The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-03-31
WILD HORSES.
BY Thousands They are Overrunning
Government Forests Of Nevada
And Other States.

~overrunning the government Nationa
Forests Of Nevada and neigllborin!
States, and the authorities in Wash
ington are bcseigcd with petition.
from stockmcn and farmers beegins
them to put a stop TO the nuisance. 4
recent dispatch from Reno conveyed
the intelligence that there are fiftccr
thousand of the unframed beasts upol
the Tioyabc, Toquina and Monitor
forest reserves in Landor count,
alone. and that orders have been re.
ccived by the forest rangers to begit
a systematic war Of determination up
on them. This dispatch, although
twisted rs to facts, does not cyagger.
ate the number Of horses now suppos.
cd TO be roaming at large in the dis
tricts mentioned. AS a matter Of pro-
bablc truth there are a good many
more than fifteen thousand wild
horses in Nevada and the n%eighborine
States, and every herd is a pest to
the owners Of vegetation and domcs-
tic stock.
The part of the Reno telegram
which is not true is that relating to
the orders sent from Washington.
Neither the forest rangers nor any
other employees Of the government
have been told to destroy the horses,
and unless they do receive such or
dcrS they will confinc their energies
I" Fencing crops from the trcspasSiny
animals or %roundin" them up when
they appear and threaten damage to
the range. Indeed. if half the stories
brought TO the capital are true. all
the rangers in Uncle Sans service
would have little chance Of DESTROY
i'll" the big herds that are roaming
over The Western States.
Within the last few wears they
have increased to such an extent that
in many localities they are claSScL as
'varnants.' with wolves. wildcats
and grizzlies, and every mans rifle
is turned against them. No fence is
strong enough to stop these horses,
and when they appear in force they
have been known TO knock down and
kill COWS and calves. After each visi-
tation from Il herd the ranchman is
likely to mourn the loss Of his domeS-
tic horses, and it requires only a few
days. association with their new com
panions for the best broken animals
to become as wild rs their nomalic
comrades.
\ study of the wild horse problem
brings to light many interesting facts
about the animals. The legislature
or Nevada. it seems, passed a law
many years ago specifically allowing
hunters to shoot wild horses and tc
sell their hides for what they could
get in the open market. The law open
cd the way to a new and unusual in
dustry, and many men found the kill
ing ofwild horses very profitable. Be-
sides the work was exciting and gave
the business the added zeal Of sport.
AS time went on and the business
Of killing these "outlawS" las the
wild horses were often tcrmed) on the
ranges assumed greater and greater
proportions, stockmcn found that th,
professional hunters were. in MANY
eases, abusing their rights AMI were
killing branded and shod horses. This
put an end TO the business. for on
complaint of the stockmcn the Neva.
da legislature promptly repealed the
law. It is estimated that $4,000 ami
mails were killed during the time that
the law was i'm force. This FIGURE
gave the basis for last weeks story.
The report. however. had good has,
is of fact. for the wild horse question
mas grown to be as serious in the last
few years rs it was when the Nevada
legislature was forced to enact the
old law. The United States forest
sarvicc has not given orders for the
killing Of a single horse because i!
has no right to do so. The forest of,
fcerS of the Nevada national forests
realize how bad conditions are, and
will do anything to assist the stock.
men to put down the nuisance.
Any one who finally discovers ar
effective method to settle this problem
will have done a great service for tn;
stockmcn Of every State west of the
Missouri River. As an old and OK,
pcricncrd stockman. now in The en-.
nlnv OF Encln Sam. said nG thic wild