The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-02-05
SEARCHLIGHT GUARD
Electricity to Be Employed On
Western Cattle Ranges.
Same Power VIII BE utilised In nx-
seutinE Thieves When CAP
tured Instead of OLD style
Lynohing.


border ruffians, the ranchmen of RoutS
county, Col, have adopted novel plan
of protecting their herds OF cattle,
sheep and horses, says the Chicago
American.
Not only do the ranchmen fear the
raids of the ruffians, but the Indians
from the Utah reservation have made
things lively for them for months
past.
The robbers are experts at their
business. They know every canyon
and gulch that seam the grazing |
grounds and are as expert in dodg-
| ing pursuit as in changing the brands
on live stock. So thorough have they
become in their work that tho
choicest stock has been almost cleaned
| out for a radius of so miles, and no
sooner is a choice bull brought in
for breeding purposes than he mys-
teriously disappears AZ though
dropped into crater.
For months the ranchmen have had
nightly patrols. Capt. w. s. Seavey,
OF the Thiel detective agency, has
been at work on the matter, but the
thieves are too clever to be caught BY
ordinary means. Tracking Is almost
an impossibility, for it has frequent
ly been suspected that as soon as q
horse 10 stolen he is fixed up with
"mittens," padded shoes that are fire.
auently changed so as to elude pur-
suers.
Early in the spring when the night
riders were first put on the range 1t
was thought the problem had been
solved. But the trick only lasted long
enough to give the robbers time to
plan, for they set out pickets to watch
the riders and then got into the cir
Gle and picked out the choicest steers
/. and sleekest horses in the bunch.
: During the summer there was q
!; horse race at Craig in which very
!, valuable animal belonging to ranch.
man living about ten miles from town
was entered. The horse came from
good stock, but looked seedy and
A rusty from two seasons on the range
oil The gar 4 animal won the most excit
e ing race Of the day by long odds ant
j was popular favorite among thu
L cowboys and ranchmen.
g For two years the horse had ESCAPED
- the eyes of the robbers, or, possibly
looked too ragged to be Of value. Blu
that night she was stolen from tn
corral within a hundred yards Of he
a owners cabin. She was probabl
10 oriven north into Wyoming an
Z, clipped, after which the brands wer
III changed, the animal finally reachin
the market thoroughly disguised.
A few days ago the annual ROUNDUP
meeting was held near Craig, and tn
most important matter discussed wa
the reign of robbery that was ruin
thu ranches in Routt county. J. Due
e. ley Morton, who has an interest
ont of the large ranches in the viciI
ri. ity, but whose home is in Californi
ne wa, present, and he suggested pla
ill that met with instant favor and hi
ing already gone through the preliminar
Oh stages
.l' On Big Beaver creek, just about II
w. geographical center OF the robber-i
Il vested community, is waterfall
nearly 200 feet. The stream is new
"a. Try, winter or summer, and it is pr
lnu posed to install turbine wheel ar
,at tynamo and furnish currents Il
Eat searchlights to be installed on watt
0, towers on the four little hills that n
~ within mile OF two Of the falls.
,as, The SUBMITS of these hills commaI
anc unobstructed views of practically Z
the grazing land most tapped by q
thieves, and 1t is proposed to ke'
Il Efrht nj,
over the focks all night to detect
anu once any commotion in the herds
the presence of unwelcome visitor
Tor. It has been shown that five men w
vim supplant the 20 or 80 who now ri
lies, the range at night, and the cost W
por. be practically nothing in comparise
The Saving so head of horses in t.
ar years will pay for the entire plal
u's and the security from theft Of 9th
IT, i.a animals will more than pay operati
ero expenses, making the saving on t
the present range riders, at $35 mon
ct and board, quite respectable lite
oral 1t is proposed to have one man at
generating station and another
each of the four towers. These
turn will be connected by telepho
which will also be extended to
many of the ranches as possible,
'nnuh that, should anything suspicious
-. cur even at the outer edge OF
- lighted area, some persons can
= ar aroused to Immediately investigate
At. The men on the towers will,
d;no course, be armed with the new 10
asses distance rifles that will be effect
bout at least for soaring purposes up 4
here mile. A few sticks Of giant pow
,ided can be used for bombs to arouse
signs entire community in case OF necess
i the while the man at the generating
n in. ton will have his pony saddled
N at bridled, ready to start out on the "
nut of path as soon as needed.
here When the robbers are caught i
prior proposed to electrocute them with
well electric current instead OF lynch
nut in them the old-fashioned way.
wyer ~