Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-05-23

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CHAPTER <
NJ winter draeRsd out slowly.
Nopsrs plans. bod q they were,
hod been Vel laid. he had per
esdved nom De Arse that success o.
faifrs depended upn whether o.
noe b could MAKE his war with
Tanner se8 sustaining. To Gnav
sway q he Tanner herds was one
hing; 10 turn their captures into
caGh was altogethef another.
Roper had hoped that be could mi
tate his own drives 10 the north.
but be had found this out Of the
question. On the other hand. the
6ail drivers had found themselves
% vulnerable that none Of them
wanted 10 buy cattle Of questiona-
hae ownership.
1hs Thorpe-Tanner organization
I'd NOT have this problem; they took
what they wanted and drove what
they wanted. BY means Of their own
trail outfits. But Roper could now
only dispose Of cattle for the trail
through ranchers known to be
scrupulous and established men.
This was the strategic purpose be-
hind Roper's rehabilitation Of the
eleven outfits which Tanner had orig
hally seized, and which Roper had
now put back into the hands Of their
proper owners. These re-established
ranchers had not only the sympathy
but the respect of everyone who
knew anything about Texas cattle.
Through these men Roper now had
= safe and sure outlet for the cattle
recovered by Dry Camps experts,
while the gunfghters under such
men as Nate Liggett, Tex Daniels,
and Hat Crick Tommy supplied a
much needed protection until they
could get on their feet.
But this method, promising as it
was, was slow. OF necessity the
men whom Roper backed were cow
men without assets other than their
disputed claim to their ground.
Sometimes by mortgage loans, but
principally by silent partnerships,
Roper had now obtained interests
in nearly 4 dozen outfits. They
should have been thriving outfits.
But Roper found his money drain
ing away with unforeseen swiftness,
without hope of any financial re-
turn until the trail should open in
the spring. Only the Mexican bor-
der operations, which depended upon
Lee Harnish, continued to show
thin trickle Of income through the
winter months. As spring ap-
preached, Roper found himself near
the end Of his string.
Early in February, Shoshone
Wilce came south seeking Bill Rop-
er, and found him at the Pot Hook
ranch.
'Find out anythins!" Roper
asked.
Shoshone wilce rubbed his badly
shaved chin with horny fingers. II
don't know as you're going to like
his 30 very good, Bill"
Lets have the bad news first
eat it up"
God knows there's enough Of it;
there amt any other kind to be
had. What do you want to know
Arst?"
Flows Thorpe making out up
above?"
II saw him in Dodge City; he
was throwing money around with a
shovel in each hand. You know
what ! think? I think he can 70
away and forget Tanner, and write
everything he has in Texas right
on the books, and never know the
difference!"
Roper locked his hands behind his
head and stared at the ceiling.
Sometimes it seemed to him that
trying to break Tanner was like try
ing to empty the Rio Grande with
= hand dipper. The apparently un-
bounded resources of Ben Thorpe in
the middle country and in the north,
out of reach of the south Texas war,
made up a vast reservoir which
Tanner could draw on without limit.
How is Tanner himself making
out?"
"Bill, I've been all up and down
the north and east part Of Texas;
and / can't see where we've &C.
eomplished q damned thing"
'You don't know what you're talk
ing about!"
"You know what l think" Wilce
persisted. 81 think there's more cat
tie in this country than the world
has any use for. I don't think you
can bother any man any more, just
By fooling with his cattle"
''Never mind what you think.
Let's have what you know"
Il nosed around and tried to find
eat what promises Tanners been
making for cattle on spring deliv-
cries. I didn't learn everything No
body learns everything. But l got
enough to total up"
6hoshone Wilce hesitated, and
A3dn't say any more until he had