The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-06-13
MURDER ON THE RANGES
5Loo0Y STRIFE BETWEEN THE CAT.
TILE COMPANIES AND OTHERS.

Colonel John Mosby the famous
Confederate cavalry leader, who is
now special agent OF the Govern
ment IN charge Of United States lands,
has become a prominent and spectacu-
lar figure In the bitter fight for the
range that IS being waged by conflict
ing interests in the cattle and sheep
country Of the West. Colonel Mosby's
special duty is TO clear the Govern
ment land Of private fences-work
that requires courage Of high order,
for the annual sacrifice Of lives in the
Vests great range light is estimated
at 500 victims and death By assassina-
ton is the common lot of those who
dare oppose one faction or another.
Colonel Mosby, whose headquarters
are at Sterling, Col, the centre Of n
great cattle country, declares that
some of the cattle kings have fenced
in and appropriated to their own use
tracts of land larger than many Ger
man principalities. In defiance of the
law they have seized upon Govern
ment land, fenced it in, forbidden set
tiers to touch it, and have made them
selves wealthy from this illegal use Of
Uncle Sans property.
Near Sterling one big cattle company
built a fence which inclosed nearly
$4,000 acres 1t did not completely
inclose the land, but extended from
the Union Pacific to the Burlington
Railroad fences, thus forming a vast
triangle. In this space thousands Of
cattle were kept, only a few cowboys
being required to look after the i'm
mense herd. When Colonel Mosby or
dered the company to take down the
fence the objection was raised that
there had been no violation of the
law because only one side Of a triangle
had been inclosed Despite the fact
that the illegal fencing law has been
practically a dead letter for twenty
years, Colonel Mostly is insistent in
enforcing it, and he has stirred up the
cattle owners from the Rio Grande
to the Canadian line. The authorities
at Washington are standing by him
in his work in view of the steady en-
croachment Of cattle interests on pub
lie land in the last few years. 1t is
estimated that in the Alliance, Neb.,
district alone there are G146,200 acres
of Government land fenced in. This
land is worth nearly $10,0O0,000, and
on it the cattlemen have nearly AGO.,
600 head OF cattle
Few persons appreciate the siren.
Uous fight that is being made for the
possession Of the range in the West
ern country. The recent arrest of Tom
Horn, a noted scout and Indian fighter
! served to bring the subject sharply
before the public mind Horn, who
/ fought Indians under Crook and Miles
and who had charge of the pack train:
of the American forces in Cuba. is now
in jail at Cheyenne, charged with the
murder of Willie Nickel, son of &
settler who had incurred the enmity
of some big Wyoming cattle interests
incidentally, Horn is alleged to have
made a confession, in the hearing Of {
deputy marshal and a stenographer
in which he is said to have boosted
that he had killed other settlers ant
that a certain cattle company paiC
him so much a head for every foe wht
was removed from the range.
One of these mysteries of the range
which may never be solved, is the dis
appearance of Joseph Hartzell, o
Park County, Colorado. Hartzel
4 claimed the homestead rights on ceI
tain grazing land, and threats wer
made against him. He refused to b
frightened out of the country, AM
several months ago he disappeared
No trace of him has ever been found
though rewards have been Offered
He was wealthy, and his affairs wer
in such shape that flight was not to b
thought of in connection with his dis
appearance. A few months ago i
northwestern Colorado Matt Rush,
ranchman who had settled in a fin
grazing country, was killed while h
was eating supper in his cabin. Somt
body had crept up to the building an
fired through a crack in the log
Rush's partner, James Dart, was she
dead when he stepped out of the cabil
In Wyoming the killing of IL
Nickel boy was preceded by the mu
der of two ranchmen in the Ire
Mountain district These men wei
shot down in cold blood, one of the
being shot as he entered his Gait
corral. The Nickel boy was shot NJ
far from his fathers cabin The eld
. Nickel had been repeatedly warnt
to leave the country on account
trouble with cattle owners. H
> fences had been cut and he h;
threatened to retaliate by poisoniI