Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-16

w YELL, they settled in Eden
Valley They spent that
wv first Summer in tents, while
Kershaw and his men felled
trees, pee4ed the bark from
the logs and dragged them out into the
sunshine to season. They dug we'll
got out the fence posts and incloSed
horse pasture with a stake-and-ride
fence; and when the logs had been sea-
soned by late FALL they built a spa
cious and comfortable log house with a
wide Veranda around it.
The following Spring Kershaw brought
In $1,000 head of cattle. They were
Scrlbs-old Spanish California stock;
hut they were the only cattle he could
buy and, since his feed cost him Moth
ing he was content with them and the
profit he knew he would make after
growing them out He bought and bred
draft horses, mules and saddle animals
he provided himself with the BEST i'm
plements for haying. Deer, elk and
antelope were plentiful, so he never
slaughtered steer for meat. He pros
pered.
For the succeeding eight years he
was not disturbed. A few nesters into
the valley mad set up small herds, but
there was plenty of grass for every
body. And there was peace In Eden
Valley, which, in the interim, had been
surveyed. After 1862, when the home
stead law was enacted by the Congress,
men began to come in and file on hcme-
Steads. Robin Kershaw and his wife
Immediately fled homestead grazing
claims on the two sections Immediately
surrounding their ranch headquarters;
thus, to a considerable extent, awaiting
themselves of the first riparian rights
on Eden Valley Greek.
With the proclamation of the war
between the States fully half the set
tiers in Eden Valley volunteered for
service in both armies. One Of the
drsk recruits to the Union Army from
California was Robin Kershaw, despite
the fact that he was now the father of
six children.
He returned with a permanent limp
IN his left leg and the title of major,
to ind that his business had proSpered.
with the farms of the Middle West
denuded Of their cattle to a large ex-
tent by the war, beef prices were up,
SO Kershaw sold every head of stock he
possessed and shipped them to Chicago
and Kansas City via the newly built
Central Pacific Railroad Then, with
his check book, he commenced the
elimination Of his neighbors in Eden
Valley.
by 1870 he owned in fee $4,000 acres
OF Eden Valley-and then Joel Hensleyr
~
Hershey had some capital and he, too,
yeafned for Eden Valley. He outbio
Kershaw for the lower half Of the vail
ley and Kershaw let him have it, FOR,
after all, Edtn Valley was large enough
for two, and Kershaw knew he had the
cream Of 1t.
almost before he realized it was i'm
periding he had a bitter quarrel with
joel Hensley. Like Kershaw Hensley
was q Texan-a fierce, belligerent man
of the breed that was responsible for
the most heroic and dramatic epitapn
In history:
'sThe ThermcpIyyas Had Its Messenger
of Defeat-The Alamo Had Mcneil"
Kerslaw had fenced OF his portion
Of the valley, and in common justice,
he asked Joel Hensley to pay for half
this fencing. Ne Hensley, glancing sar-
doEiicalIy over the fence at the luxuriant
meadows Of his neighb2r, access to
which this fence denied his cattle, re-
piled coldly that he couldn't spare the
money. Thereupon Kershaw patiently
informed him that he would loan him
the money, with cattle as security.
Hensley replied that he preferred not
to be in debt.
well. I see YOU intend to be un-
neighborly,"s Kershaw answered, so
wen not argue the matter further
However, there is another matter that
must be adjusted. whether you have
the money or not. I am turning loose
on the Summer range this year 500
pure bred beef-type bulls. Your herd
bulls are scrubs. and your cattle and
mine roam the public domain together
Hence you are bound to reap an equal
benefit with me from the use Of my
expensive pure-bred sires. That wouldn't
be fair"
Cant help that" Hensley retorted.
81 have no money to buy pure-bred
range bulls and compete with you.
I'm loan you the money, Hensley.
ana 1t will be money well invested. And
you viii not be doing your netghbor
gross injustice"
Greed and envy incite men to
strange decisions. Joel Hensley re-
torted, You're too patronizing."
Very we'll" And Robin Kershaw
rode away.
In May the Hensley and Kershaw
riders drove the cattle of their respec-
tive employers up into the Summer
range in the mountains. But when the
Hensley riders returned to the valley
the Kershaw riders remained, secured