The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-03-28
Two Ranchmen Dance to the
Tune of Six-shOoters.
PIE SC0TCHMAN As A BAD NAN
of the Days of the Rustlers
First and Later Absorbed the Herds
Red Angus, the Bad seotehman-Trip 10
fused, Followed by Request TO Dance.

the PUBIC, said man VINO Always has :
story I'D his sleeve. Now / don't know
that / disagree with those great littera-
teurs. but they give q fellow the wrong
idea. 4 man gets 10 thinking that the
only thing a Scotchman does is 20 run
down he-etics. about the same as al Eng
lshma1 rides TO hounds. or a Spaniard
gees to a bull fight These Thrums and
Drumtochty specimens ray be all right
to parade before the world. as the kind
you expect 10 hand down TO posteTity for
a sample. but tho e are Scotchmen who
don't spend all their time arguing theolo-
gy and writing diatribes on infant bap-
tism- Did you ever see a real tough
Scotchman? No of course not; your ex-
perience has been too limited. You have
seen bad men of all other races and ma
tionalties, from a drunken Chinaman 10
a frenzied dago running amuck and -four
ishing about a yard of shining steel. But
you never saw a descendant of John
Knox's followers who could forget his
psalm singing long enough to make Rome
howl just like any other bad citizen.
you have heard of the Rustlers who
brought on a miniature warfare in the
Northwest n few years ago. 1t started in
with running off mavericks before the fall
roundup. Mavericks are the calves which
arrive between the two roundups. and are
unbranded. They are, therefore, the prop
erty Of almost any one. because they can
not be identified until the iron has been
put on than. The Rustlers started in TO
taking a few of the Mavericks. and the
plan worked to perfection. No capital
was required, and the profits were large.
The scheme succeeded so well that the
"a
Many are the tenderfeet who have been
lured odt TO Wyoming in the hope of fab
Clous fortunes to be garneTed in. and have
waited in vain for the growing of the
herd 1t was one-sideG E1me with the
chances all in favor OF the Rustiers They
were the most daring cow-punchers in the
country. They risked their own lives
freely, and at the same time had few
twinges of conscience about putting an
end to the existence of another. They
knew the ins and outs of the business,
while the newcomer could hardly tell the
difference between a lariat and a soup
ladle
Even the big cattle companies held
them in awe, and some stopped so far as
10 pay tribute in order to secure immunity
from depredations. Tie authorities were
practically powerless. The only court
that was sufficiently equipped to deal
with them was the Federal court, and the
complaints that came before it were too
hazy to permit its taking any cOgnizance
of them. Time passed on and the gang
became more and more bold. Herds were
entered. and the best cattle picked out
and driven to the South Then the
big companies began to look about them.
They realized that they were practically
neurishing a pest that would some day
drive them out Of the business. Sporadic
conflicts took place between the cattls
owners and the Rustlers. and many a
good man bit the dust, 7 lille his broneho
galloped wildly off TO the home corral
The storm center of the whole business.
in my opinion. was Buffalo. Of course
1t had 10 be carried on secretly, for the
troops were CHARTERED near there. BIT
the brains OF the outfit. the hand that
pulled the wires. that directed the raids
md sold the stolen cattle. all were located
at Buffalo.
No Drumtochty Here.
at was there that saw the tough
and / am glad that thew are
usually religious. OF all the cool. dare
devil, merciless, constituencies desperadoes
ever saw. Red Angus was the worst He
ran the saloon in Buffalo that was head
quarters for the cattle thieves. A big
ooned, red-haired, red-faced giant, he was
readily the man 10 dominate the crew he
iecked with. Absolutely devoid Of fear.
possessed Of a wit as ready as his uner-
ring six-shooter, it is easy 10 see how the
reckless cowboys would look up to him
when they would have ridden roueh-shod
over the will of almost any other man.
Il was foolish enough 20 think that I
Knew something about cattle raising i'm
hose days. Fly partner and I had A
small ranch about twenty miles from
Buffalo So far we had suffered very lit
lie from the excursions of the RustIers.
and we could not absolutely trace what
osses we had 10 them But one cav
eighteen fine steers disappeared and we
tracked them directly to the nerd of a
,attleman who was suspected of being in
,ollusion with the Rustlers. My partner
vas an old cattleman, and he knew the
desperate character Of the men he had 10
leal With. Nevertheless he took his Win
hester and six-shooter ana set out on
IFS horse for the ranch where he thought
he cattle were. The worst part Of :he
natter was that he found them. AT
)ur brand on their TANKS. His pursuit
lad been so rapid that they mad not had
he time 10 conceal them. When caught
ed-handed, as it were. with the objects
II their theft in their possession, the cat
lie thieves could do no more than &C
their guilt However. they
,raved IL off as best they could. and said
hey had taken them up by mistake
from shat time on we were the objects
II their petty spite. A steer would be
ound lying out on the range with bull
et through his ear. Occasionally the herd
would be run of and chased for miles Cut
Il pure wantonness.
Fighting the Rustlers.
Finally we got tired Of the ching
vas too much OF a tenderfoOt 20 think Of
nything but a resort TO the law. Jim
vas hot for the arbitrament Of arms. / /
vent down 10 Cheyenne 10 see what could
e done in the courts, but soon found that
ur evidence was too fiirasy 70 build any
ort OF case upon. Jim then decided TO /
" his plan. He went around 70 the dlf-
erent ranches and tried 20 form a urion I
0 crush out the Rustlers. They talked /.
cry bravely about the matter. but when
came 20 the scratch they sent word 1
hat they could not consider the idea for |
he time being.
"All this time the Rustlers had been in /
ormed Of the active part he was taking 4
q the effort 70 exterminate them Trey 1
we're then al the height OF their power. /
NJ they know that their dag would come /
ONE time. and they did not cherish the /
nos, kindly feelings toward the man who 1
wanted 10 hasten IL. Still they respected |
in. A brave man always has fascfna- /
ion for their rough natures. and = there 1
yer was a more daring man than that 4
anne old partner OF mine I have never 4
cen him.
zone day I'D Angus cent word that re /
wanted 10 Sc him. / was certain thar /
here Was sos.e trick In the invitation /
nd advised him not 70 90. But he was 4
bdurate. and rather than Jet him 20 il
n alone. / decided 10 20 with him. We
COX along with Us the best SHOT on he 4
anch. a little =bToncho-busfer fron The !
indian Territory. BY the name Of CLARK. 4
I'm saved him from the Den once ard /.
e had returned the cOmDisment - res
uiug Jim from the clutches Of an old /
he grizzly. We were all mounted o. 4
ON ponies. but they were three OF the /
est that ever bgcked under the weigh. j