Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1908-191?, 1910-03-22


izations ever known-Invited his
special attention to their herds
and contributed a monthly ac-
acknowledgement OF $780, which, with his MINER
GUS fees. made his income an ample one
often as large $500 a month--sometimes
double this amount
Among the members OF the association was
Sam Lazarus Soon after McDonnids ar.
rangement with the cattlemen Lazarus was
sending herd of perhaps thousand head
INTO Kansas. driving them across she Terri
tory. Pat Wolforth-was in charge of this herd
and when just beyond the Territory line, in
very lonely district. met with misfortune
One evening near nightfall the cattle sud.
denly became frightened. doubtless by some
device OF the outlaws. and wolforth and his
men found II impossible to control them. A
general stampede followed and Lazarus cattle
were scattered over the prairies and through
the Businesses OF the Strip--a prey to the
spoilers lying in wait every hand II was
a heavy disaster and there seemed little hope
OF much in the way OF recovery
Bill Mcdonald took no such view OF the
situation. With Pat Wolforth he imm ediatey
visited the scene of the stampede and began
looking for cattle with the "DiamDnd-tail"
such being the trademark of the Lazaras herd
II wafea tickish undertaking Some of the
cattle had been butcherad and they, OF course
were lost. Others had been absorbed by the
engaged I'm COW stealing. were IN nowse par
ticular as TO whose cows they got and well
coined anything that browsed unguayded on
the range.
Mcdonald began by prevailing upon the
honest ranchmen in that section to Join at
once in general roundup by which means a
great number of cattle could be collected and
distributed to their rightful owners.
1t mattered little TO Mcdonald and VOL.
forth where they found the Damond-tail brand
they took the cattle: peaceably II possible
forcibly IL necessary. II was sudden and
energetic procedure and resulted in the recov-
cry of the greater number of the lost drove OF
Lazarus
1t resulted further in a definite plan by Bill
Mcdonald for the dscouragement of cattle
stealing in the Territory and for the capture
of those most actively engaged in that In
dustry. The back country was very sparsely
settled and the Indians and halfbreed whites
and negroes we're not especially interested In
law and order even where they were not dl-
rectly concerned In opposing these things
Nearly all. however made a pretense OF
agricultural employments. There were towns
of considerable size. and rairoads--the latter
affording liberal returns now and then when
some train was waited upon In lonely place
and the express messengers, mail agents and
passengers were invited at the point of six
shooters to contribute TO highway develop
ment fund.
Bill Mcdonald decided to break up this ssrt
of thing and set about It in way suggested
by his own peculiar genius Investigation
must be conducted openly and yet in a way
TO avoid suspicion.
Returning TO Quanah and Wanderers creek
Mcdonald allowed his beard 10 grow mutton
chop fashion. bought paint horse" "a spot
ted pony). an old tenderfoot saddle. such as
plainsman would never use-and book with
pretty pictures of fruit in it-a nurseryman's
plate book the kind fruit tree salesmen
always carry. Then, dressed as unlike an ofn
Ger or a cowmnn OF a Texan as possible. with
these properties he set out. TO all appearances
genial. garrulous, easy going tree man. will
ing to sit around all day and whlttle and swap
knives and yarns and to express any kind Of
interest or sympathy necessary TO encourage
a man to tell his business ventures ana those
OF his neighbors.
II was a pleasant excursion enough. No
fruit tree man had been through that section
before-none had ever dared, or perhaps
thought II worth while to go. McDonald's ex
cursion proved that profit awaited the seller
of trees who should first make that wilderness
his territory. Most Of those bad men had
been fairly good boys at home at some time
in the past and the sight of those luminous
plates, presenting fruit of extravagant size
and coloring, made their mouths fairly water
at the thought or its cultivation by the door
way of their own dugout OF sod house or log
cabin. They turned the pages lovingly and
fingered over the wonderful plums and pears
-nd peaches. A. they twrsh Ney talked and