Perth Amboy evening news., 1903-12-16
.DYNAMITING SHEEP.
Ruddled Animals Thus Destroyed
by Cowboys.
western CattIemen WnEe War Upon
Herdcrs and FIOcks because :
of Destruction TO the
Ranges.


'The great secret Of the fortunes
made in the stock industry in the last
lew years has been free range" rays
Charles Morsau Harger in, the Outlook
over q vast territory, extending 0
he open plain Of Texas upthrough Okla
homa, Kansas, eastern Colorado, Ne-r
braksa and Wyoming to the states along
the northern border, reached %unending
leagues of grass. Most Of it even went
% waste because there were none TO
take it. On this the herds and f1ocks
fed, and there was plenty for all. But
the settlers pushed further into the
west; Oklahoma added other areas OF
Indian land; irrigation took from the
land at the base Of the foothills-the
Etockman found that he was being linz
tied in his free pasture. He tried TO
iriye out the settler, but in vain; per-
secutions and the destruction OF crops
were met by laws like the 'two-mile
limit statute. keeping the agriculturist
Fafe. The sheepmsn went on with his
flock and took the range as he came to
1.-THE cattleman could not follow, Tor
the cattle would not eat after the sheep
So the cowboys declared war on the
shepherds. and sought to limit their
range. To some extent this has been
done: but the conflict is bitter. resulting
in blocdshed and deeds of in~toierable
cruelty-nor is it yet ended. ltistempt-
ing for the sheepman to move to new
pastures at the risk of attack, even
though he knows that a cattleman mas
llorg been in possession and will fight
TO maintain his place; for it is well UNI
derstood that the range is open to all
"a western authority says hat in the
last ten years 600, 900 sheep have been
wantonly killed by cowboys, at a loss TO
the owners of 81, 000, 1000. 1t is also esti-
mated-no one can tell surely, for all
the tragedies of the range do not come
to light-that 500 man killings have an
nually accompanied the sheep Killings
/ sometimes the settlers, whose home
ere threatened, make common aus
with the cattlemen and join In N
lslaughter. Only last July a band q
masked men. mounted, killed the herd-'
ers of several thousand sheep in Central
wyoming and killed thousand OF the
lsheep. In addition, 65, 600 sheep. which
lwera near by. were left without herders
q and were scattered on the hills. result
= ling further loss. Riiemen surround
lGocls and kill every sheep. driving a
: the herdsrs>.A flock of 5000 Anfax
e goats YVES
August. The papers
: 1.-The Terrible devastation prcdueed- by
dynamite thrown among the huddlsd
bands of sheep. the explosion ending the
, existence Of whole focks, and some
times killing the shepherds as we'll. The
:, cattlemen throw these deadly explosives
! from some height, or charge on horse
back into the frightened focks for their
' scheme Of wrath. FIocks have been
; driven into narrow canyons and dubbed
F.. to death: they nave been hurried over
: precipicss and destroyed. One man
: fought the battle for years, finally, after
= losing $4,000 sheep giving up the range
for which he c~ontended.
'eThe settler who 'homesteads' a claim
L in the edge of the free range has one
:, great terror-what if the locks or here's
u should comet He knows that tie crcrs
| SO carefully tended would sc. the garden
q would be made desolate. He has re-
: course through the law to be sure, but in
q the wilder portion Of the west it is some
times a slow process.
; Recently the government has issued
: an order that the sheep must be kept on
Z tho forest reserves, the last refuge OF
Il the wandering iocks and their worried
: owners. These were the only lands OF
which the cattle were not generalZ
grazed. so the shesp were turned in. IEA
they destroyed the ~shrubbery in IT,
II efforts to gain s~ustenance, and so ~
o order went out TO stop such pracg
There seemed to be no choice but td4f|
n conclusions with the cattlemen a&N8
+ and hcstilities opened with renk
vigor. The miners and camperSNs
hunters try to keep stock out Gift
~ mountain parks. and the bound
- constantly grow less for the wanGe@ Nj
of the locks and herds. The ranT1J
: becoming thin, too. The grass is Nd
pastured. and, in the opinion of *
stockmen. does not to-day give z I
= than half the sustenapce that IL
decade ago. Various plans are-pF2
: to renew it, but they are as yet In en-
bryo, and DO not help the man with hug
focks of sheep that must be fed. Il
the end there must be q most extern
/ sive leasing or ownership of the grazing
| lands. and the rights of possession mus
be obeyed. Until that time comes the
conflict for the free feeding grounds
will rage"