The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-12-17
o is TOUGH.
Eleven.Year-oId Horsethief Puzzles
the sheriff's offIcers.

the sheriff's officers.
Roy Huffman, aged IL, is about as
hard a juvenile proposition as the
sheriff's officers of this and Park coun-
ties have ever had to deal with. Not
only is he as adroit and bold a thief
as ever attached himself to horsefiesh
belonging to another, but as a liar he
ranks with the most famous OF them.
Roy is the lad whom Under Sherif
Sayles went after to Livingston, where
was under arrest on a telegram
from the local authorities. The crime,
or rather crimes, with which he Is
charged is the stealing OF a pony be-
longing to John Hammond of this city
and a saddle belonging to P. B. Moss,
also of this city. Having located the
pony, Roy looked around for a saddle
and found one to his liking in Mr..
Moss barn. This he appropriated at
night and the next morning rounded
up the pony and started west. Some
where between this city and Big Tim
Der he stole another saddle. Arrived
at Big Timber he traded the second
saddle for a revolver and holster and
strapped his artillery about him and
continued on his way to Livingston
Before leaving, however, he induced
another boy named Conley to join
him, the Conley boy taking n of his
fathers horses as a mount.
Through one of the worst storms
ever experienced in that section the
two youthful brigands rode on to Liv-
.ingston, where they arrived last Tues
day night and put up at the home Of a
Mrs. Lakel, residing in the outskirts
of the town. There they were found
the following morning by a deputy
sheriff and placed under arrest. Both
denied having done anything wrong
and the combined efforts of several
newspaper men and officers failed to
shake them in the stories they told.
Huffman, as the leader, did most OF the
talking and declared that he had been
sent by his. father, whom he claimed
lived zeal Absarokee, to hire a woman
to work for him. This story he repeat
ed to Mr.. Sayles, but when that officer
convinced him that he knew he was
lying, Roy admitted the fact and then
said he had come from Roundup.
Again Mr.. Sayles satisfied the young
Annanias that the story would not go
and then as cheerfully as before he
| acknowledged he had been romancing
and told another yarn about having
come up from the Grow reservation,
where he said his parents lived. See
ing that ne still was not believed, he
calmly confessed to having told an un-
truth and then gave it out, "honor
bright" that he hailed from South
Dakota, but from what part he declin-
ed to tell. One story that he told and
which the under sheriff thinks may
possibly be true is that he has a
brother at or near Roundup. The rea-
son why this is accepted as a possible
truth is the fact that he adhered to
it under all cross-examination and has
repeated it since his arrival at the
county Jail.
Mr.. Sayles learned at Livingston
that the boy al not a stranger there.
About two months ago he was at that
place and sold a horse, for which he
received $25. He claimed the horse
was his and told such a plausible story
as to the manner in which it had come
into his possession that he disarmed
all suspicion and had no trouble what
ever in %disposing of the animal. Then
about three weeks ago he again visit
ed the place. The fact that on each
visit he stopped at the home of Mrs
Lakel, who is known to have a boy II
the reform school at Miles City
causes the officers to think that Huff
man is an escaped inmate of that in
t i,ution. They also think that HI
could tell something, did he choose K
do SO, about the disappearance of thu
ponies which were stolen about twt
months ago from the corrals of A. G
7 Logan and his nea neighbor, MI
Pritchette. What cause them to be
lieve this is the fact that while tn
: animals taken were of little value, blu
l gentle and easily managed, some o
greater value, but not so easily mar
aged, were left behind.
The boy is taking to Jail life a
naturally as an old criminal and doe
not seem to be in the least alarme
or frightened. In fact he seems to b
absolutely fearless and rather glorie
r in what he has done. Had he not bee
captured the suposition is that h
would have attempted to organize
gang of young desperadoes like hin