The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-07-25

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upon the cattle roaming about their
prison ranch The Utes, too, know
about them and have seen them. They
are very wild and agile and will run
like deer. They are small sized and
number over /, 000--a mighty nice herd
for the adventurous cowboy who will
solve the problem hSw to get near
enough to lasso them and then how to
get them out of their mountain pastures.
They have lived we'll on the grasses of
the gorge and have had plenty Of water.
In winter they have been sheltered by
the lofty overhanging mountains. So
they have thrived and waxed fat. And if
ever one gets at them he will have a
very good thing. There is a great heap
of bones and skeletons at least so feet
high to mark the place where the awful
plunge was made. Those who have
looked into this yawning gorge say that
the effect of the black, Jagged noun
tains, the mad, roaring, tumbling tor
rents and the huge pile of glistening
bones, bleaching in the sun, is some
thing Internal But, at all events, it's
the most remarkable cattle ranch in the
world and well worth a description. If
you were to ask a Mormon about it, he
would tell you this is fable, but the
gentiles know better. Mormons natu-
rally do not like to think so much valu-
able property is lying useless and mac
cessible through the knavery of one of
their most prominent men.
"W0uldn' t it be possible to get into
the gorge by means of the river?" one
of the listeners asked.
cit has been tried again and again, -
returned the mining engineer, ''but you
must remember that the Bear river is
almost impossible It's current is swift,
its bed a mass of jagged rocks. 1t tum-
bles and plunges along and raises the
very deuce until it enters Green river.
A boat or canoe could not exist long in
those tumultuous waters. There is a leg
end among the Utes that renegade of
their number, who had stolen Sioux
woman for his wife and on that account
was driven from his tribe, tried to reach
this gorge by means of the river. He
thought it a safe retreat from his enc
mics, and that he could kill and eat the
fat beeves and make garments and
tepee from their skins. He made a rude
canoe, and taking his Sioux wife with
him attempted the descent of the rapids
Tho canoe was snapped into chips and
the adventures lost. No, the bravest
and most hardy, either white OF Indian,
Will hesitate before trying to effect ar
entrance into that mountain prison.
''The only human being who could
ever get in that place. stated the jolly,
rudy sheriff, who was one of the group,
''would be a Mexican cattle thief. -
'Indeed?' laughed the mining man
"And how would he manage it?''
81 don't know" rejoined the sheriff,
''but he would get in some way. If that
ranch were in the southeastern part of
Colorado instead Of the northwestern,
the greaser thieves would sneak in in
some fashion.
Then the company in the Santa Fe
sleeping car urged the sheriff to tell
what be knew of the haunts of the Mex
lean cattle thieves.
''What know would fill a book, - he
answered, land don t want to tire you
out. I'll only give you personal expe-
rience or two. The greatest pest of Col
orado catt1emen is the Mexican cattle
thief. They sneak over the border at
night and carry of the finest yearlings
they can lay hands on. They live in
communities, are usually connected by
marriage and will swear to anything to
help each other out Of scrape. There
was the famous Archileta gang. Archi-
leta was a typical greaser thief who
lived down in the Huerfano country.
His brothers-in-l sons and cousins
were of the same stripe as himself
They were the scourge Of that region.
For long time the finest, latest beeves
had been disappearing from this and
that ranch, and suspicion pointed toward
these lazy, worthless Mexicans.
Mexican Thieves.
cat last started out overnight with
couple of deputies, determined to cap
ture the thieves if that were possible
| It was dusk when we came to the tum-
| BILE down dobes where the gang lived.
| They were net at home. We went into
an out of door cellar and there found a
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