The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-05-01

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 a 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 a
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 anything?" Roper
asked.
Shoshone Wilce rubbed his badly
shaved chin with horny fingers. II
don't know as you're going to like
this so very good, Bill"
Lets have the bad news frst-I
eat it up"
"God knows there's enough of it;
there amt any other kind to be
! had. What do you want to know
| first?"
Flows Thorpe making out up
above?'
81 saw him in Dodge City; he
was throwing money around with a
| shovel in each hand. You know
what I think? I think he can go
away and forget Tanner, and write
everything he has in Texas right
off the books, and never know the
differencel"
| 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 ac-
complished a damned thing"
"You don't know what you're talk
ing about"
"You know what I Think" Wilce
| persisted. 81 think there's more cat
tie in this country than the world
has any use for. | 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"
'I nosed around and tried to find
out 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
Shoshone Wilce hesitated, and
didn't say any more until he had
got cigarette rolled. In the mid
die of rolling his cigarette he went
into coughing fit, and spilled the
tobacco, SO that he had to start over
again.
BILL" he said at last, "Cleve
Tanners going to drive more cattle
this year than he's ever drove be-
fore. In just one bunch alone he
aims to deliver fifteen thousand head
on the banks of the Red!"
Hes crazy!" Roper shouted. 'He
can't do tits impossible!"
"Well-he thinks he can. He
first step was to start cattle war in Texas.
He made this decision against the opposi-
ton of Lew Gordon and the fearful pleading
of his sweetheart. Jody Gordon. With the
aid of Dry Camp Pierce and other outlaw
gunner. Roper conducted raid after raid
knows his cattle counts better than
me. But-I've been all up and down
this country, and / don't see but
what he cam
| "Well, anyway" Roper said, "the
border gangs are going good. Well
go on with it, and keep going on :. ;"
BILL" Shoshone said, "how long
can you go on, the way it's costing
you now?"
mot much farther, I guess"
You going to have to quit?"
Roper shook his head. "I'l never
quit now, Shoshone; can't quit.
While I've got one rider left with
me, or no riders, I'll still be work.
ing ON Cleve Tanner. But I think
we're going to beat him, Wilce. Aft
er all, the border gangs-we can
count on Them"
| Roper continued to count on his
border gangs for two weeks more.
Then, in the middle of February,
he learned that Lee Harnish was
through.
The first word of difficulty came
when Dave Shannon pushed little
bunch of seven hundred head
through the river at Mudcat Turn,
and found no vaqueros waiting on
the other side. Shannon waited three
days before he was forced to turn
the cattle free and ride.
The complete news of what had
happened never really came. What
Roper learned came in bit by bit,
by way of random riders who had
talked with vaquero here, another
there.
| Lee Harnish had been pressing