the ground OF having |
fought all Of the stock belonging to the man
who has left. Of course, II the rascal who does |
his would claim tho brand as hts own origi- |
lally, you might have evidence that would con !
iict him. but as he Drotends that tho brand |
belongs to man who has lett the country he !
,vades prosecution. even II you have prof ,
hat the brand was put on a calf still running I
With u COW bearing your brand. Onc time / |
ounu some calves with my rows branded with |
zone made-up brand which barred out aud
branded the calves with my brand. :. O.
here were some mavericks also branded in ! ,
he same way. There Is "A law in New Mexico
which requires all brands to be registered, and
Is | was fully convinced that this strange
,rand was made up for the purposes OF tho ,
rio has "A I'D 4 Il