Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-03-16

HE A CHARRED HAND!
horses head. he rode toward it to
stamp it out. 1t was not upon his
patrol, but that did not matter. His
duty was clear.
AS he drew near he began to per-
ceive signs of a broken camp. The
ground was Uttered with utensils. 1t
was not an ordinary campfire, and the
rangers heart quickened. Another
sheep herder has been driven out and
his tent and provisions burned!" he eX-
claimed ~wrathfully.
His horse snorted and SHE'D as he
rode nearer. and her a shudGer passed
through the rangers heart as he per-
ceiyed in the edge of the smOldering
embers a boot heel and then-0 charyed
hand! In the smoke of that fire was
the reek of human flesh.
For a long time the ranger sat on his
horse, peering down into those ashes
until at last it became evident to his
eyes that at least two sheep herders
had been sacrificed on the cattleman's
altar of hate and greed.
All about on the sod the story was
written all too plain. Two men, pos
sibly three, had been murdered, cut to
pieces and burned not many hours be-
fore. There stood the bloody spade
with which the bodies had been dis
membered. and there lay an empty can
whose oil had been poured upon the
mingled camp utensils, tent and wagon
Of the herders in the attempt to incin-
crate the hacked and diSmembered
limbs of the victims. The laWlessneSs
of the range had eliminated. The
f~erocity of the herder had gone beyond
the savage. Here in the sweet autumn
air the reek of the c~attleman's venge-
ance rose like some hideous vapor,
poisonous and obscene.
The ranger sickpned as the bloody
tale unfolded itself before him. Then
a fierce hate Of such warfare famed
in his heart. Could this enormity be
committed under any other civilized
flag? Would any other government in
termingle so foolishly. so childishly. its
state and federal authority as to per-
NIT such diabolism?
In his horror, his sense of revolt, he
cursed the state of which he was a
citizen. He would have resigned his
commission at the moment. so intense
was his resentment Of the supine. care
less, %jovial, slattern government under
which he was serving.
by the Lord" he breathed. with
solemn intensity, 'if this does no
shame the people of this state into
revolt, if these fiends are not hound
ed and hung. will myself harry them.
| cannot live and do my duty here I'M
less this crime is avenged by law"
Chilled, shaking and numb, he set
spurs to his horse and rode furiously
down the trail toward the nearest
town, so eager to spread the alarm
that he could scarcely breathe a deep
breath. On the steep slopes he was
forced to walk. and his horse led so
badly that his agony of impatience
was deepened. He had a vision of the
murderers riding fast into far coun-
tries. Each hour made their appre-
hensiOn progressively the more diff
cult.
"Who were they?" he asked himself
again and again. What kind of man
did this thing? Was the leader a man
like Ballard? Even so, he was hired.
By whom? By ranchers covetous of
the range; that was absolutely GER
tain"
1t was long after noon before he
came to the end of the telephone line
in a little store and postofice at the
upper falls of Deer creek. The tele-
phone had a booth fortunately, and he
soon had Redfleld's ear. but his voice
was so strained and unnatural that his
chief did not recognize it.
us that you. Ross? What's the mat
ter? Your voice sounds hoarse."