Evening star., 1901-09-09
THE WESTERN "CRIME BELT"
1T RUNS FROM NORTHERN MONTANA
TO THE RIO GRANDE.
Scene of Acts Of Violence and the Re-
fuge of Thieves and Train
Robbers.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening STAR
CHEYENNE, Wyo., September 5, 1901.
We've heard q good deal Of late about
the corn belt, the arid belt and the min
eral belt said western sheriff recently
But it seems to me that some attention
should be paid to what call the crime
belt. 1t is as clearly marked from the
British line to Mexico as any old belt
and produces crop which Is never railing
and always commands wide public atten-
ton at harvest time. If you will take
map Of the United States and draw your
finger from the northern line of Montana
at about the center down across western
wyoming into Colorado and eastern Utah,
through New Mexico and Arizona, and
then to the Rio Grande, you Will follow
roughly the territory / include In my crime
belt If you want to you can go on south
of the Rio Grande through Chihuahua and
the other Mexican states, clear down to
Oxaca, and you will not get far away from
it. but I don't know so much about that
country as 1 do about our own territory.
Il would even commence this crime belt
up in the British country somewhere around
Calgary or Mcleod. for those places have
been in the past, and are yet to a certain
extent, the rendezvous Tor some OF the most
expert horse thieves the world has ever
seen South of there is the Piegan coun-
try, Those Indians have been known as
the most wonderful horse Stealers among
the red men. and nearly all OF them are
experts.
Retreat of Criminals.
"When you get down into Wyom-
ing you must skirt the eastern slope OF
the mountains in the western half Of the
state to find the famous Jackson's Hole
and other places which have been the re-
treat for many years of horse thieves and
murderers when pursued by posses. Cross
ing the Red Serset in Wyoming we find
here a convenient wilderness for those de-
string to escape observation. In Browns
Park, Colorado, and all along the eastern
mountains Of Utah tragedies have been of
frequent occurrence. In the unsettled por-
tions Of New Mexico and Arizona the skin
of the highwayman is of darker color, for
many of them are Mexicans NE AM. u,, .u -.
''It is curious fact that nearly all or
the train hold-ups, with the exception OF
those which take place In Missouri, you
will find, are in this crime belt OF which
speak. The Northern Pacific, Union racine
dangerous territory, for these roads have
suffered extensively therein. I suppose this
crime belt is really the vestige Of the from
tier. Law and order have come from the
west and from the east, and they have
kind of met in the middle of this country,
making sort of eddy In the tides in
which are caught the drifting and ire
sponsible criminals The character OF tne
country favors their concealment and
makes it difficult to execute swift Justice
Life Safe in the Crime Belt.
"There are more murders right IN New
York city every year than there are In the
same time in this crime belt Of mine but
when we have murder out in this country
or a robbery it is kind of picturesque and
the newspapers make great noise about
it, Life is really safer in the crime belt
than It Is In q great city, and no settler
need be alarmed about coming to any part
of the country. have ridden many thou
sand miles chasing horse and cattle thieves.
train robbers and murderers, and 1t always
seems to me the route of the posse Is in
this territory Of which I speak. That Is
what has called my attention to this pecu-
Iier strip across the continent north and
south where these fellows seem to operate
most frequently. Even If their crimes are
committed far away, in the end we gen.
orally find them somewhere In the belt.
suppose the explanation of this Is simple
enough, in that 1t is the widest and least
settled part Of the country, and that In
time my crime belt will disappear from the
map. In the meantime, however, 1t Is the
first place toward which direct my search
when am called upon to find some fellow
who has killed a slow elk as we call the
range cattle In such cases: who has brand
ed calf that did not belong to him, who
has found some one else's horse at the end
Of his rope who has murdered q rancher
for his money, or who has stopped the over
land express and blown open the express
safe. ]. d. WHELPLEY.