The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-12
OLD TIME FEUD.
(contInued ffom &c u

and Dewey ranches. 1t IS dated teDfQ-
airy Z and is as follows:
State of Kansas. County of Rawlins, IS.
Percy z. Walden, of lawful age, be
ing sworn. upon his oath states. [ am
now and have been since the 18th day
of December, 1901, the resident manager
and in charge of what was formerly
known as the Glover ranch and is now
known as the Rockefeller ranch. in
townships and >. ranges So and 81, of
RaWlins county, Kansas, and during all
said time have resided on said ranch
and personally superintendent the opera
tions thereon
Said ranch consists of about 13, 500
acres of land. owned or leased and is
enclosed by about 40 miles of good and
lawful fence consisting of posts and
four barbed wires.
Shortly after I took charge. of said
ranch, c. P Dewey, who occupies the
adjoining ranch. which is managed by
Chauncey Dewey, the son of c. p.
Dewey turned his cattle within the
Rockefeller ranch by opening the gate
and driving said cattle therein, and
went 10 said Chauncey Dewey at his
headquarters on his ranch and asked
him to remove his cattle and he replied,
I'm not going to do it. Those cattle
are going to stay right there" And
Dewey further So id. We intend to have
for our range the territory between the
Rock Island and the Burlington rail-
roads and from Atwood to the Colorado
30 miles and consisting practically Of
Cheyenne and Rawlins counties and the
north half of Thomas and Sherman
co1lnties) and thereafter said Dewey
over my protest, by force, kept about
120 head Of cattle within the enclosure
OF the Rockefeller ranch until about the
last of February, 1902, when they were
removed and about so head of mules
turned in, and therein maintained by
! force of arms.
turned said mules out several times,
WhereuoOn his man drove them bacN
and said to my men. and came to my
house and one Of said DeWey's men salu
to me, Il have order to fire on the nfSt
man Z catch turning those mules cut.
and ] intend to carry out my instrGe-
tons" Said man was one W j. Nc
Bride and was then armed with Win
chester rifle and a SlX-ShoCt3r- SAID
mules we're by said Dewey so kent on
said premises until during the month
/ Of September 1902, when having CT
three separate occasions destroyed
large quantities of cane, l put up SAID
mules for said tresDass, Whereupon one
/ Lewis Mcbride, an employe of said
/ Dewey. armed with a rife, demanded
said mules and said I'm going to have
I these mules if I have to use this rife.
/ have orders to use it and I am not
going to be a bit backward about it.
The possession of the mules being re-
ing, my employe, said Mcbride drew his
rife from his scabbard and presenting
+ it at said Drabing said, I'll see if I
don't get those mules"
! The mules still being refused hin,
said Mcbride then departed and vas
afterwards arrested and fined five dol :
/ lars for his offense.
/ Afterwards said mules were takea
UP by the sheriff of Rawlins county
uDon writ of reolevin and returned to
! So i'd Dewey, and were tfen again turn
/ cd upon said Rockefeller ranch and
said w. J. Mcbride said he had
said mules uDon said premises and he
intended keeping them there" Saiu
! Mcbride was then armed with a Wins
chester and a six-shooteF
During the whole year 1902 and uu to
and including the 20th day of January.
4 1908, gangs of men in the employ Of said
Dewey, usually armed with Winches-
tel's and six-shooters, have frequently
maliciously and unlawfulfy over my
protest and remonstrance. cut the fence
on said Rockefeller ranch and usually
cutting all the wires every two posts for
4 distances ranging from two rods -
three and one-fourth miles they have
wired back the gates, have erected
! fences within the inclosure. and other
4 wise tresoassed upon said premises.
They have being armed with six-shoot
ers and Winchesters, driven the cattle
4 belonging to said Rockefeller off the
! Rockefeller ranch and three and orc
4 half miles from said ranch and Chaun-
! cey Dewey himself refused to let nv
J EAAtl0ytS nave SdlQ cattle until driven
beyond tract of land belonging to said
] Dewey. and then told said employa.
I'd Tucker. that he could have said cat
4 tie but in driving them back thew rnIsr
not pc allowed to vary more than FL
teen feet on either side of the road
and when said Tucker had secured Her
schel Bannister, Frank Drabiae an.
td Beeson to help drive said cattle TIVE
Or Dewey's employees followed to an
! FORCE the orders above stated
The fences cut by Dewey and his mon
4 were placed one foot inside the line To-
I Gated by the county surveyor of Raw
inns county as the line bounding the
4 premises owned by said Rockefeller and
all Of the land trespassed upon as here
lnbetore stated was al all times herein
stated and now is in the peaeeabIe pos
session of said Frank Rockefeller a nd
under my control
Af7ant further states that the last act
OF fence cutting was on the 18th, 18th
ana 10Th Of January 1903, and occurred
IN the following manner: Afiant on the
10Th or January, observing two men cut
ting fence on said Rockefeller ranch.
! went toward them and they went away.
ana shortly returned in connection with
o o employees OF said Dewey. making
/ i've in all. and then and there armed
with Winchesters and six-shooters
they informed the affiant that they had
instructions from Chauncey Dewey to
cut sald fence and they intended to dc
IT, And thereupon. by force of arms
each of them began cutting said fence
and for distance of about three and
one-fourth miles cut each Of the four
wires OF said fence on each side of every
post. PERCY z. WALDEN
Judge Evans affidavit is with refer
ence to injunction proceedings brought
to keep the Deweys off the Rockefeller
ranch and from cutting Rockefeller's
fences. Incidentally he scores Tudee
Hamilton for refusing to make the in
junction permanent
Fred Robertson. in his affidavit. as
serts that the Deweys have a consider
able amount of government land fenced
in their ranch contrary to law.
B. P. Finley's affidavit asserts thai
he was told by people about the coun-
try that the Deweys were overrunnine
the whole country, making it undesirs-
ole for people TO live there and thereby
compelling them to sell their land
cheap.