Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-12-26

W.,
Downs are the grindstone's companion.
Armed with the information derived
from Downs the posse rode south to
the mouth of Lodge Pole Creek, where
there were several "rustlers' located,
and in the early morning light three of
them were captured and strung up on
some cottonwood trees which sur
rounded the cabin where they had
lived One of the hempen ropes with
which the hanging was done swung in
the breeze for many years, and per-
haps is there yeti was up to FIVE
years ago.
Some of the cowboys in the posse
began to get more than they had bar
gained for, and wanted to quit the
business, but "Flopping Bill' pointed
out to them that they would be hanged
by the civil law if their share in the
impromptu hanging was known. and
that, together with other cogent rea-
sons, prompted them to remain.
The next bunch of rustlers was To-
Gated along the Missouri. They passed
as woodchoppers, and large number
of them had a rendezvous at Long
Johns Bottom on the Missouri, a short
ways below the mouth Of the Mussel-
shell "Flopping BilPs" posse came
upon the camp early one morning, and
was discovered by the horse herder,
whom they promptly shot, and charged
upon the camp. There was a block
house with a stable attached, belong
ing to the rustlers, but most of them
were sleeping in tenrs, and when the
shooting began one of them was snot
while getting to the blockhouse. Once
there they oefied the posse, and it was
only by strategy that they were dis
lodged. While the posse kept up hail
OF bullets against ,ne house, one of
grass and set fire to the stable, and it
in turn fired the blockhouse. Just how
many rustlers were killed will never
be known, but there were at least IL
in the house and six were taken pris-
oners, while one escaped.
The one who got away was Dixey
Burroughs, a half-breed, and we'll
known in northern Montana. Bur-
roughs managed to get away from the
house. and was stopped by one of the
outer guards, but dropped behind log
and at the fourth shot managed to get
his man, and escaped. Who the cow
boy was that was shot has never been
divulged. He was buried where he
fell and a hint given that nothing was
to be said about it.
That night "Flopping Bill" went
away and during the night number
OF men rode up to the camp of the
cowboys, and after a sham bat
morning their bodies were decorating
the cottonwoods, on the east end of
Long Johns Bottom. "Flopping Bill"
0me back and said the men who had
taken the prisoners were posse from
Miles City-and nobody inquired fur
ther.
When Dixey Burroughs escaped he
crossed the Missouri on a raft, and met
old man James and his two sons, Dick
and Jim, together with two others.
This part of the gang had not been
home when the cowboys called, and
when Dixey told his story they saw
that there was death in the air, and
started down the river on raft. They
knew the cowboys were after them and
that they would be shown no mercy,
and so when near Poplar, they surren-
dered to sergeant and detail Of
Int nd
to be taken to Fort Maginnis for trial.
The sergeant and his detail started
with the prisoners for Maginnis, and
early the third morning they awoke
to find themselves in the nands OF a
dozen masked men.
Hitch up your outfit and drive
straight on" said the leader of the
party, land we will not injure you at
all; refuse and we Will kill you all.
The prisoners are ours"
The sergeant, whose name is not re-
called-the whole affair appears in the
records of the post during this year
hitched up and drove on as requested,
and the dozen masked men were left
behind. The prisoners were never
seen again, except that couple of
years ago an old-timer told a story of
meeting Dixey Burroughs over the
Canadian line, and he said he had
been spared his life by promising to
leave the country.
After this the hansings were desul-
tory, but the aggregate for the two
months of September and October 10
believed to have amounted to about
thirty. The cowboys would be riding
the roundup, and some night word
would go around and in the morning
20 Of them would be gone for a day or
a week, and no questions asked.
That winter, it is related, crowd of
men rode up to the place where the
cowboy vigilante crew were quatered,
and served notice that every one Of
them must leave the country or die.
The majority of them left, and have
met death in one way or another, but
there are still two or three of the