The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-02-15
HORSE RUSTLERS
MAKE LAST STAND
MlNoT TRIAL WILL MARK END
OF LAWL EssNEss, SAY
sLEuTHs.

and holdup artists Of the toughest kim
dates back for over ten years, me
this week in Minot at the trial of thu
Williams county horse stealing case.
which 1t is expected will mark the enc
OF organized rustling in North Dakota
;. J. Small, sheriff of Valley county
Montana, has been In office sever
years and prior to that time had KEN
IN touch with the work in his county
sid" Bennett, his deputy, has proven
| invaluable through his knowledge o,
the country in which the gangs work.
ed and his acquaintance with their
habits and ethics, CLEANED from fifteer
years Of ranching in Montana.
Marshall Wells, now acting in Val.
ley county, but formerly of the United
states indian service, has a record
that dates back for twenty years and
no bad man" of the northwest has
been forgotten by this veteran of the
service
To Sheriff e. b. Olson Of williams
county, North Dakota, the last of the
quartette, is due the credit for the
capture Of what Is believed win nrove
to be the last of the rustlers. Sheriff
Olson assumed his duties with the OBJ
ject in view Of wtping out the rustlers
Not Like old Days.
1T is far different now" said 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 is
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 roundups OF from thirty to
fifty head or the excitement of the
night runs.
1.-THE oldtimers 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 har their friendly ranches
where the stolen property could be hid
den and the men secure rest and shell
ter. In the country along the Little
Muddy and on the border of the states
were three camps that were seldom
successfully raided.
"Rebranding was common in those
days. A figure five would be changed
to a letter b, half moon would be
embellished with a letter or a charac-
ter and it took sldllful eye to detect
the change. In many cases we would
kill the horse SO as to examine the in
side of the hide, &C., 1
Regular Code of Ethics.
These gangs had their code of
ethics 1t was an objectionable sin to
ask AMMAN where he had been, where
he was gSinE or where he had obtained
his horse. 1t was considered needless
to examine the brand on horses other
than your own, and If you did it was
better you forgot It, Ranchers
throughout Montana often afforded
to the rustlers. not
through choice, but because they knew
that if they did not they would suffer
loss.
'In order to get information we had
TO resort to many peculiar methods.
AT one timeI 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 haupened
In the capture of these men, remem-
Der eight years ago, when Kid Trailer
who is now on trial here, was arrested
for the theft of some grain and har-
ness. Constable John Moore made
the arrest. Trailer was scheduled to
play at a dance given by Ed Sherman
that night and Sherman made a com
plant to Dick Jones, who was known
as Gentleman Dick Jones saddIed
his horse, held UP the constable and
freed Kid and took him back to play
for the dance.
Kidnapped Deputy.
Jones kidnapped q deputy sheriff
named King, keeping him for three
weeks at mental labor. King ESCAPED
and posse after rosse started after
Jones, who had hidden In his dugout
in the Popular country.
Bird and Ely were the last two
men. on the trail and were
notified to return when they sighted
him. Thew established themselves at
Handy's ranch when Jones rode UP
and asked for shelter The tirst night
he slept with "a six shooter in each
hand. In the morning he watered his
horse with the two deputies in front
of him and 1t was not until breakfast
was served that he became careless.
Bird was cooking fapjacks and Jones
sat with his back toward him and his
gun resting in his lap. Bird saw his
chance and, grabbing I a, rife, poked it
into Jones' back. Jones reached for
his gun and was shot instantly
Tommy Ryan, who singlehanded
held up the Crosby bank two years
ago, is supposed TO be on the Pacific
coast Fuqua, a Montana man charx
ed with the theft of thirty six head
Of horses, was Ca tured in California
by Sheriff Small, but on the way back
jumped through "a car window and
The sheriff followed ii him
through the opening, but lost. him on
the plains. a
Knew Dutch Henry.
Dutch Henry, who was supposed to
have been killed Recently III Canada
had His headquarters III this
territory.
The trial of Kid TRAILER and XIV
will end organized rustling
In the northwest IL Ii believed. There
was a time when WARD county wAs as
badly infested with lilese gansssi as
Williams county was later, and ab
Montana IL in some parts now. But
the day Of the crganized rustler il
fast passing.
MAY NOT SURVIVE rig SHOCK