Show J k kl law IDS U aw LOAM ahu RAINE arvice 0 STORY 80 rant buck nail hart T the b e rigs br brother other has hai been dry adryl gulcher shot in the back so has hai jim tetlow both were supposedly ru mi stiers T the he rus rusteen tj ers and small igau cattlemen dont tike like calhoun Cal lioun terry manager of the dla dia not a chance tor for us to win the election you know that why fool yourself 11 1 I dont think well win terry agreed but well have made our light fight 1 after that my suggestion Is the first time we catch a rustler red handed we go to court with it when we dont convict him id get the story in Che cheyenne cheyann yenn denver and salt lake papers with a review of the whole controversy I 1 think then that public sentiment ta in the west would back us in fighting back the only way we can its ready to back us now it if we ve the nerve to act ellison said guntly not the way you propose terry differed we dont want the governor calling out the militia against us or government troops being sent in to stop us no chance ot of either the governor Is a cattleman himself we have a big pull with the administration well be looked after dont worry about that hat ive talked with john mcfaddin mcfaddn n feea with m me e so are the antelope creek and the two star ranches all ali the decent cowmen will throw in with us not many of the little fellows terry disagreed youve got them wrong cal A lot of the small cattlemen are afraid to say anything now because the thieves are in the saddle but they will be with us when they find out were going to stand up on our hind legs and fight they dont like this condition any better than we do maybe not but they would oppose us if we tried armed insurrection action the time ripe yet nt lets give the rustlers a lit ka more mom rope to hang bang themselves with no ko eleison said grimly bringing his closed fist down on the top fence rail lets hang them now while we still have a chan chance c e to win it would be a mistake terry insisted CHAPTER X calhoun terry went to the meeting of the western Catt lemens association at denver knowing a decision would be reached as to the best way of dealing with the rustlers operating in his territory you know why we are here gentlemen ellison began it is very that what we say should and should remain secret well hear from doctor porter first doctor P porter 0 arter had been an army burgic surgeon n during the civil war and later had moved west and gone into the cattle business briefly doctor porter outlined what was planned A list of more than a hundred aundre d names of rustlers had been submitted by their field detectives and by individual ranch men he proposed that before the meeting adjourned this list be gone over name by name and voted on by such of the men here as knew the rustlers all this has been talked over with each of you individually porter explained at the present time sunday brown whom some of you know a famous deputy united states marshal from the indian territory is busy enlisting about sixty fighting men in texas and arizona ile he is choosing tried men all of them officers who have fought a as s marshals or sheriffs against desperadoes in the course of two or three weeks brown brov and his men will reach this city from here they will be sent by special train to the scene of action in addition to these there will vill probably be fifty cattlemen and their friends in our jorty ty our intention is to move fast 2 secretly so that nobody will rw what we are about until too ate to stop us we expect to meet no organized opposition the rustlers whom we trap will fight it if they get a chance but that is to be anticipated if everything goes well we ought to be able to sweep ahr through ough the country wipe out scores of rustlers and get back to the ra railroad I 1 broad wip b our identities unknown A big wide stockman named kinnear took the floor fine he F said if everything goes right his gaze swept the room leisurely but hell boys chances chance are you cant pull it off dont get me wrong im with you till the cows come home borne still a hundred armed men on horseback ant it go galumphing galum phing through the P try without plenty of people get rig wise to it terry was of the same opinion the names of those on the list to be rubbed out were taken up tor for consideration all ali the men at the meeting felt the tenseness when elison ison rose roie with a paper in his hand they were about to condemn scores of men to death ellison read the first name it was as that of a notorious bad man known as black tl yeager esger nobody had anything to say in his ta fa vorHis name went on the black list the second i one read was unknown to terry installment FIVE round mond reverse reverie 0 ranch he used died to be small rancher himself lee hart bart another brother of one of the killed men li is believed to have taken a shot hot at terry behind till big back jeff brand and jack turley tinley believed to be rustlers rustle rii iles hes only a kid john mcfaddin McFadd tn said after we string up a few hell light outa the country pronto I 1 say let him go it was voted not to include him jeff brand A bad man from texas explained tod colllns collins ol of the antelope creek ranch one ol of the worst ol of the hart gang others corroborated this brand went on the death list roan alford no terry spoke with sharp decision hes a rancher not a rustler rustier ive known him all my life A score or more of names were read and discussed some were put on the black list and others pardoned because of insufficient evidence or extenuating circumstances lee hart we all know where he belongs a redheaded cowman re replied died put him on the list to be hanged and pass on to the next no voice was raised in his behalf the next name was read sheriff nate hart terry broke the long silence that followed its known that the harts are enemies of mine I 1 dont get along with nate any better than I 1 do with the rest ot of them but that make him a rustler folks in the buck river country do not consider him one A dark brown man sitting on the bed in his shirt shirtsleeves sleeves let the match with which he had intended to light a cigar die out not a rustler himself but a politician who uses cow thieves tor for his advantage ile hes a worse than they are I 1 say rub him out mcfaddin ripped out an oath he and two of the county commission r lets give the rustlers a little more rope to hang bang themselves with ers are the leaders of the whole mess of thieves the cool gaze of terr terry Y swept the room slowly Gent gentlemen leme n you are proposing to take in too much territory maybe we can round up most of the known thieves and get away with hanging them I 1 think we will be lucky if we do but we cant kill the duly elected sheriff and commissioners missioners ners of a county and e expect not to pay too high a price tor for it right then we would lose the support of the public all ov over er the country doctor porter gave his support to terry his s name goes off ellison answered the roll call went on ellison read the next name a little litlie reluctantly it had been handed in by one of the stockmen stoc kmen present jack turley the name was the no by joe superintendent ran a pencil through it known not t to 0 be a rustler he s said aid who knows it terry asked he spends most of 0 his time with lee hart and jeff brand if he a rustler why does he run with thieves ellison hesitated 1 I can give him a clean bill of health he said af at last how can boti you do that all right ellison threw up a hand band in surrender hes her a detective tor for the association we sent him into the buck river country two years ago to get information about the thieves activities the meeting broke up late before anybody had left the room the man on watch outside came in with a telegram lust just arrived tor for doctor porter just a moment if you please he said 1 I have a message with important news sent me by my secretary 11 the hum ol of conversation died down jackman wires me that yesterday a meeting of small cattlemen including rustlers no doubt was held at round ton TOD to form an independent ranchers and stock block grow 1 speak peak against calhoun Cal houa the th sheriff has hai a talk with him be hail had found 0 body tracks show how mother another person had been in the vicinity ellen carey tho the postmasters daughter declares decla rei she he was vai the second person ers era association they voted to hold their roundup about the middle of may three weeks before the legal one set by us other branches of at this association are to do the same every man present knew what this meant by means ot of these roundups the enemies of 0 the b big 9 ranches would collect and brand the mavericks before the wagons and men of the large outfits could get into action all calves not following their mothers closely would be assigned to the small cow cowmen and to the rustlers who had started herds of their own doctor porter waved his telegram tor for a cessation of talk theres another piece ot of news in my wire gentlemen jackman says that early this morning the body of pete tolman was found in front of his cabin ile he had been shot through the forehead by a bullet from a rifle CHAPTER XI at the sleepy cat ranch dance very little was talked of except the murder of pete tolman and its relation to the other two killings which had preceded it the victims had all been active and flagrant rustlers real tear fear though generally gener aUy concealed was plainly in evidence at the dance ellen read it in the nervousness of those she met in the lowered voices and furtive whisperings jeff brand asked ellen for a dance she rose at once and took her place with him in the quadrille lane carey had bi rought brought her to the dan dance e her eyes danced with mocking laughter you promised to help entertain my beau and I 1 seen you say a word to him yet he laughed whoever else might be worried jeff brand was not you chose the wrong beau honey he was a graceful scamp and he danced as no other man in the room did her gaze held to his interested and a little puzzled everybody else is worried and unhappy about what happened today you seem to be on the top of the world pete tolman a friend of yours we rode a lot of trails together he said well 1 I ought to be pulling a long face you think my idea Is diff different erent pete did a lot of living in his twenty four years maybe he wandered off the reservation considerable he made his own laws and he had a lot of fun doing it ive heard him say he want to live to be an old man with creaky joints that hed rather go out high wide and handsome im gonna miss him but when I 1 think of him it will be as I 1 saw him last waving a hand at me as he went over the top of a hill at a gallop ellen said 1 I understand now she added gently pete would not want you to act solemn she still was not quite satisfied to drop the subject you know what is worrying ev everybody ery body say it plain his face creased to a smile they figure ill be next 11 why dont you leave this part of the country start tonight for fop montana she asked impulsively his cool eyes rested on her why I 1 me like this country and my girl lives here her e he drawled they had strolled to one of the benches placed along the side of the room 1 I know you had a girl she mentioned her voice light oh yes she know it yet I 1 think ashes just beginning to find it out how interesting tor for herl her shell be dreadfully unhappy until she is a ure sure of you 1 I wish I 1 was certain certa inot of that lie he drawled let me know when im to congratulate you mr brand yes he be promised know the audacity ot of her next question surprised and delighted him you are a rustler I 1 suppose my goodness you go right to the point nobody ever asked me that before youre supposed to say that with a smile or with a gun in yore hand ill withdraw the question 6 since ince its none ot of my business but I 1 should think that girl you were telling me about would want to be very sure you maybe she would rather have a man who just plowed and dug he said scornfully she might there ji Is another name tor for rustling ive heard it the big cattlemen like to use it when they speak of 0 their small neighbors but I 1 dont expect they like the word applied when they fence land that belong to them or homestead public domain by using their own riders as dummy entry men 11 the reckless gaiety had been washed from froin his face and left it grim and bitter i 1 TO SF RF |