The Greeley tribune., 1909-05-19
TRIAL FOR HORSE STEALING \
VlNDICATION
STRANGE RANGE CUSTOM
Farmers and RAnchers II NOrtherI'
Weld County In Habit Of Usiis
stray Horses for Their
Feed. Which win BE
Discontinued

In a trial Wnlcn la9teQ IroM
o'clock Friday until 3 O'Clock the
same evening. Dick Abbott. a dry
farmer from near Num-, wxs acQuit-
ted of the charge of horse stealing.
The preliminary trial created quite
sensation in the upper end OF the
county and some twenty farmers
came from that neighborhood to
stand by Abbott.
The district attorney did not han
die Abbott as an ordinary felon but
gave him the benefit of every doubt
in trying to establish his presump-
ton that the farmer intended to steal
the horse. From the evidence II
appears that few of the farmers
in that vicinity are in the habit OF
picking up range horSe or any ami
NAL that happens to stray upoh their
domains. and work It when In need
of an animal.
The horse belonged to Tom ONeil,
a rancher in the north part Of the
county, and was a wild horse which
had been roaming the plains 10 that
neighborhood for many months.
Abbott and his brother have each
a claim in the vicinity and the ami
NAL had been on their place many
times during the fail and winter
1t was finally picked up BY John
Slayton, a wealthy sneep owner in
the same vicinity. At this time Ao-
bott was working for Slayton. There
was some talk by Slayton about
working the horse as payment for
his pasture, but when roped the ami
NAL proved too wild.
When Abbott started to work on
his own ranch in April he went 10
the Slayton ranch and took the
strange horse. He broke him and
drove him for a couple of days and
on the third day while he waa driy-
ing the horse to a buggy. Vern Ell
liott, one of O'Neil's riders, cane by
looking for horses belonging to his
employer. When asked II thev had
seen any of O'Neil's horses. both the
Abbotts testified that they ansFered
yes and that they had one htched
to the buggy.
Elliott testified that they II not
answer yes until after he asks then,
u that was not one of O'Neifs horses
that they were driving. The Alb
bolts unhitched the horse and turned
it over to Elliott.
Elliott and O'Neil testified that the
brand on the horses cheek had been
smeared over with wagon grease,
which seemed to show that the Al
botts might have intended to keep
the horse.
The judge held that the intent
was not proven and he did not think
that Abbott would use the horse on
the main thoroughfare if he intend
ed to steal it. and that he had plenty
of opportunity in the six months
past II that was his motive.
When Abbott was discharged there
was as much Joy among the farmers
from the upper end who had remain
ed during the entire trial, as II Alb
bott had been buried and just come
back to life. They all shook hands
with the Judge and then with each
other and many of them forgot and
repeated several times.
Senator Carpenter and Herbert r.
Baker defended Abbott and covered
the ground as thoroughly as IL they
were in the district court.
One thing is certain, however, that
the farmers in that vicinity will
work no more strange horses.
One reason why Mr.. O'Neil pushed
the case was because of the fact TINT
he has lost six horses in the past
few months.