The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-04-07
Buy For Range Delivery Then Find
That Animals Cannot Be
caught

Omaha, Nebraska, April "A new
get rich quick scheme has come to
| light in Omaha, where j. 8. Smith
and two companions have been ar
rested by federal authorities on
charge of conspiracy to defraud. The
men are being held under bond while
the district attorney is searching the
code to find law to fit the case. The
scheme is particularly unique and is
said to have netted the originators
and perpetrators many thousands of
dollars
Briefly the victims are persuaded
to purchase range horses, subject to
range delivery-that Is, the buyer
must catch his own horses. This is
not an unusual method of purchasing
western horses and creates no sus-
picion on the part of the victim: The
horses are on the range IN Arizona
and the price quoted is ridiculously
low.
All Horses In Big County
The victim is given bill Of sale
for a certain number of horses from
three to six years old now on the
range, and the general section OF the
country is described. In all cases so
far discovered the place is given as
Coconeno county, Arizona.
The unique feature of the trade Is
that the horses are there, just as
described in the bill Of sale. The
range is In Coconeno county and the
purchaser is at liberty to 60 out and
catch his horses, place them on board
freight cars, and get them to market.
But so far the government agents
have not yet discovered a single man
who has been able to catch horse.
Coconeno county is as big as all out
doors and the horses are just shade
wilder than the proverbial buck.
Original Wild Horses
The horses are the original wild
horses of the western plains. They
are the descendants Of horses which
escaped from the early Spanish con-
querors, and for nearly four hundred
years they have not known master.
In an earlier day the Navajo and
other Southwestern Indians had ways
of running down the young colts and
raising them to maturity. From these
wild herds the red men secured their
supply Of horses. But it always has
been impossible to catch the horses
once they are grown old enough to
have full strength and speed.
Smith and his associates say they
own bunch of these horses and say
their brand will be found on them II
any one cares to investigate. So far
no one has been able to disprove their
claims. The brands may be there all
right, but inasmuch as none Of the
buyers has gotten within sight Of a
band Of these horses. they cannot say
for a certainty that such is not the
case.
A. %. Perry Of Atkinson, Nebraska
was arrested on a charge Of implica-
ton In the scheme and was released
on bond.
Story OF Victim
One OF the victims told his story
to the United States district attor-
ney:
l bought a contract for eighty head
OF these horses and was to go down
to Arizona and catch them on the
range. WAS told they were wild
and that 1t would be no easy job to
/ catch them, but I knew a lot about
horses. have cut out range horses
hundreds and thousands of times and
| did not believe there was a horse
on the prairies that could not get.
/ So. armed with my bill OF sale,
went down to Flagstaff, Arizona, and
prepared to go out and pick up my
horses. was to have eighty horses
between the ages of three and eight
years, and could take my pick Of any
of these belonging to Smith.