The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-04-19
LAST OF RUs7LERs
MlnOt Trial Marks End of Law
leSsness in Dakota.
Days Of Organized Gangs Of Cattle
: Thieves Believed by Veteran Off
GERS to Be Thing Of the Past
members Driven Out.

back for over ten years met the other
day in Minot al the trial of the VIII
liams county horse stealing cases
which II is expected will mark the
end of organized rustling in NORTH
Dakota. S. ]. Small, sheriff of Valley
county, Mont, has been in office sever
years and prior to that time had KEEP
in touch with the work in his county
sid Bennett. his deputy, has proved
Invaluable through his knowledge oi
the country in which the gangs
worked and his acquaintance with
their habits and ethics, CLEANED from
10 years Of ranching in Montana.
Marshall Wells, now acting in Val
ley county, but formerly of the United
States Indian service, has record
that dates back for 20 years and nc
bad man" of the northwest has been
forgotten by this veteran of the ser.
vice.
To Sheriff E. B. Olson Of Williams
county, ~ D.. the last of the quar-.
yet, is due the credit for the capture
81 what is believed will prove to be
%ae last of the rustlers Sheriff Olson
assumed his duties with the object in
view Of wiping out the rustlers
ut is far different now" sond one
OF the Montana officers, reminiscently.
The days Of Jack Ryan, Dick Jones,
Smith and Parker and Fuqua have
passed into history and while there ID
an occasional lapse of memory on the
part of some farmer and some lonely
horse Is turned into the wrong mas
ture, there will never be any of the
sensational round-ups Of from 80 to
30 head or the excitement of the night
runs.
THE old timers had a system that
could not be worked now. They were
all old men in that part of the state.
We could tell who had done the lob,
but the next thing was to capture him.
All gangs had their friendly ranches,
where the stolen property could be
hidden and the men secure rest and
shelter. In the country along the Lit
tie Muddy and on the border of the
states were three camps that were sci.
dom successfully raided.
"Rebranding was common in those
days A figure five would be changed
to a letter b, half.moon would be
embellished with letter or a char
acter and it took a skillful eye to de-
tect the change. In many cases we
would kill the horse so as to examine
the inside of the hide.
In order to get information we had
to resort to many peculiar methods.
AT one time acted as a bartender In
a saloon three weeks so as to watch a
suspected rustler that ] afterwards
landed. Often the officials hired out
to ranchers under assumed names so
as to get in with the gang.
Many amusing incidents happened
in the capture of these men. |
remember eight years ago, when Kid
Trailer who has just been found
guilty here, was arrested for the theft
OF some grain and harness. Constable
John Moore made the arrest. Trailer
was scheduled to play at dance Civ
EN- by Ed Sherman that night and
Sherman made complaint to Dick
Jones, who was known as Gentleman
Dick Jones sadded his horse, held
up the constable and freed Kid and
took him back to play for the dance
Jones kidnapped a deputy sheriff
named King, keeping him for three
weeks at mental labor King escaped
and posse after posse started after
Jones, who had hidden in his dugout
In the Popular country.
Bird and Fig were the last two
government men on the trail and
We're notified to return when they
sighted him. They established them
selves at Handy's ranch when Jones
rode up and asked for shelter. The
first night he slept with six-shooter
in each hand. In the morning he wa
tered his horse with the two deputies
In front of him and it was not until
breakfast was served that he became
careless. Bird was cooking hapjacks
and Jones sat with his back toward
him and his gun resting in his lap
Bird saw his chance and grabbing
rifle. poked it into Jones back. Jones
reached for his gun and was shot in
stantly."
Tommy Ryan, who single-handeC
held up the Crosby bank two years
ago, is supposed to be on the Pacific
coast E'uaua. .Iontana man
charged with the theft OF SO head oil
horses. was captured in California BY
Sheriff Small, but on the way bach
Jumped through car window and
escaped. The sheriff followed him
through the opening. but lost him on
the plains.
The conviction Of Kid Trailer viii
end organized rustling in the north
west II Is believed. There was time
when Ward county was as badly in
Tested with these gangs as Williams
county was later, and ais Montana Ii
In some parts now. But the day Of
the organized rustler Is fast passing
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