The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-09-11
TETON AND TARTER.
TALE OF TWO GENTLEMEN or THE
FAR NORTHWEST.
The Pudgy Judge From Wyoming Tells n
Buffalo Reporter About the Market Lake
~sIen Gang-Jackson Is "A Bad Man. and
Bars Can't Hold Hin.

uien Gang-Jackson Is Bad Man. and
Bars Can't Hold Him.
He was white haired, blue eyed, fat
and pudgy. He sat OH one of the big
sofas in the rotunda of the Iroquois,
gently swaying his big felt hat to and
fro in front of his face. He was down
on the hotel register as mailing from
Wyoming. The clerk had written
Judge" in front of his name
Eyes, he said, speaking very slow
ly. I'm judge. Judge who? Read the
register. You can't make it out? Then
I'm just the Judge I've been reading
your papers here. Powerful lot of news
you print. Seems TO me such busy peo-
pie can't find time to read all you print
Murders and suicides and robberies.
You have fine streak of humanity
here. 1t reminds me of the human ma
ture of Teton jackson. Who is Jackson?
Well, we'll
"Out in our country, said the judge,
after moments pause, there's a fell
low called Teton jackson. He was one
of the worst outlaws and desperadoes l
ever heard of. After series of viola
tions of the law Jackson was caught in
May seven years ago in the Big Horn
basin by Sheriff Canton of Johnson coun-
ty, Wy He was taken to Blackfoot,
Ida, and given ii years i'll the Idaho
penitentiary. A sigh of relief fioated
over Wyoming, Utah, Montana and
Idaho when he was landed.
81 tell you, sir, he was a corker He
led as bold and reckless hand of out
laws as ever rode through the shades of
night. The haunts and headquarters of
the band were i'll the innermost recesses
of that great mountain watershed from
which spring the waters of the Green,
the Wind and the Snake rivers. On that
continental divide is series of deep
and remote mountain basins. IN these
basins hid Jackson and his gang. High
above them rose the towering peaks of
the Three Tetons. These peaks look
over four states. Jackson's Hole, Mar
ket Lake Glen and Teton basins are
well known as outlaw resorts. Jackson
Hole is where the outlaws hung out
principally. In the midst of a vast mo-
rass that only the initiated can reach is
a strong fortress of logs, palisaded,
loopholed and provisioned. The gang
always retreated there.
market Lake Glen housed Bob Tar
ter, the fence Of the gang. Tarter took
the stock they stole, changed the brands
and kept the animals until they could
be driven off and sold. Tarter himself
was a notorious criminal. Nine times
was he arrested, and nine times did his
captors fail to hold him on account of
lack of evidence He and Teton were the
closest friends.
"Teton s capture seven years ago was
due to an expedition he and Tarter
planned. With only one of his men,
Blacky Marks, Teton rode down from
the mountains and went deep into Ida
no. On the limits of the Blackfoot In
dian reservation the two men rounded
up 40 head of mares and colts from the
ranges of Hines and Stout. They started
with them for western Wyoming. Pur-
suit was prompt, and the trail was easy
to follow. Along the route taken by
Jackson and Marks the pursuers found
the bodies of horses, strangled to death
by the outlaws because they could not
keep up with the other horses. The rob-
bers reached the southern slopes of the
Wind mountain before their pursuers,
who lost the trail there and were forced
to return to Blackfoot.
"a couple of cattlemen, however,
took up the hunt and guessed that the
Johnson county, Wy. They telegraphed
to Sheriff Canton, who kept lookout
for the thieves, and, sure enough, they
turned up in Johnson county. Canton
set redhot pace in the chase. Accom-
panied by only one deputy, he ran the
thieves to earth. In the dusk of an even
ing he surprised Teton in a hunters
cabin of the Big Horn mountain, Jack
son was secured, and Canton brought
him and the stolen stock to Buffalo, the
county seat of Johnson county. Blacky
Marks had skipped away two days be-
fore, and was not caught.
"At Buffalo, Canton turned Jackson
ONtI W IlOSlOlu, OuC Va thO WV AhCh
who OWNED the outlaws course. Hos
ford took Teton to Blackfoot, where his
trial was wound up in short order. Te
ton said at the trial that he would not
serve his sentence, but would get out
and do up Tarter, whom he accused of
swindling him out of share of the pro-
ceeds of sale Of stolen stock. While
Teton was in custody marshal and
posse started for Jackson's Hole. Bill
Thompson, Teton's lieutenant, met
them half way with his gang, and drove
them back like wind plays with chaff
They went back to Blackfoot, where
they found message from Thompson,
saying he was still about and would
like to see them. They didn't go back.
"Teton kept his word. He slid from
out the bars of the Boise City peniten-
tiary like an eel through sleeping
darky's fingers He soon let every one
know he was at large. Tarter got 1t
first, / think. Where are Tarter and Te-
ton now? God and themselves alone
know, sir. No citizen out home is ever
going to try to find out. Buffalo Ex-