Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-15
THE CATTLE DUFFER.
a Glass Of sRustIersv Once Numerous
I'm Australia, But of Late Yeara
Growing Scarce

The cattle duffer belongs to new
discriminating class. Happily so!
In bygone days, when settlement was
scanty, the country for the most part
wild and untenanted, and when big
squatters were the only pioneers Of the
vast interior pastoral regions, he -four
ished exceedingly, and drove his gay
but nefarious trade with fine dash
and recklessness and contemptuous
disregard of the police. His number
was then to be reckoned by the hum
dreds, says an Australian correspond
ence of the London Mail.
His methods were as follows: He
built himself hut in the heart Of
some great forest, situated within
measurable distance of two or more
big cattle stations. Near the hut be
constructed an enclosures paddock
surrounded with a dog-leg fence Ia
dog-leg fence is made by heaping the
trunks Of sapling trees about forked
stakes driven into the ground) These
paddocks always embraced stream
of running water, and were often many
acres in extent.
Having so provided himself, he der
scended on horseback at night upon
the squatting runs, armed with stock
whip and revolver, and what cattle he
could find he drove off to his fastness.
When his stolen herd had accumulated
to sufficiently brave proportions, as
sisted by servants and fellow-robbers,
he proceeded to alter their brands.
Roping and throwing the cattle one
by one, fcst the old brand was oblit-
Grated by applying q red-hot broad, fiat
soaring iron to the spot, and then, after
allowing time for the wounds to heal,
his own brand was imprinted on the.
scar. So treated, the proper owners
of the animals could never identify
them. The cattle duffer thereupon
drove his prey to the nearest market
and sold them at auction, often to the
very men whom he had robbed.
Sometimes he WAS caught red
handed by his enemies, the squatters,
and was convicted and imprisoned;
sometimes he was shot and persisted
miserably in the bush, the story of
his end known only to the man who
slew him, who wisely kept the Sc
cret to himself; but more often he
escaped scot-free, made much money,
retired from his lawless calling and
developed into squatter on his own
account. Many great colonial for
tunes have been so founded.
It is an open secret that the late
millionaire, James Tyson, Australians
richest pastoralist, commenced life
as a cattle duffer. knew one once
intimately myself, who died recent
" worth several hundred thousand
pounds. He was clerk of petty ses
sions in town of the New England
Palms. a respectable government
servant-but only in the daytime;
after dark he was prince of cattle
buffers, employing over 20 rascals, at
whose head he led many a wild mid
night raid in that rich squatting dis
trict.
For almost 20 years he carried on
this double life, his villainy unsus-
pected by the many, known only to
few, whose silence he purchased
with his tainted gold. He was ap-
pointed a justice of the peace, and
died in all the odors of sanctity. It
may interest Englishmen to learn
that he was Scot, a Highlander.
whose ancestors were famous COW
enanting chiefs, who gave much trou-
BILE to Lowland farmers in their day
/ have seen in his study rusted old
broadsword, which he declared had,
in the hand of an ancient grandsire,
cut off a lock of Greenhouses wig.
'sA Draw swipe," the old scoundrel
used to say, "but hardly canny-
Anither inch to left or right, and
Drumc1og would never hae been
focht."