| Show 1 1 MAY MAYi i f CAUSE TROUBLE j t Depredations of Wyoming Cattle Cattlemen Cattlemen men m n Caused Little Surprise I t BOTH CLAIM RIGHT TO LAND LANDO 4 THOUSANDS O SANDS OF OP SHEEP HAVE VE BEEN KILLED 3 Special to The Herald Herdd r Wyo July Jul 27 The C murder of Sam the the Mexican sheepherder the wound wounding wounding woundIng ing of Or a companion and the slaughter aughter thousands ot of oC sheep in the New Fork country In Fremont county last Fri Friday Friday day y was the culmination of at a D dispute of or long standing between the sheep and cattlemen of at that section se tion over overa a ai i division of at the open range and the taking of a human life nCe caused little or orno orI I no 11 o surprise here In Wyoming Indeed 11 serious trouble had been looked for tor forand torand forand and the only surprise is that no more wore Ivore killed Nor was this the first time the rival factions have dashed crashed for tor raids have been bean of frequent occurrence during the past few years and many tots save nave suffered the loss of thou thousands thousands thousands sands of sheep and the destruction of camp outfits wagons etc ete Feeling at the present time Is strong stronger er r than ever before and as the huge public pastures are becoming over overcrowded overcrowded overcrowded crowded with wi h both cattle and sheep the situation Is anything but encouraging encouraging encouraging aging and further conflicts coo Jets and blood bloodshed bloodshed bloodshed shed are feared The Te r e present clash occurred on the northeastern portion of what is known as the Sweetwater range which ex extends extends tends from the Colorado line on the south to the Wind and Green Geen mountains moun on the horth the Ferris and arid mountains oh the east and the continental divide on the west The southern half halt of this section which contains millions of or acres of the finest grazing lands in the west westia is ia known as the Red Bed desert and is given up exclusively to the pasturage of oC sheep The northern and extreme western and n portions of the Sweetwater range are settled up by small ranchmen and cattlemen whose ranches are located along the streams ms and whose stock ranges ex cx extend extend tend back buck to the t e mountains Cattlemen Ca Claim Prior Right The cattlemen claim prior right to these upland ranges by virtue of being first on the ground and not until a afew at few fw t w years ago did the en encroach enc croach c upon them but the overcrowd overcrowding ing of the valleys and lower plains country countr count with heep sheep and the desire to save those ranges for lor pasturage dur during durIng durIng ing the winter months when the moun mountainous mountainous mountainous country is covered with snow and antl the grazing of sheep on the up uplands uplands uplands lands Is Js impossible caused the flock masters to move higher and higher up UI the hillsides hillside and into the timber each year until finally finalI the cattlemen and settlers were compelled to make a as s stand and or see their herds starve and go out of business Associations were formed and the cattlemen c banded together Wr mutual protection against enemy enem the t e aster Dead Ded lines were ere drawn from east to west and from north to south and the were notified that haJ they must not over into 0 the th cattle cattie country Or OP that tl th por portion p r tion of the range which the settlers r o their exclusive US use ys i i 1 At fir t the th fh n respected te the alleges u rights of the cattlemen and there was very little trouble but as the ranges below became more crowded and the grass became more scarce the rapidly Increasing flocks began to move toward the mountains As a result the relations between the herd b rd and flock fiock owners became more strained and conflicts occurred Resort to For Port a time lime the cattlemen contented t themselves by b turning the flocks back but the herders returned in a few days usually and the cattlemen were com corn compelled to adopt more drastic measures Herders were bound and gagged their t outfits destroyed and the sheep either scattered or driven Into a corral find and nd c clubbed to death or driven over a cliff cUrt to certain death The Thc destruction of two or three bands b of Sheep had the desired effect and the cattlemen enjoyed the use of their range unmolested for a time Scarcity Sc of water and feed on the desert how however however however ever again caused the to cross the thc dead lines Jines and the conflicts were resumed Two years yelUS ago two bands of ot sheep o med by y Salt Lake men were w re found I In ia the cattle the herd herders r Irs ers wet e ordered back over the dead deadline line Une i They Th y refused to go and a battle en ensued enI I sued suell It was a affair how eyer there being thirty or fort forty masked masket and heavily armed cattlemen against four fOUl herders The camp out lite were burned and the herders were wounded Both were ere taken to Salt Lake Lak where legs and arms were am amputated 1 but they recovered This trouble occurred on Big DI Sandy Sand creek and no effort was ever made to bring the raiders raid erR to justice Last summer three outfits were de destroyed d dI I on 0 the Sandy and two herders wounded wound d and 2000 sheep were dubbed clubbed to death At about the same time sheep were clubbed to death oar near i hear the Colorado line the animals having been driven into dis lIs put d territory in northern Colorado by bya a Cheyenne company compan Large Hock Flock of Sheep Killed Last fall a band hand of 1100 sheep sh p was over oer a cliff in the New Fork f f Country and all aU were killed Owing to the great distance from the railroad and the poor transportation facilities nullities details of oC the latest trouble are arc difficult to obtain 1 From the best information at hand handI I however it seems 8 ms that several bands o of I Sheep owned by b Leonard Sedgwick and andI I John Thompson of ot Rock Springs I crossed the dead line on New Fork ForkL L The cattlemen organized and ordered it the he herders back bade Some of or the sheep i apen men complied with the request bu but butt t I tethers others refused The Ehe bands of sheep that remained in the disputed territory were scat scattered scattered scattered some were driven over Oer preel precI hice arid a d others were clubbed to death hiie the camp amp outfits and wagon Were rere destroyed or burned One sheep ut t resisted and a battle ensued I It Th fa 5 reported that Sam was Hilled and a companion wounded and nt nd At tt t least sheep slaughtered A number of wealthy who ho have sheep cheep in the northern part o ot of Sweetwater county count have gone to th the theene asene ene and further trouble Is expected They Th say sa they have as good a right to t the public domain as the f 4 and d as their business is at stake they the propOse to carry carr the fight to the ver very er Homes of the cattlemen If necessary There Is little sympathy for th the an however for tor the rights o ohe of the he cattlemen are generally recognized There is some talk of or ordering ou out pe he tate militia to gather up the scat scattered scattered tried flocks and arrest the raiders bu buthis but 1 this will probably not be done 1 The cattlemen are so well organized organize that their arrest would be difficult an and andI I their prosecution even een more so soI 1 I Matters will probably remain as they I are and conflicts wll continue tint until i such time as the government g ver ment passes passes laws taws that will control the public ranges ither by lease sale or oT settlement I |
