Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-02-09


E$s / ENMMM##/ sas, he stirred
Es'lAasgnSME up good sized
VIZ S#ssSS5s hornets nest,
w 49, and brought the
insects buzzing
augrily about his head. He had no
shadow of right to the land, and
naturally the settlers and home-seekers
resented his cool appropriation of it to
his own use. There were men who
wanted it for homes, and who were
entitled to it under the laws, and these
men looked upon Ryai's conduct as q
base infringement on their rights and
were not sparing in their denunciation
Of him and his order.
Near Ryan's Ranch there was little
town know as Prairie City. 1t was an
Insignificant place, with less than two
hundred population, but it gave pro-
mise of great things in the future. Its
inhabitants, sand the settlers on the
prairie about it, believed that in time
Prairie City would become one of the
leading towns of Kansas. Unfort-
unately, however, the hopes OF those
people were never to be realized. A
railroad was soon after built through
that part of the country and it missed
Prairie City by just two miles. The
result was new town on the railroad
and the death of the old one. Prairie
City went the way Of hundreds of
other Kansas towns. Its population
took up their possessions, including
their houses, and moved across the
prairie to the railroad.
In Prairie City's halcyon days, how
ever, it boasted of a newspaper, the
Prairie City Eagle. 1t was not much
of paper, being small and poorly
printed, but it was quite as good as it's
patronage justified. It's subscription
list was extremely limited; aud its ad-
vertising business was dwarfed to one
column of display matter and u few
lines of,pay locals.
The Eagle, as o matter of course,
stood by the town people aud the set
tiers, and when Ryan set his men to
fencing in the public lands for grazing
purposes, it came out with strong
editorial denouncipg him in the sever
ost terms. 1t pronounced his action
dishonest, as he was stealing the peo-
ple's rights. It went further and said
that it was the lowest and most con-
temptible species of dishonesty, since
by it he was stealing the homes from
poor, struggling men and their wives
aud children, thereby robbing them
OF chance to earn an honest living.
SIT is the duty of the homeseekers, :"
it went on, ''to protect themselves
against the encroachments of this
greedy cormorant, who, for the sake
of adling to his illgotten wealth,
would starve even the innocent, un-
conscious, helpless babe in it's moth
er's arms. Tt is the duty of the set
lers to band themselves together, to
take the law in their own hands, and
cut the wire that shuts them out of
their own. Tear down the fence,
drive off or kill the usurper's cattle
aud give him to understand that if the
Government won't protect you, you
can and will protect yourselves"
A copy of the paper containing this
editorial fell into Ryan's hands. He
read it and boiled over with wrath and
indignation. He was forced to adj
NIT that there was much truth in the
article, but it was none the more palG-
table to him Cor that. He swore ven
geance against the Eagle and its edi-
tor, aud vowed that not another issue
of the paper should be published.
At dinner time he read the article to
his employees as they sat at the table.
They were six in number, recently
emigrated from ranch down in Texas,
and had reputation for being the
hardest and most reckless dare-devils
that ever ode the range. When Ryan
had finished reading he said:
"What do you think of that?"
"I think it's blamed big growing
from mighty little rooster, one Of
the cowboys replied.
eff the settlers want to take that
editors advice end try it on about
cutting the wires, another said, 'just
let them. They'll find before they
get through with it that they've got
into the hottest and most unhealthy
Job they ever tackled"
''Then you boys will stand by me?"
Ryan questioned.
"Of course we WILL" one of them
answered. "We're paid to work for
you, and we've not got any love for
settlers. Well see that your fence is
not cut and that your cattle are not
bothered"
"That's MI right" Ryan said, 'but
there is something else I want You to
do"
"What is it?"
want this paper squelched."
"We'll squelch it.
ssI want you to ride over to Prairie
City tonight and clean the thing out
root and branch. Burn the Office,
smash mp the old press and chase the
editor out of the country"
"We'll do it
Just after supper that nighs the
cowboys loaded their pistols carefully
and bnckled them about their waists.
Then they brought out their horses,
saddled and mounted them, and rode
away in the direction OF Prairie City