The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-04-15


of the unbridled variety; i
bad men whose chief business was to q
start graveyards. and the glad primeval g
lawlessness that prevails when worlds
are new. ~
Not so meny years ago the Panhandle
waa distinctly a world apart, and new
one. With No-Man's Land on the north.
Indian Territory on the east and New
Mexico on the west civilization could
come only from the SOUTH and 1t did not
come very fast. Indeed there was still
plenty of territory in that direction to
be subdued-two or three tiers of coun-
ties in fact-before the Panhandle would
be reached. &c. 1t was place apart
an isolated fertile land, justifyng the as
sertion of tramp that he had lost $780,
600 there in one year by not having cat
tie to eat up the grass.
The cattle came in due time, fighting
back the Apache and the Comanche, pro-
tected by Rangers from Fort Griffin, &C
companied by stockmen of every nation.
cowboys of every grade and criminals Of
every breed. That was wild epoch
chaotic and Picturesque time of indi-
vidual administration and untempered
justice. |
1t was also a time of mighty domain.
Ranches there were as big as some king
uOmS Ou0, the N. L. LIZ, covered SOOQ /
portion of the northern part of the Pan
handle. Another, the Matador, spread n
itself into five counties. When settle NJ
ment became thicker-when there were
ranch houses not more than 25 to 80
miles apart-offical allotment of the ID
lands was made Then there was grand II
gobble. The big stockmen fenced every Il
thing with little regard for boundaries
and less for the law.
With such examples as these in high
places, 1t is not strange that general indif-
ference to legal rights and possessions pre-
vailed. Next to cattle-raising, cattle-stealing
was the chief industry. The cowboy proper
was not concerned in such work. He was like
ly to be a clean-handed, Straightforward, even
if reckless, individual honest according to his
lights. True, loyalty to his employer might
render him trif1e Indifferent as to brands and
marks when strays mixed with the herd, but
it was the employer and not the cowboy who
profted by such laxity The cowboy was a
retainer who would fight for his ranch, would
die for it when circumstances seemed to re-
quire such sacrifice, and the Increase of the
ranch herd by any means short of actual raid
and theft was a custom which bore relation
to disrepute. But individually the cowboy was
likely to be the soul of honor and good nature,
troublesome only on holidays when he was
moved to ride into the nearest settlement,
drink up all the whisky he could buy, and then,
with six-shooter drawn, go careering up and
down the streets, shooting in random direc-
tons, explaining meantime with noisy and
repetitious adjectives that he was bad man
very bad man from very far up the creek.
The Panhandle was full of bad men in the
early nineties Most of them had graduated
from other schools of crime and found here
a last resort. Some of them-a good many of
them-had obtained official positions and were
outlaws and deputies by turns, or worked con-
junctively as both. AS a rule they were in one
way or another associated with a gang.
Local authorities, even when conscientious,
were poorly equipped to cope with such an ele-
ment, and it was for Company Ranger Force.
consisting of eight men with quarters at ANA
rillo, Capt W. j. Mcdonald commanding, to
police this vast wilderness, and to capture and
convert or otherwise tame, its undesirable
citizens
Soon after McDonald's appointment he was
notified of marauding band that across In
Hutchinson county, were committing the usual
crimes. They had burned the hay belonging to
a ranchman on Turkey creek-several hum
dred tons in quantity-they had cut his wire
fences: they had killed COWS for their calves,
butchered beef cattle, cut out brands-in a
word, they had conducted the bushes of cat
tie stealing and general depreciation on large
scale.
Taking portion of his force, Capt. Melon
aid went over to investigate. There seemed
to be a good deal of mystery concerning the
identity of the offenders; but mystery of that
sort does not stand very good chance when
1t is operated upon by man with eyes like
those of Capt. Bill and with nose and a pair
of ears of his peculiar pattern. nj short time
he had identified one member of the band in a
young man prominently connected in that Sec
ton This young fellow-a dupe, no doubt, of
professional cow thieves, whose glittering repu-
tation as bad men had dazzled him-was the
son of an able and reputable lawyer, member
of the state legislature The son, supposed to
be a cowboy, had become in reality an outlaw.
Capt Mcdonald took him in charge one
day. questioned him, and secured sufficient evil
dence to file complaint. The prisoner was
turned over to the sheriff of Hutchinson coun
ty, and Capt. Bill pursued his investigation. He
located a bunch of stolen calves, herded in the
brakes of the Canadian river, guarded by an
other member of the gang. The calves were
"hobbled and necked" and their mothers had
been shot as an easy method of getting rid OF
them. Capt Bill found the dead cows in near
by canyon. and he brought man who had lost
number of mich cows and calves to iden-
tify the property. 1t was no vary difficult mat
well as his own children. One after another
the missing members of the band were brought