Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1948-01-02

Terry.
4 4 x
1T met it down the road bit,
said the Superintendent of the No
BY Joe. what did Hart want?"
"Wanted to arrest me for killing
Jim Tetlow, but he was afraid hi
evidence was a little too thin ever
for rustler's court"
Ellison was busy getting his cigal
started. He said, between pulls:
"Ten him to look nearer home. Tel
him to check up on which OF the
thieves have quarreled with his
brother and Tetlow."
II wish this could be cleared up,
Clint" his companion replied. 1--WE
can't afford to have people think we
are shooting down men on suspicion.
1 grant you both of these men were
dyed-in-the-wool thieves. We were
sure of it. 1 wouldn't have objected
to stringing them to a tree openly.
But I don't want Wyoming to think
we approve of drygulching men we
don't like"
Ellison walked to the door, looked
around to make sure nobody was
near, and decided not to risk speak
ing of what was on his mind just
now.
AFTER dinner We'll stroll out into
the open where there can't be any
eavesdroppers and do our talking
there" he said.
The midday dinner finished, Ter
ry and his guest strolled out to
corral and leaned against the fence.
"Cal, unless we take the law in
our own hands the big ranches are
through" Ellison began abruptly.
"We've all lost money this year,
and we'll lose more next. You know
the reasons, we'll as I do. Short
feed, hard winter, and too many |
rustlers who call themselves ranch
men preying on our stock"
"Yes," agreed Terry. "And you
named the worst last"
Il did. We're through, unless we
can wipe them out"
''How?" asked the Diamond Re-
verse B foreman. "We range over
so big a territory and the thieves
are so slick we hardly ever catch
hem"
1--WE know pretty we'll who they
ire, don't WEI"
ga good many of them. That is,
we're pretty sure, even when we
haven't proof"
What l propose is to bring in a
title army of warriors, round up
he known rustlers, and hang them
S we sweep through the country.
hose we are not sure of we could
i've orders to leave"
Calhoun Terry drummed with his
ngertips on the top rail of the
snce. There must be several thou
and settlers in this district where
e operate" he mentioned, "the big
lajority of them on the side of the =
tile fellow. How big an army are +
'u thinking of bringing in?"
maybe a hundred men. We
Guild have to keep our plans abb ..
lutely secret. My idea is to drop .
the train at Jim Creek, where
e would arrange to have horses to
eet us, then come up through Box
anyon."
eff we were seen-and eventually
would be bound to meet
word would be rushed to Round
'p and to every hester within sew
ty-five miles. They would be down
us like sWarms of bees" :
Il would hold prisoner every trav-
,r we met, no matter who he :
ght be, until we had done the job.
e friends of the rustlers would
know until too late. By that ]
he the fear of our vengeance -
uld be in all their hearts. They n
uld accept the situation as a fact
We couldn't ask our own riders
go with us. They would be
rked men the rest of their lives.
sides, they would not join us to
troy men with whom they have
den the range and gone to dances.
ct is, as you know, though we no
ger employ riders who have stock
their own, good many of our
IS are related to the small ranch
or are friends of some of them"
We would leave them out of it.
idea is to bring in men who
e been United States deputy
rshals in Texas and Oklahoma.
y are tough fighting men, crack
is, and used to running down out
s." Ellison flung out an impa-
t gesture of protest. Il don't
this any better than you do, Cal.
it's neck meat or nothing.
lgs have come to such a pass
we have to make our own law.
forced on us, unless we want to
re out and let the thieves control
country"
1e' plan proposed by the man.
of the No. By Joe meant war.
nesters and the small cattlemen Al
Id throw in with the thieves. 49,
because they liked them but as ~
1oice of evils. They felt that
big outfits were their chief enc III
A great many men would lose
lives, and he was not sure
n-up would solve the range iron.
Cal doubted whether the large
e companies with absentee own. I
Up were any longer feasible. 70.
shook his head slowly. 81 don't ger
we it can be done, Clint. You to
kppr Cnnrnt ,,i+l, Hal