Williams news., 1916-06-08

will the wide ranges until the next roundup.
 Numbers ot these range horses are often stolen. But not so frequently as one might at first imagine. The Horseman's Protective association, very strong organization, with mem bers scattered over all the range states, and money to back it, Is ever active in attending to the matter or thefts of range stock. Besides the standing reward of the association or five hundred dollars for the capture of thieves, the rancher whose stocK is stolen always offers an additlonai reward.
 Sheriffs, stock inspectors, with re quently a posse of cattlemen, are the thief hunters. The sheri1s are al ways old-time cowboys, who know the country and can shoot, ride, and stand exposure with the best of them, and it is seldom that thief gets clean away with bunch of stock. Horse thieves are still hated in the l West, but are not so summarily dealt | with now as in earlier days when the | jails and courts of ,aw were few. Tnen the thief generally made a swift exit from earth at a ropes end. But law has long ago found its way into Cat tleland; telephones and telegraphs carry swift messages and automobiles l make swift trips and the thieves gen orally land in states prison.
 However, there is one man who fol the last six years has not only stoler almost when and where he pleased
 but sold stock back to the owners
 after the brands had been worked
 over, at which art he is past master
 This man, William McCracken.
 Texan, has repeatedly eluded and de
 fed sheriffs and posses sent out tt
 capture him. He frs. came to Bell'
 Fourche, S. D., in the Spring Of 19O4
 Belle Fourche, at that time, was th'
 largest shipping point for beef catti in the world. Shortly after his al
 rival McCracken got job punchinl
 cows for the 3-v outfit, then the lare est in the West He was very qu1e young man, of good appearance an : education, a good COW hand, and wei liked by his bosses and the riders
 the outfit.
 Working for the outfit at this tim was Thomas Tait, young man sine elected sheriff of Campbell count! Wyoming. From the time of M'
 Cracken's arrival and until his arres 5 bv '. T. Farrell, then sheriff of Croo 8 county, Wyoming, on informat1o 8 from Texas, Tait and McCracke - were a good deal together as GOV 8 boys in the same outfit. Since bein a elected sheriff Tait has led in tn Q chase after his once friend and con @ rade several times.
 }, On a recent trip to Sturgis, s. U
 with stock inspector" Chuck Fitch, a Gillette. and the sheriffs of Miles Cit. v Mont. and Sun Dance, Wyo., to il
 spect a bunch of horses in that al ,. trict, the party arrested three mel d The horses belonged to H. J. Chase
 of Gillette and T. W. Matthews ( a Spearfish, s. D. The men arrested the thieves were members of M
 Cracken's gang, and now await tri'
 at Sturgis.
 B. After his arrest in 1907 by Sheri e Farrell, McCracken was taken back Texas, where he was wanted ft P thefts of stock, bank robbery, bon
 jumping, and other crimes. He WE 70 helped out of these troubles by h 'i- father and, soon after, returned
 Belle Fourche, accompanied by h 8. wife. a very intelligent woman, ar Id their little boy, and for while, co
 ducted a road house at Alzada, Mon h but later took up claim on the hes se of Thompson creek and started in tf
 stock business.
 Soon after McCracken located tf
 ranch horses in the vicinity began disappear by ones. twos. threes, al