Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1908-06-18
ourWiTTEp BY cowpoYs.
Hemsstsaders Are at War With the
Stockmen In South Dakota.

hsmsstsaders Are at War With the
Stockmen In South Dakota.
The arrest q few days ago OF two
homesteaders residing in tho central
part Of Stanley county on the charge
Of shooting into the herd of . cattle
man and killing six cattle and wound
ing a number OF others, serves to call
attention to the growing bitterness be-
tween the cattlemen and homestsad-
ers OF Western South Dakota IL re-
lated by Harry Way, an old-tims cow
boy who has ridden the ranges OF that
part of the state for many years. One
night himself and a comrade knewn
as Candy" who was assisting him in
driving bunch Of sixty wild range
horses, approached one Of the frontier
towns and decided to go into camp fer
the night.
81 was night herding," said Way,
In relating the adventure. land as the
horses had all had ample to cat and
were quiet, most OF them lying down,
Candy rode to where | was and sug.
gested that we go to town and partake
of the good cheer at the town tavern.
consented. We remained in town
somewhat longer than we intended,
and it was pitch dark when we decid-
ed we had better return to our horse
and turn in for the night.
1--WE were riding along the road
through the darkness on our return
to camp when we were greatly sur
prised to meet large bunch of horses
which were going toward the little
frontier town.
Bunch of Horses.
Riding close to the vanguard Of
the bunch we discovered that they
were our bunch Of horses, and 1t
struck us as strange that they
should be wandering toward the east,
when range horses, when turned loose,
will invariably head westward, this
being one of the characteristics Of
wild horses from the range.
Candy and | quietly pulled to one
side of the road and let the horses go
by, and then dropped in behind them
to investigate and ascertain why they
were heading for town. AS we sus-
pected. we discovered that some Of
those 'grangers (the cowboy term for
farmers or homesteaders) were driv-
ing our horses into town. In that par
ticular locality they had law OF some
sort permitting them to take stray
stock and place them in the pound,
and then you find you have to pay a
dollar head for them before you get
them out, to say nothing of the DAM
ages they (the grangers) can invent,
that the horses are supposed to have
caused while they are loose.
"As there were about sixty horses
in the bunch, that meant sixty dollars
for certain, and as much more as they
could get out of us for damages But
we determined that those horses
should never reach the pound. In the
darkness the grangers did not notice
that the bunch had been increased by
two horsemen, and we took good care
to keep far enough away from them
SO they would not notice it.
1T panied me to think that honest
ANGELS COdlQ COACONL odCA q othOLhOt
and it was consoling to remember
that those sixty head of horses were
not yet in the pound, and the indica-
tions were that they were not likely to
get there, if only Candy would keep
Showing them along.
Fooled the Changers.
81 guess the grangers must have
thought that bunch of sixty horses
was a slow one to drive, for l kept
dragging along as slowly Is dared
without letting the grangers get too
close to me, and as long as they could
hear my horse just ahead OF them in
the darkness they evidently thought
the whole bunch of sixty was fst in
their possession.
After they had driven myself and
horse nearly to the town, and know
ing that Candy had the bunch in safe
ty by this time, concluded 1t was
time for me to make my get away,
so waking up my pony with the spurs
until | got good start, let out for
camp at lope, getting around by an
other road.
when | reached camp I found
Candy on the herd with the whole
bunch of sixty horses close at hand.
guess those grangers wondered how
on earth they came to lose that bunch
OF horses. They have never been able
to solve the mystery to this day, but
is any of them chance to read this ar
ticle they will discover how they were
outwitted by two innocent cowboys
who do not make any pretentions as
to shrewdness."