Show Ranchers Fight Rustlers With Branding Irons Revival at of Cattle Stealing During Depression Period Forces Resort to Old Custom By Dy GEORGE V. V McINTYRE A Frets Staff start Writer DENVER DENVER Colo Dec 2 23 The 23 The The branding iron that sc scepter pter of power with which the time old western cattle eattIe cat eat tIe tic barons stamped their marks narks up upon n l their steers Is coming oming back Through gh years ars or of peace of-peace peace and se security security see se- I many cattlemen have neglected to brand bran l their herds Safe Sare behind wire fences fences' and with the traditional fate ot of the the rustler rustIer to toward ward off evildoers evildoers evil evil- Id doers ers thousands have failed tailed to brand bram their stock and lately have awakened to find their fences cut and cattle missing So roundups even behind fences are here again in more than ordinary number with the ba calves the shouting of cowboys and the stout smell of burning hair and hide filling crisp mountain air on hundreds o of scattered ranches Aroused against the menace of rustlers Rocky mountain cattlemen from rom the dusty banks of the Rio Grande to the wind-swept wind northern border jorder arc doing this and other things I to o combat the thieves Their battles battle Is s not the spectacular manhunt of the days of the running iron and maver- maver Icks Rather It Is a slow piece by piece campaign against thieves who rid ride ide in trucks and cars rustlers cars rustlers who have become so bold they Impudently steal teal steers seers and and- calves from the very dooryards of the ranches and speed away to market ISSUE WARNING The Colorado brand inspectors rs who keep a careful eye on all cattle coming coming com- com ing ng to market here have warned cattlemen cattlemen cat- cat lemen to revive their brands pointing pointing point- point ing ng ing out that the ranchers are no longer secure behind three ee strands of or barbed wire and a tradition of death for or rustlers Cases Cases' of altered brands brands' are scarce partly because there are few men left I who with running iron and rope can forge orge- orge a brand and partly because I there here is little need to change a brand when there are so many unbranded c cattle In the cas case of branded cattle the thieves hieves often oUen butcher the steers and andell sell ell the meat getting away quickly in n motor vehicles vehicle The depression with its lean and hungry days for many is blamed for some of the thefts in Colorado Wyoming Wyoming Wyoming Wyo Wyo- ming and Montana but New Mexico cattlemen have found the same depression depression de de- de- de has lowered a a certain type of f rustling No IVo longer do organized bands sands steal whole herds herds' and change their heir brands thus converting them themo to o their own herds Cattle CatlIe are too cheap heap to justify the necessary organization organization and nd again there are fe few left lefto to o do it TWO MAN RAIDS RAIDS' Instead there Is the quick dash to toome some ome favored grazing spot swift work with wire wire cutters cutters and prod poles anda and a half doz dozen n fine line steers are are away to Ithe the he market while the rancher sleeps Two men can cando do it quietly ly y and the rancher may not discover for or days that the steers are gone Mrs Bertha Benson secretary of the N New w Me Mexico ico association asso asso- said today th that lt the tion Lion In the years of security had re reduced reduced reduced re- re its reward for cattle thieves from Crom U to but despite this this' a number of o convictions had been ob ob- Dr B B. B F F. F Davis manager of the Colorado association which has spent more than 60 years In n fighting fighting- cattle and norse nors thieves said rustling was decidedly on the upgrade upgrade up up- grade in Colorado Davis with the state tate brand inspection board deplored the stopping of ot branding The Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado rad association cooperating with local ocal authorities in every county In Inthe Inthe inthe the state has made some headway with convictions of rustlers but has found it itself el handicapped by the unbranded unbranded un- un branded cattle and cattle and ease with which th the the thie es can can get away Wyoming and Montana are fight ling ng tog virtually the same battle against the same odds with about the same success managers managers' of the cattlemen's associations oriS In states said With a fortitude unknown in this days gone b by the cattlemen have rigidly stuck to fhe he law in their campaign against the rustlers al although al al- although though h one Colorado rancher recently killed two men he tie suspected as rus rusT rus- tiers H He is awaiting trial for tor first degree murder 41 I |