Show Echoes from the dust Stirring wild west episodes abound in early history of Browns Brown's Park Perk cattlemen The Echoes from the Dust feature Is selected from tithe tl files of the Vernal Express and printed as they appeared at the date dale noted at the top of or each feature Decembers December 19 1957 1937 Stirring wild west episode continued from last week Tip Gault and his band of outlaws Including one of Browns Brown's Park residents Ned Huddleston alias Isom Dart M M. M M. Wilson Hankin retells the story AUGUST 1875 It was in August 1875 when Tip Gault and his band of outlaws Joe Pease Fred Huddleston a Negro and Jack Leath left their retreat on Green River and followed a horse herd they had spotted moving east cast on the Overland trail from California to the middle states where Anderson In charge of the herd they expected to find a market Awaiting a favorable opportunity to make a large haul in horses after four days of traveling and spotting they made camp at a spring hidden among clusters of willows and aspen on the west side of Elk Mountain The chuck wagon with camp equipment for the trail crew had made camp for the night at the trail crossing of Pass Creek which was in view two miles from the spring BILL HAWLEY a veteran of southern stock ranges had driven his herd of cattle cattIe from the panhandle of Texas and located on a small tributary of Pass Creek a few weeks before His stock brand was Hat The creek had not been named and because of the Hat ranch and the Hat brand the name Hat was given to the creek Hawley had previously been warned of the Green River thieves by Sheriff Rainey and settlers of Carbon County The members of the band had gone near the horse camp and were off their mounts back of a ridge before dusk where they waited for a later hour of night to stampede the horse herd Night Guard The trail wranglers while lassoing their mounts for the night guard accidentally lassoed a green bronc which broke out from the saddle herd dragging the lariat and was soon lost to sight in the darkness The bronc in his desperate dash to free himself of the rope ran in the direction of the where he stopped with the horses The thief band seized the opportunity to capture a prize hooked onto the dragging lariat and held the bronc believing he would be a safe bomb to cause the stampede When all was in slumber at the horse camp the rustlers led the bronc near yet not within hearing distance of the camp Then in order to give him a more exciting sendoff than he would have hwe had In dragging a lone rope Joe Pease started to sage brush to the brones brone's tail The bronc landed a double solar plexus out knock blow and Pease was fatally Injured lie He was moved some distance toward to their camp Then instead of the brush being tied to the bronc's tail tall it was tied to the dragging end of the rope which served to make the scattering of or the herd a success Pease too loo seriously injured to tobe tobe tobe be moved to camp was taken partway and left with Leath in charge while Gault and Hud Huddleston went to their camp for refreshments Huddleston was delegated to take care of Pease for the night and with a blanket food and water he went to relieve Leath Then at daybreak Gault and Leath astride fresh horses and equipped with field glasses viewed the range from high highpoints highpoints points looking for distant bands of the scattered herd At the same time they kept an eye on the horsemen who at break of day were gathering in all bands in sight not venturing beyond the bounds of safety for the country was infested with renegade bands of Arapahoe and Sioux Indians injured Gather Spoils After a hurried count of the horses herd had been made they moved out on the trail with all riders on the job Then Gault and Lea Leath th made a short reconnoiter of the range and gathered in a band of sixteen horses which they had spotted grazing among the willow growth along the creek and drove them to a temporary corral they had previously built when they had camped at the spring Seven head of the Hat lIat brand saddle stock that had strayed a short distance from their home range were included in the pickup When they with ith running iron had disfigured the most moot noticeable brands on the animals and had taken their customary feed of coffee coHee flapjacks and jerked meat Leath went for fresh water and provisions to supply Huddleston Huddleston Hud Hud- who was attending Pease in their distance shakedown Huddleston who was attending Pease in their distance shakedown Gualt and Leath on fresh mounts scouted from distant peaks the lowlands of the range for possible chance of raking in from the outskirts others of the scattered herd In Inthe Inthe Inthe the meantime while the Hat Hatband Hatband Hatband band cowboys were on a hunt for their horses they discovered fresh trail which led them to the outlaw camp There they saw the Hat others in the corral They realized at once just what it was all about They inspected the camp for arms and as to how it was situated Leaving all horses in the corral they moved away Gault and Leath returned late in the evening with thier loot Huddleston returned to camp late in the night and Pease had suc sue ClImbed to his Injury Huddleston Hud was detailed to bury the body and with a small camp shovel to make the Interment he went on foot in the dark hours of the morning while Gault and Leath were ere partaking of an early morning snack in preparation for a quick get gel away At daybreak a volley of shots from ambush rang out and two more of the Green River thieves went to answer the judgement call with their boots on Huddleston Escapes Huddleston escaped with his life liCe the party in ambush not knowing his whereabouts The dead bodies and the camp equipment were not molested the sharpshooters taking all horses Huddleston scented trouble when he heard the distant shots He lie returned to camp with caution through clusters of or willows and aspen on the mountain side he saw the dead bodies of his from beneath a thick growth Knowing Gault and Leath had well-filled well money belts on their persons he waited until the dark hours of the night Then with the stealth of a burglar he took their money and va valuables With a small sack of provisions blanket a arid and d six shooter he made his way back on foot to the Green River rendezvous by byway byway byway way of the Overland Trail traveling by night and camping in groves and during the day Keeping shy of his acquaintances he left Green River by train After spending a afew afew afew few years in the south he returned to his old haunts under the name of Isom Dart and a few years later while engaged in his former occupation occupation occupation oc oc- oc- oc he met a similar fate for cattle rustling near Browns Brown's Hole The bodies of Gault and Leath were buried by Coroner J. J Foster and Deputy Sheriff Rankin of Carbon County Account W. W G. G gives a similar account of the destruction of the Tip Gault gang as that of Rankin which was in this story Continued next week |