, 1900-01-04
WYOMING NOTES.

January and February.
TWENTY-FIVE men who have been EN-
pIoyed in the steel gang on the Hhiilh-
Dana cutoff have quit because tneN
We're not being paid enough. me men
will go to the line of Ii burlington :
Alliance-Hartville road.
Mention has been made of trounie
the Union Pacific has already had TINS
wear with snow west OF Laramie.
Superintendent Harris OF the Wyo-
ming division states that he noes nul
anticipate any further trouble from
heavy SHOWS. Fifteen miles OF snow
fence have been set up along The cut
offs and as the snow bucking ma
chipery is in the best possible con
dition. there should he no serious de
laws TO traffic on the mountai dt-
visions this winter.
Reports have beer received OF the
wanton slaughter of a band OF noun
tain sheep in the mountains near liner
mopolis, recently. Three hunters iouhl
n bunch of about twenty sheep III Il
narrow defle in the mountains ana
cornering the helpless alma agaihs'
n rocky bluff, where it was Impossible
for them to escape, killed every one.
The matter will be investigated. Noun
tain sheep are fast becoming extinct.
{ ana IL WOulu require pniN Il i'" ~
such acts of lawlessness to wipe them
out.
There Is considerable activity among
owners of mines and other property
in the Grand Encampment district in
southern Caribou county, in getting
ready for a big boom in the copper and
gold camps of that section, which Will
j doubtless be inaugurated early next
wear. There is a rush eve now for
town lots in Grand Encampment and
Battle Lake, and at points which VIII
be reached by the Wyoming Southern
Railroad, work upon which will be
commenced as soon as the weather VIII
permit in the spring.
For several years past. the state OIL
GERS charge, 1t has been the custom OF
a large number of sheep and cattle
owners in Wyoming to ship portions OF
their herds out of the state after the
stock had been assessed and before the
taxes for the year became delinquent,
or. being migratory, they were taken
out of the county into adjoining oun
ties or states. In this way the state has
lost vast sums in taxes. For the pur-
pose of avoiding these heavy losses an
nually. the state has made
a careful investigation of the condi
tions as reported and has issued the fol
lowing circular letter TO the treasurers
and boards of county commissioners of
the several counties in the state:
Il desire to cite you to section 500 of
the Revised Statutes. which reads as
follows: In case the collector of taxes
in any county shall have reason to be
lieve and does believe hat any proper
ty in the. county and subject TO assess
mcnt and taxation under this title will
In ,.,,,,1t.A .ut of tho nnIIntU hpTnTI
the tax due or 10 become due thereon
has been paid, he shall have power 10
levy upon and take possession of and
de,ain 50 much of such property,
wherever found within the limits OF
the state, as will probably be neces-
sary to pay taxes so due or to become
due for the year, and the costs OF
keeping such property. But in such
case the property so detained shall he
released. if any party interested therein
will and does deposit with the collector
II sum of money sufficient TO pay all
such taxes and COSTS Our ranges
have been devastated by herds of sheep
and cattle trailing over the state whose
owners are nOn-rcsidents and have nc
interests whatsoever in the state. This
is detrimental TO the stock interests OF
the state and the enforcement of the
law cited will. in some measure nj
least. reimburse the various counties
for the loss suffered. Section 1904 r. :.
provides for the listing of all live stock
coming into the state after the first day
of April in the first county in which
the same shall enter. This section ap
plies to any and all live stock brought
into the state for grazing purposes
either by trailing or being shipped into
the state over any line of railway. My
Interpretation of the first county be
ing that county in which the stock is
first located and becomes Identified
with other property interests of the
state; that is to say, tina live stock
may be transported through II coun.
ty and into another before being un.
loaded for the purpose of trailing to the
respective ranges Stock so shipped
through such first county would not, in
my judgment. be asScSsable in suct
first county entered, for the reason thai
it has not at that time become identl
fed with other property in the inter
ests of the state, bur. on being unload
ed in the second or other county en-
tered, as the case may be. and beinl
supported from the God of the ranges
and county traversed. becomes at once
identified with the interests of the stat,
and is at once assessed by the propeI
''fNNh =" nv 'hi pN'h =
assessed, it is the duty of the officer I,
demand the deposit of n sufficient sun
of money to pay any and all taXei
levied upon such stock, Inc in til,
event of n refusal to deposit such sum
such stock as in his judgment will full
ly indemnify the county against loss
and Immediately after the tax list TO
the current year has been placed in hi
hands, to proceed to sell such stock 70
the taxes levied against the same, to
gether with the costs incurred in hold
ing such property. The owners Of liv,
stock so brought into the state are en-
titled TO and are furnished with ever,
protection against d|epredations tina
B our laws afford and ii is their duty Il
assist in maintaining a government
that makes it possible for them t,
range their herds in safety The stat
officers are determined TO pay more at
tention to the assessment of propert,
and the collection of taxes. and it /
IRItAK4.l gl4N t1. t.F .EIl H. l.A..-