The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1922-11-30

anu mace the laws. lney eleCleO
sheriffs and judges, SO it was use
less for a so-called syndicate mar
to try to get justice in courts, be-
cause he vas II to get what the
majority, constituted by the rust
lers and their friends, called jus
tice. The term, syndicate men,
came from the fact that many syn
dicates of eastern men owned out
fits in Montana, Wyoming and
other cattle states, and the efforts
of the rustlers were likely to be
turned principally against these
nonresident owners.
The ranks of the rustlers soon
became augmented by all sorts of
hard and dissolute characters from
the motley population of the west.
The wild frontier life of the years
preceding the cattle days had at
tracted men of bold nature, who
had taken on all the restless and
unsettled habits of the west and
who chafed at restraint of any
kind. Some of these were from the
ranks of the guides and scouts.
Others had been buffalo SINNERS,
wolfers and a few prospectors who
quit the goldpan for the saddle.
The rustler, however, must be a
rider, a roper and a sure shot, for
these qualifications YER necessary
to his work at all times.
There was one law of the rust
lers that all adhered to. All or
ganized bands of outlaws have fol-
lowed the same principle from the
time of Robin Hood and long be-
fore him. That was that property
of a small owner or poor man must
be respected. In fact, the friend
ship of this class was sought by,
and usually won by, the rustler.
Many ~nesters, as squatters on water
holes were called, who did no rust
ling themselves, gave assistance to
the rustlers whenever they could.
War on the Rustlers
AS the rustlers grew in strength
and their depredations began to be
felt more and more by the cattle
oarons, the latter began to band to-
to crush the outlaws by
means of vigilante work, which had
been practised so successfully in
he COS by gold miners in exter-
ninating the road agents. The
-ange vigilantes of Montana and
Wyoming went to work systema-
ically. The description and chang
,ut" of nearly every rustler and
lorsethief were known, and a regu-
ar campaign was begun against
hem in a practical and thorough
manner. Some of the outlaws were
old to leave the country and did
%. Those who did not comply
we're shot or hung when next
ound. In one campaign, it is said,
he Montana vigilantes killed be-
ween sixty and eight rustlers. One
norning one bridge had Is corpses
winging from it. Between 1876
nd 1886 the vigilantes of the
.nge killed or hanged as many
len in Montana, Wyoming and
Iebraska as were legally executed
y the law in any dozen states dur
lg the next 20 years.
The cattle men declared that
punishment was necessary;
lat jails were non-existent or use
SIS and that regular courts we're
inadequate among the
parse population of the ranges.
hus these opposing interests, both
and strong, fought out their
attles for themselves. For the
lstlers it was a losing fight.
Rustlers We're Gunner
In a sense the rustler's back was
ways to the wall. He was a mark 1
| and hunted man and he was a s
,sperate one. Sometimes a posse
vigilantes would come upon a
w rustlers in the act of branding
or changing beef or COW I
-ands. Then there was sure to be
pitched battle with rifles at long t
nge. Sometimes the rustlers were a
lie to make a getaway, but more t
ten they were outnumbered and C