Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-04-06


catch q pair of horse thieves a
short time before the popular
sheriffs death on March "a, 1908,
Is a story Monte MasterSOn of FL
TOr0, Calf, one of the boys, often
told. The capture of the thieves
took place In the Dryhead country,
which Is stiIl a wild and almost
inaccessible district between the
Pryor and Big Horn mountains.
This country seldom was visited
during the early days but was Oc-
casiOnaIly worked by cattle COM
panies, and perhaps more often by
rTRstIers for mavericks.
Cattle from the ShoShone or Stink
ngwater country, as it was called in
those days, drifted up into this region
between the two ranges Of mountains
but the roughneSs of the Dryhead can
yon usually stopped them from doing
farther north.
The Yellowstone valley had begun
to produce sugar beetS at the time of
i this affair, and it was also about the
time that the Huntley project was
opened. Some OF the colonies of Hol-
/ landerS and Russians that emigrated
into the country about this time to
farm beetS brought with them some
line draft horses weighing about 1900
pounds.
There were two men in Billings, "
MaSterSon said, who were well ac-
quainted with all the trails and roads
from Billings south into Wyoming.
They decided to round up a bunch of
Big Horn valley until the storm over
theft blew over and then to sell them
to farmers near Sheridan, Wyo., where
they were also just getting started
with sugar beets.
1.-THE two horse thieves picked up
90 head and headed south after dark
They went up Blue creek. There were
only two RANGES along Blue creek then,
the Glib Cothron and Nat Cooper
ranches. They went over the McCor-
mick divide about the head of Wet
creek on the Grow reservation side.
They camped there through the day
so that no one could see them. There
were, in fact, few people who Travelled
that country in those days.
Webb Takes Up Trail
Sheriff Webb did not get started
after the horse thieves until the next
afternoon after the horses were stolen.
He had a beautiful big black horse
that he usually rode on long trips and
the journey was never too long for
him. AT the end of the first day, Webb
reached the Dryhead ranch and was
nearly up with the thieves, although
he had not located them
THE thieves on the second day had
crossed Pryor creek where East Pryor
empties into the main creek. They
went up East Pryor and crossed the
ranch now is located. They went from
there to the old z Bar drift fence.
which was owned by Paul Mccormick
One Of the two fellows dropped a
buckskin glove and Webb picked it up
before dark. He had followed their
trail every foot of the way from Bill
hngs until it got dark on top of the
divide between Dryhead and Little
Pryor.
''Unable to get further trace of the
thieves then, although they had prob
ably gone into camp not far away,
the sheriff rode on down to the old
Charles Phelps ranch, later known as
Dryhead ranch At that time Fred
Phelps and I were staying alone there.
I was about Is years old and he was
not quite IL. and we were both pretty
much afraid OF staying alone. Webb
walked into the house, struck several
matches and looked around.
I'VE were in bed, afraid to move.
Finally he came into our room, lit an
oil lamp and sat down on our bed,
just about all in from his long ride.
He asked us if we had seen anyone
driving horses that evening and we
HE cooked himself some supper and
was UP before daylight. He told us
then that he was looking for some
horse thieves and for us to keep q
lookout for them. We had our break
fast and Saddled our horses. Webb de-
cided that they had crossed the divide
and went down the Big Horn river at
the old Spotted Rabbit .crossing not far
from St Xavier. He started that way
while Fred and went up In the north
pasture to wrangle some horses.
Thieves Are Sighted
while we were on the way we spied
the two thieves going down into the
Dryhead canyon. We whirled our horses
about and started after Webb. We
caught up with him at Pitchfork, about
10 miles from the ranch. We were all
out of breath, and our horses, too,
by the time we reached him. When
we told him what we had seen, he
started back at brisk gallop, with |
us after him. We rode along to where |
we had seen the men and then a short |
distance farther to where we. could |
Just see them crossing the canyon at |
the bottom and starting up the other
side.
1.-THE canyon was very rough and |
steep, and consequently, slow work to |
get those horses across, but it was an |
4uCtl lkOISC b1lAcl bIdu hS bllcy were OuC |
OF sight nearly all the time. Webb got |
us to round up little bunch of cattle |
that was near and drive them down |
the trail they had just covered. This |
was so they would not suspect anyone !
was after them as they could see us |
from where they were. As soon as we |
had got down along the trail to a /
point where they could no longer see
us, we left the cattle and went on |
down to the bottom of the canyon.
Webb got off his horse when we
crossed the creek, pulled his carbine |
rifle from its scabbard, khrew two or
three shells out, put them back In, let /
the hammer down, and back, and then
put IL back into the scabbard. He then |
pulled out his As Colt six-shooter,
rolled the cylinders around a time or
two, and then put 1t back He then
got drink of water at the stream
and got back ON his horse. He told
us 10 come on or follow the canyon
that the thieves we're going up. This
canyon ran close to the top Of the di-