Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-07-03
CONDITIONS AZ AZ BORDER
As-SEEN-AND- HEARD-DURlNC-S EVEN-MONTHS-
MILITARY-VISIT.
By FALSTAFF O. SATTER

"How many saddle horses?'
Something like thirty"
"How many children have you?"
Three"
GLOW many men do you employ?"
81 keep thirty men most of the
time"
Ever been bothered with raid
ers?"
Nope"
$50 Mexicans have never bothered
your ranch?"
Nope"
"Have you ever lost any cattle?"
Just one"
"How did that happen Is
Soldiers shot it,
GLOW do you know the soldiers
shot it,"
Don't know fur sure. Coyotes
had it about half ct when found it,
but have sent bill to Uncle Sam
to cover the loss"
$50 you are going to collect the
money for the animal from Uncle
Sam whether his men killed it or
not?"
"Sure; |. can't afford to stand the
loss
''How many cows do you MILK"
None
Then Mr.. Kavanaugh went on to
explain to his listeners how he had
noticed two of the children out in
the yard and that they looked like
they needed milk for food and wa
ter for a cleanser, mighty bad. He
also mentioned at this time that
Texas was making a Herculean effort
to pull gigantic raid on the United
States on a plan similar to which
the rancher expected to separate I'm
Gle Sam from roll for the dead COW
that the soldiers may have shot"
He said: 81 have made the trip
along the border in car. Up in the
vicinity of Valentine i went over a
road that was built eleven years ago
at an expense Of $4,000 to the state
of Texas. Troops are stationed near
Valentine and had cut the roads up
to some extent by hauling rations
and supplies over them. The state
of Texas has asked cohgressrto allow
| "a bill of $4,000 to pay the damage
the. United States soldiers are all
legged to have done on a road that
cost only $4,000 originally, or elev-
en- years ago That is not ALL con-
tinued Mr.. Kavanaugh. up the
| river lives rancher whose name is
| Butterfield. He, lives long dis
| tance from town, and as unit of
| cavalrymen were stationed near his
ranch, he approached the captain one
day and asked him if it would be
possible to have some of his troops
stationed at the ranch while the
rancher went to town. The captain
| was granted permission to station
some of his troops at the ranch, and
the family went away, returning in
two or three weeks. When the ranch
err came home he found everything in
apple pie order. His stock was in
good shape. his men had gotten along
nicely and the riders had also got
ten along nicely. The ranch covered
following the return of the rancher
the soldiers were ordered to pack
their camp and dig out, as the forage
was so scarce it would be impossible
for them to remain on the ranch.
After they had taken care of things
there for about three weeks, they
were refused grazing land for their
horses. And besides handing that
insult to the soldier boys who had
guarded his property during his alb
sence, the ranchman presented bill
to congress for damaging the roads,
WueIe supplies iidu DeeIl uduleu over
them"
THE total amount of claims for
damaged roads," said Mr.. Kava-
nough, amounts to 100000, and
speak the truth when l tell you
that this is the amount Texas is 60
ing to try to mulct the United States.
But am going home and will do my
best to thwart that movement"
Mr.. Kavanaugh also said that the
reason the average ranger or ranch
man did not want protection from
the soldiers was from the fact that
his ranch was the market place for
stolen cattle, and that none of the
large ranchers feared raids of any
kind. The small rancher lives in
terror at all times, not in fear of |
Mexican raids. but because of fear
of raids by lawless bands of Ameri-