The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-20
MANY STOLEN HORSES RECOVER.
ED IN CARBON COUNTY.
HAD NATURAL HIDING PLACE
Long Search Ends with Important
Discovery and Several Arrests
Others Expected.

Efforts begun a couple of months
ago to accomplish the arrest of
gang of horsethieves who have been
operating on the Grow reservation
and making their headquarters in Car
bon county were crowned with at
least partial success last week, when
custody and the officers are hot on
the trail of the remainder.
just how many horses the outfit
stole will probably be never known,
but it is known that the number
reaches into the hundreds. Among
the heaviest losers is E. M. Hunger
ford of this city, who during the sum-
mer lost between 20 and 80 head
1t was this loss that was one OIL the
reasons Mr.. Hungerford had for re-
signing from the service of the Moi
fett Telephone company, as he felt
that only by personally searching for
the missing animals could he ever
hope to secure trace of them AS
soon as he was at liberty he began
his hunt and last week was rewarded
with results, as he founa a number OF
his horses cached, also a lot belong
ing to other parties.
Had a Natural! Shelter.
The place selected by the thieves
for hiding their plumber was ideal
for that purpose. In the hills and
breaks west of the reservation line
are valleys and gulches OF various
extent Some of them have sides so
steep that it is almost impossible for
an animal to scale them. BY erect
ing fences in the narrowest parts the
"rustlers" had the advantage of COM
bined pastures and corralls, where the
stolen horses could feed and also have
plenty of water without danger OF
their straying away or being discover
ed, except by some one making spe-
cial search for them. The region
whereabouts is a wild one and it is
seldom that any person passes
through it, nobody caring to venture
into it, unless compelled to do so,
as it is a hard one to travel Through,
hncidnc hnino In Ill
dations.
Access to it from the east is by
way of a pass through the Pryor
mountains, made by Pryor creek.
This leads to Five Mile, between
which and Cottonwood are the hills
and breaks already described. To the
west is Clarkes' Fork.
Taken from the Reserve.
All the animals stolen were grazing
on the Grow reservation, near the
Pryor creek sub-agency. To the latter
is attributable the assistance given
by the government authorities, Sub
agent Van Hoose having rendered val
liable aid, both personally and by
detailing Indian police to help trail
the stolen stock and arrest the
thieves.
Feeling positive that the horses had
been driven to the west and that
they were concealed i'm the region
described, Mr.. Hungerford and the
| others directed their search in that
| direction He seems to have been more
successful than the rest, forf it was
he that discovered the ctche. He
also found another place where horses
We're kept and notified the deputy
sheriff at Bridger. Mr.. Van Hoose was
also notified and he sent a detail of his
police to the place. They waited
where the men had part of their
saddle horses and were rewarded by
capturing two men supposed to be a
| part OF the gang, which is believed
to have numbered four. The men
under arrest are Clyde Nelson and
| Frank Pearl
At last accounts it had not been
learned how many OF the stolen
| horses had been recovered, as no
effort had been made to count them
or remove them from where they had
| been put by the thieves. At least
| three belonging to Mr. Hungerford
had been identified and four others
belonging to James Boyd, while a