Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1901-07-26
ExSheriff John Dunn Tell About That Famous
Country md Those no Inhab

munition, could exterminate an army Of
soldiers.
This admirable natural retreat is {;
veritable Garden OF Eden. Within this
walled fortress lies one Of the most
charmingly picturesque and fertile val
leys Of the west, Through the center
runs a silvery stream With numerous
branches. along which are situated some
very fine ranches. The valley Of the
Holc=in the Wall contains Il population
of probably some 30 souls. The men 70.
siding there, some of whom are married
and have families. took refuge therein at
The time IF the rus1ier war, and while
they have never done anything worse
than to steal cattle they are III active
sympathy With the Gurrie gang and
would fight for them tit the drop Of tho
hat and drop the hat themselves Some
5of them arc we'll fixed ana have large
herds of cattle.
s'lt is less than fifteen years since the
Hole ia the-Wall first attracted public
attention and it was not until tho famous
rustler war of Wyoming that 1t became
the rendezvous of cattle thieves and
brigands and the abiding habitat of some
Of their sympathizers. This war started
in 1890, being the hottest around Buffalo,
Wyo., and was precipitated by the big
cattlemen themselves. III is related that
we're in the habit Of gathering id every
thing they came across and that the
small outfits found II impossible to get 4
fair shake. Then began a systematic
system OF thievng and finally the tough
est Of those who had gotten their start
with good bull and a hot branding iron
organized and broke into the roundup,
took their brands therefrom and drove
off the mavericks. Then the rustlerHWar
began in earnest. The large outfits
blacklisted the small owners and made
it impossible for them to dispose Of their
cattle On the beef market The black
listed men, some of whom had been
working as coWpunchers for the big out
dts, canldn'tget employment any more
as,L big thieving took the place ef petty
5rceny. Thus were men made outlaws
through force OF circumstances.
s.The leaders Of this war on the part Of
he coWpunchers and small owners were
George Currie and companion named
tell. These were ably assisted by Cur
rvs two brothers and the Roberts boys,
Frank and Tom, said 10 be brothers and
also cousins OF the Curry boys. They
subsequently adopted the aliases OF Jones
and are now more generally known as
Kid Curry and Lonelaugh, and these
five, together with Tom O'Day and
Walter Pntney, formed the original
Hole -in-the= Wall gang, they being sub
seunently reinforced by other but less
dangerous coWpuncheGs.
This gang, upon the breaking out Of
the rustler war, captured 4 Hotchkiss
gun IN 1891 from q company Of soldiers
near Buffalo, Wyo 4ne retreated with
the cannon into the Hole. the Wall
where they planted it il the mountains
overlooking the the eastern entrance to
the natural rendezvous, and ii is the
general impression that tins huge piece
Of artillery is still kept il constant read
mess in case Of emergency.
The gang soon found cattle and horse
stealing a rather tame pastime and they
gradually graduated into thoroughbred
bandits. fearless for themselves and care
less alike Of other human life. Their
first exploit ia the way nf oank robbery
found its consum1nation id the little
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