The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-18
THB FIGHT OF THE RANCHERS
ATTACKS on HOMESTE4DEP<
SOME "DISAPPEARANCEs"
Homosteaders Occupy ing LANDS Pormev,,
iced for Grazing Purposes T,nd
Themselves IN Bitter Places ,np.,I
Made To the state Aurhor,t,s,

Made 20 the state Nurhor,t,,,
Western homeSteahs-s arr appealing
20 the Government and To the state an,
thorities from protection from the bug cat
! tlamen. who they say are creating A r.,y,
Of terror in an effort to force the NJ.
comers tn relinquirh their homssteads ana
get out 81 the country in order thar tho
cattlem"n's herds may have SuAr,.r,
range. BY the authorities ~ il CONSIDER
as the last stand 81 the cattle baron aearn.,
th" onward march 81 the home~teadar amt
ot civilization. Outbreaks and outrage.
against the settlers are being repo-r..i
from 50 many different sections that the
Government authorities believe A con.
spiracy exists To make IL hot" for tns
homssteadsrs in the cattle country. sav.
tho Omaha correspondent 81 the =, p,rI
Pioneer PROSE-
Last week Gov. Shallenberger received
an appeal from settlers near Bingham
Neb.. asking that their lives he protec.Nt
from the attacks Of oattlemen and tha,
the state prevent the latter from DESTROY
ing their property. The letter gave d.
tails of attacks which had been made upor
Henry \. Coulson. q. ID. Graves Row
Dimond and others. and twelve prominen,
cattle ranchers of the county were nAmed
n the assailants. These men are said n
have attacked the homesteaders whom
they covered with their guns and whnAa
farming machinery they smashed into
bitS. Then. after warning the settlers
that IL a second visit was necessary they
would all he killed. tho ranchers dispersad
making no effort 10 conceal their identity
This case has by direction ~ the Governor
been referred 10 tho Attorney General for
Investigation. Two works ago a nunhAf
II complaints were received from section.
~ the same county. Troubles NJ this
kind are not confined 70 Nebraska. az
across the line in Wyoming and up In Mon.
tana even more savage measures are being
prsCtiss-d against the homestAaders
Many settlers who have recently taken
M homcst"ads in certain parts Of thnsa
States have abandoned their filings en-
tirely and have gone into other portions
where thu country il settled up and
whore they have become renters instead
of homesteader~.
one Of the hotbeds Of homestead
troubles has been in the country near
Mullen. Neh.. whore the cattlemen have
for years been aggressive Because q
this fact there was much open Govern
Iuent land IN that district and many set
lers have alto mpted 10 take up home
steads around there. As an outgrowth
Of this trouble Oscar Hamilton. a Mullen
man who took the part Of the settlers
disappeared some months ago Later on
confession 81 one II those alleged 20 have
he"n implicated. Harry Mcintyre was
arrested charged with Hamilton's rrur-
az h. IN a. her Fk.sl
had been buried. and upon digging ~
that point q human body was disCov.
erred However,. none would or could
identify u ~ the body ~ Hamilton. and
Nolntyrc was not convicted
TOR several years tho Gait lar'en hAys
been very fuc"K and have caused oh.y
slight 'roUbl"- This was due parr
- ~" fact that fHr Eve years good ru ~
, Az" 'uil'E over ~" "utlr" cattle raising
section Of ~" STAT" producing grass n
d'gutan"" and making pa~fITag" 20
I '"u'riuI that carti" multiplied RAPIDLY
but jhls year very lIttl" ram mas Ial.cu.
grass has dried up and the ranges are IN an
extremely poor condition Instead n
grazing one head Of cattle on each two
acre IL" rAucher- have found Il necessary
To allow ten acres for each steer
For thus reason many ranChers have
e"n forced 20 sell large part Of Their
herds. especially IN s"ctions where hone
-teaders have euCruached upon the open
rang" The Cattlsmeu have come to know
that they must nave NOR. range or must
reduce n" ~iz" ~ their herds
u - - prevent further inroAds upon
' h" ranges hiCh they have used for -
many years that they look upon the land ~
belonging {" them that the hug cattlemau
ar" HShtInE IN" hOmrsteaders
For many wears the cattle harons car
rod On 20 strongly a campaign of lntIm Ia
ton that 'hs ranges acre practically
free from hpwe-tcaderz Then gradually
IN" s"trl"r- pushed into tho cattle country
and N" Government lnterfsred - pre-.
'"'' them from the Ca'tlemen Old Oul
John : Mostly. the famous Confederate
cav alrv loader. was sent into ~" short
Erass country. and IN ~ months ga'h"r'd
sufficient evidence - send a number - 90"
huld"st ~ The aRgTe--prs 20 prison
Tins action mad daWpeninR f"C' IG.1
he business ~ IntIuIdatIng "t'l"~- q b..
finding that they would he protected
moved oW 10 the ranges IN regular f., ~.
And the westward EXTENSION e o."
ram n,.lt making % unnecessary f1r ~"
CATH" raiser. - have 80 much land a..
ted IN" settlers 30 fia' IN" ,.''."'. e..
found ~ easier & N,-'p hands - rather
IN ~ 10 iigh' them
But nos conditions have changed. o."
'attl"tr"U ihd that they must nav. I"u~"
and and ds a r"s.Ilt the Old campaign =
intimidation - being r-op"n"d