Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-13
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4S2 Ninth Street.

American citizens ever went unhung Their
protests finally developed into downright
ia"iesshesS. so that no property was safe;
ponies were stolen. cattle run Off or Killed
ana IL became necessary for the rancn
owners to organize for mutual protection
lhey met. less than half "A score of quiet
determined men. in a little frame shanty
on the east side OF the river, where the
town of Medora now stands
Ii was openly limited that certain dep
uty sherin was in collision with the out
law element. He and a number of his
.tiehos We're present as sneering specta-
tors. After few preliminaries the Little
Missouri Stock Association" was formed
with Theodore Roosevelt as president
ne iditer then got up and addressed the
meeting. or rather. addressed the sheriff
never IN the history of the frontier has
such speech been listened to- He openly
accused the sheriff of incompetence ana
dishonesty. and with the reflected light or
the officers pearl-hsndled revolver at his
belt MASKING across his glasses. the speaker
for his trust
1t is one thing to deliver a fiery accusa-
ton OF general or personal charge before
crowded meeting of law-abiding citizens
II Is another to stand coolly before a silent
handful of frontiersmen and openly accuse
one OF dishonesty. Death stares a man
closely in the face who attempts 1t, for
these men. bred in isolation, are sensitive
to the quick of their personal honor. and
an accusation that would be laughed at IN
a convention hall would eat out mans
heart here. Standing. with downcast head.
TIE sheriff said never a word. but his pres
tige was gone.
That was the beginning of the end The
sway of the bad man" gradually gave
way before the ranchman. Most Of these
were young men controlling eastern capt.
tal-men of education and intelligence.
The Custer Trail" ranch. owned by the
Eaton brothers Of Pittsburg, was located
few miles north of the Maltese Cross,
yt-iN 70 fha tRNr q, nf No.
Lloyd Roberts, and farther on my own.
Great Loss of Cattle
In the fall of 1886 more than 100000 head
of cattle ranged in the lower Bad Lands.
along the Little Missouri anc tributaries.
During the preceding four years all had
been prosperous. and the cattle increased
to the danger point. The summer had been
intensely hot and dry. the sun baked river
billiard tables. Old ranchmen shook their
heads ominously at the prospect: hard
winter would mean heavy loss, for not
ounce of hay or provender stood between
the cattle and their ability to rustic for
themselves.
And it came-closer and closer those
grim, scar-faced old Bad Lands clutched
at the threats of the interloperS Blizzard
after blizzard, storm after storm. shrank
and wasted the splendid herds to ghostly
shadows: the place was a boneyard Thou
sands after thousands of fine cattle lay
down and died of sheer starvation. With
out mercy that dreadful winter chung on.
until the late dawning of spring saw only
a few wasted shadows where before had
ranged splendid herds.
The Bad Lands were n charnel house.
Many owners were stripped bare, while
others saved but a fraction. Some gath
ened up the remnants and moved away,
while others took their own or borrowed
money and bravely began again.
Roosevelt WAS one of these. Although
he never again visited the ranch, he had il
restocked. \ few years ago he sold out his
interests to his trusted manager, Sylvane
Ferris, who continues to run the Maltese
Cross cattle, now cut down to few hun
dred head.