The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-11-23
CATTLE THIEVES CAPTURED
Sheriff Dwyer Made an Important
Capture Yesterday-Caught
Red Handed.
One of the Thieves Tried to Stand
the Sheriff or With
Big Gun.

Deputy Sheriff Dryer came in Tues
day afternoon with a couple Of prisoners
whom be arrested neal Box Elder on a
of stealing cattle. Last night
after dark he captured a third man in
the city who is implicated in the same
business.
The history Of the case is as follows:
Last Sunday a freishter from Fergus
camped nea Robert Blanken-
bakers ranch. In the morning some Of
his horses had strayed and he rode all
over that section of the country looking
for them. In the course of his search he
ran across a little coulee about three
miles from Blankenbaker's, in which lay
a steer hat had been shot and a
little further on a GOV had been
slaughtered, skinned, and quartered and
the beef lay on the ground, while the
brand on the hide had been cut out and
the hide cut to pieces. Judging by ap.
pearances that someone had been steal
ing cattle he came into town and in
formed the sheriff Of what he had seen,
and Monday night Deputy Sheriff Dryer
and Under Sheriff Moran went out to
the coulee, where the beef was cached,
and watched all night for someone to
come and take it away, but no n came.
Yesterday morning County Attorney
Freeman and Deputy Sheriff Dryer re.
newed the watch and we're rewarded
about IL o'clock by seeing three men ap-
proach q shack in the neighborhood with
a team ev.dently prepared to carry away
the beef. The men we're Sam Sims, Ed
Short, and M. Erhardt. Short, however,
seemed to have some suspicion that he
was watched and, detaching himself
from the others, etrolled over to the cou-
lee, where he saw the deputy sheriff lying
in hiding. This was enough for
him, and he lost no time in making
tracks for the city without taking pains
to notify his companions. The sheriff
went up to the shack at once and put
the other two men under arrest. He
found inside the shack and in the wagon
about half a dozen butcher knives for
skinning and cutting up beef. There
was also a bloody axe in the cabin, and
IL DlOuSb DtlODSiuS " Oiulo CoNOlCo AtA
blood and grease. A three-seated ex-
press wagon which had recently been
stolen from Murphy e. Maclay wae also
found in the shack. The prisoners were
brought to the city and placed in the
city Jail, and Sheriff Dryer started out
to locate Short, with whose haunts he
appeared to be we'll acquainted, for he
found him in a very short time in d
shack back Of the Hotter Lumber Co.'S
yard which is occupied by a woman
with whom Short has been on in.
innate terms. When Dryer appeared
Short made a dive for his hip pocket
where he had a big navy revolver, bu'
the deputy sheriff was too quick for hin
and had him covered before he coule
reach it. Seeing that resistance wal
useless he surrendered, and the deput!
sheriff marched him up to the count,
Jail with his hands up and a gun at thu
back of his head. The county attorne!
and MIR. Dryer then made a visit to Mrs
Grogan's residence in the alley back o
the Globe theater, where Sims was in tn
habit Of visiting, and found there three
quarters Of a calf, which Sims hat
brought in last Sunday. The othe
quarter was discovered 10 the wagon a
the shack. 1t was also found that som
time last week Sims and Short had beel
offering the four quarters Of a COW TO
sale on the west side, and the place wher
it had been killed and dressed abou
a week ago was discovered near tn
coulee near Box Elder before referred to
Several shells we're also picked up in tn
~coulee which fitted the Winchester riff
!, found in the shack and with which tn
cattle we're evidently killed. Altogethe
the state has a very complete case agains
the two men, Short and Sims. The shac
belonSs to Sims, who has some land il
/, that vicinity.
, Short is the man who was caugh
! stealing coal by the wagon load som
= time ago on the West side and served
term in the county jail Tor the offense.
!, Erhardt is a stage carpenter employs
in one of the variety theaters and state
that he was employed by Sims to go GU
to his ranch to paint the stolen WACO
8 belonging to Murphy & Maclay and ha
no other connection with the other tw
q men, and his statement may prov
correct.
: The only clue to the ownership OF tn
stolen cattle which the county attorne
: had laet night was the brand S A on til
9 calfskin, but he has the means Of gettin
this information later. Several rolls
new fence wire and other plumber whic
appeared to have been stolen were foun
\ in the shack.