Pioneering on the Cheyenne River: Part 5, Interesting Facts and Incidents
TRAPPERS AND HUNTERS
MERRITT TAYLOR who came to Wyoming in 1890, was one of the first trappers in this part of the county, and was very successful in trapping grey wolves and coyotes.
Another early-day trapper in this part of the county was Suggs. He was married, and he and his wife traveled over the country in a covered wagon. They were camped at the Hogg Brother's ranch on Lance Creek. One evening Mrs. Suggs was ill, and she told Suggs to go to the wagon and get her a heart tablet. In a little while the old lady became quite sick. Upon examination Suggs discovered that he had given his wife a tablet of the kind he used to poison wolves. Then, of course, the big rush was on for first aid, and the first thing was lard. They got about a half gallon down her, which made her vomit up the wolf bait. Jim Hogg afterward said at that time life was cheap, as it cost only a half-gallon of lard.
Jim Hogg and Suggs found a wolf den and they could hear the pups making a noise. Suggs decided to crawl down into the den. It being a very steep incline, he told Jim to tie the saddle rope on his feet and in case anything happened to him, Jim could pull him out. Suggs started on his descent into the cave, got down about 20 feet and yelled ''Take me out, here she is!" Jim began to pull the rope. He said that Suggs backed out faster than he could take up the slack. Suggs and the she-wolf came out together. Suggs said, "Well! That was a pretty close call-if I had stuck, she'd a-et me up." They afterwards took nine pups from the den.
Charles and Ira Thomas and Ethan Hogg each had a pack of greyhounds with which they hunted wolves and coyotes for sport and the bounty. The bounty money helped buy dog food. Ethan's greyhounds were the only hounds that were known in this part of the county to kill a grey wolf alone.
Ethan also had four half-breed wolf and sheep dog pups which were very vicious. He gave one to Dr. Thomas of Edgemont, So. Oak. The doctor said he had to get rid of him, as it kept him broke replacing the neighbors' chickens. This half-wolf was matched against a bulldog at Crawford, Neb. The rules were that they were to be put in an enclosure and the best dog was to take the money. Several hundred dollars changed hands on this dog fight. They put the two dogs in an enclosure. Wolf got in one corner, braced himself and bowed his back. The bulldog made for Wolf and Wolf jumped over the dog's back. In doing so he cut the dog across the back with his fangs, jumped to the opposite corner, braced himself for the next blow. The same tactics were used for the third time. Then the man who owned the bulldog threw in the sponge and jerked the bulldog out. All bets were paid off in favor of the half-breed shepherd. This bulldog was a "professional" fighter and had won a number of battles. A railroad man from Edgemont heard the owner of the bulldog bragging on his dog, and the railroader said, "I'll bet a hundred dollars my helf-breed shepherd dog can whip him." Of course, he didn't mention what the other half was.
GEORGE LYONS
Born in England, Mr. Lyons came to the United States and to Wyoming in the early '80's.
He was a professional hunter and trapper. Before coming to the United States he had gone on several expeditions into Central Africa and Australia as a guide and bodyguard for some of the "Hi-Tones," as he called members of expeditions who were exploring and establishing trade relations between Britain and the inhabitants of that region. Some went for a big hunt.
He told many interesting tales of his experiences while on these trips of the different modes of killing the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and ostrich. About 1900 he camped at the old 9 9 9 ranch and trapped wolves and coyotes. He practically exterminated the wolves in this end of the county. He used various kinds of animal bait. It was said he could so cleverly conceal his traps that it was difficult for him to find them. When he accumulated a large quantity of hides he would bring them to the Hogg Brothers ranch and have them ship them for him. When his proceeds returned he would have someone who was going to town get him a jug of likker, and he would invite a few of the boys down to help celebrate his birthday. The next shipment, another birthday. When spring came and fur prices declined his birthdays didn't come quite so often. He moved from the 9 9 9 west to Boggy Creek and trapped on Boggy and the Cheyenne River. About 1903, he was found dead in his dugout on Boggy Creek. While looking over his belongings in the dugout, they found a receipt for his last birthday about one-half gallon of likker.
Thus ended the career of George Lyons the "Globe Trotter," as he termed himself.
SUNDAY SCHOOL AND SERVICES
THE FIRST SERMON preached in this section of the_ county was by Rev. D. J. Clark, Methodist minister, in the spring of 1912. He also organized the first Sunday School. It was held in an abandoned hewed-log ranch house, with a seating capacity of 100 persons, after removal of the partition. It was located on what is now the Hans Meng ranch, on Old Woman Creek, south of the Red Bird store.
It was non-sectarian, as all denominations were represented, and services were held twice monthly. Sunday School was held in the morning, then the congregation had a picnic dinner under the cottonwoods. The religious services were conducted in the afternoon. These services continued until fall. Following his retirement from the ministry, Rev. Clark located on a ranch on Alum Creek, where he and Mrs. Clark resided for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Clark were the parents of three children-Floyd, Cora and Edna all now deceased. Mrs. Floyd Clark and son, Allen, lived on the ranch until recently, when they moved to Lusk. Rev. Clark died a few years ago, beloved and respected by all who were acquainted with his noble character. Mrs. Clark preceded him many years ago.
ROBBER'S ROOST CREEK
Robber’s Roost Creek is a tributary of the Cheyenne River. It is probably not more than 20 miles in length-a dry, narrow creek, with a few scattered springs and trees rising just over the line in Weston County, and entering the Cheyenne River about three miles southeast of where the Cheyenne-Deadwood Trail crosses it. At seasons the violent rainstorms send roaring floods down the creek, imperiling the lives of both people and livestock.
The historical Cheyenne-Deadwood freight and stagecoach trail crossed Robber's Roost Creek about four miles from Burnt Station-(burned by the Indians in 1878, all the inhabitants making their escape). The crossing with its steep, perpendicular cut-banks on both sides of the creek, is not more than 30 feet wide, but it was a befitting place for the bandits to hide, as they would see the stage coaches and bull teams strung out over the plains while approaching several miles distant from either side of the creek, and they could not be seen by the drivers. Traces of the old trail are still visible where the trail crossed Robber's Roost creek. At the crossing there were just two large cottonwood trees on the south side of the creek, one on each side of the trail. Many interesting stories and anecdotes have been told of the daring hold-ups and robberies of the treasure coaches at this crossing. Here robberies were committed by such notorious characters as Lame Johnny, Webster, Hartwell and others.
Mrs. Charles Partridge, wife of the telegraph operator at the Hat Creek station, related a typical incident of that period. It seems that Mrs. Partridge was a passenger enroute from Deadwood to Hat Creek when the stage was held up by a lone road agent at the second crossing on Lance Creek, or about seven miles south of Robber's Roost Creek. The bandit made the driver cut the team loose. He then dynamited the safe and obtained one gold brick. The stage started off again and at the first crossing of Lance Creek, or about one mile farther south, they saw the road agent watering his. horse. The driver shot and killed him, but the gold brick had disappeared. It was presumed to have been buried or hidden somewhere between the two crossings.
The freighters and travelers were beset with dangers from the robbers, quicksands and treacherous deep holes of the creeks and the Cheyenne River.
LYNCHING OF "DIAMOND L SLIM"
THE YEAR 1903 was an eventful one, as that was the year of the lynching of "Diamond L Slim" and the Sheriff's battle with the Indians on Lightning Creek, Sheriff Miller having taken part in both episodes and losing his life in the latter.
In 1903, the spring roundup was camped on Lodge Pole Creek, when cowboys lynched "Diamond L Slim."
Slim was deeply in debt to a young couple by the name of Church, and murdered them to get rid of the indebtedness. He took the bodies and buried them on the sheep bed-ground. People became, suspicious because of the long absence of the Churches, and they noticed that Slim was wearing one of Mrs. Church's rings. Later Slim was arrested and put in jail at Newcastle. The Sheriff secured a confession and Slim told the location of the graves.
Several different roundup wagons were camped on Lodge Pole Creek, including the 4W, 4J, UX and the Fiddleback. A number of men from these wagons, as a self-appointed posse, left camp in the evening and headed for Newcastle. Upon arrival, some of the cowboys tended the horses near town. Telephone and light wires were severed, then they proceeded to the jail and demanded Slim. The Sheriff refused to give him up. The men used a heavy bar to smash the door. Sheriff Miller then told the deputy to unlock the cell, and they took Slim to a bridge a short distance from the jail, tied a rope around his neck and tossed him off the bridge. The jerk of the rope and the weight of his body completely severed his head-the head being on one side of the creek and the body on the other. At the end of that rope was where Slim had paid for the hideous crime he had committed. Several of the cowboys whose sketches appear in this booklet were on this roundup. Such men served their purpose in establishing their idea of law and order when the courts were so slow and slack.
WALL AND BLACKBURN HOLDUP
(Contributed by Malcolm Campbell)
CHEYENNE-DEADWOOD TRAIL of 1877 was the scene of a good many holdups and robberies. One of the most successful gangs operating on this line was composed of Wall, Blackburn, Lame Johnny, Lame Bradley, Webster and Hartwell. In the summer of 1877, they held up the stage once when Ed Cook, the paymaster, was on the coach on his way to pay off the men. Before he started, Cook, realizing the danger of traveling across the country in those days, had purchased an old shotgun with a large bore, and down the barrel of this he had stuffed his money. When the passengers were lined up and searched, Lame Bradley, who had a grudge against Cook, took a shot at him and shot off part of one ear. Before Bradley could fire again, he was stopped by Blackburn, who remembered that Cook had be friended him at one time. One of the gang had taken Cook's watch, but Blackburn compelled him to return it. This almost caused a fight among the robbers. When the robbers searched Cook and found very little money on him, looking at his old worthless shotgun and berating any man who would be fool enough to carry such a gun, with an oath threw the gun into the brush. When the robbers left, Cook recovered the gun with the money still in the barrel.
Bradley called himself the "King of the Road," but for once was outwitted and threw away money which he actually. held in his hands. This same Bradley had killed a man named Powell on the Cheyenne River just before the robbery. Powell was a member of their gang, but in an argument, Bradley was the quickest of the draw.
The writer wishes to add that later on Cook married Christina Mill, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Mill, pioneer freighter. To this union two children were born-Helen and Edmond. Helen married Beecher Strube, and they live at Lance Creek. Edmond married Julia Black, daughter of Mrs. Julia Black, and they live on the old homestead.
THE ROBBER'S ROOST HOLDUP
(Contributed by Malcolm Campbell)
IN THE FALL OF 1878 a gang of robbers held up and tried to rob the stage coach at a place on the trail called Robber's Roost. Scott Davis and John Denny were on the coach, besides three soldiers who were acting as guards. When the coach was stopped the soldiers jumped out and took to the brush, leaving Davis and Denny to fight alone. After a few shots, Denny also took to the brush, leaving Davis to fight alone. Davis stood his ground, but the Henry rifle he was using jammed. Davis was struck down by a bullet in the hip and left lying there. The robbers became afraid because of the advantage the soldiers had, and took to the timber without getting any of the treasure or money in the deal.
Two of these robbers were Blackbum and Wall. Later on they ran off a lot of horses owned by the stage line company near Lance Creek, and were the same men who had previously killed a United States marshal. When Scott Davis, who was captain of the guards of the treasure coaches, recovered from his wounds in December, 1878, he took up their trail at Lance Creek and followed it like a blood hound day and night, through snow and cold, with soldiers helping him part of the time. He followed them west to the Sweetwater River, up that river over South Pass, and on to Alkali Springs, near Green River. A fight followed and Wall was shot three times and captured, but Blackburn escaped and was followed on to Green River, where he was captured. Davis took his two captives to Cheyenne, where they were given a sentence of eight to ten years. Scott Davis not only captured these notorious robbers, but also recovered fifteen head of valuable horses they had stolen from the line. He had followed these men for 300 miles, sometimes on foot, suffering from the cold, but with unlimited nerve and endurance, he brought his efforts to a successful climax. After a rest he again took up his work as a guard on the treasure coaches.
THE KILLING OF FRANK TOWLE
(Contributed by Malcolm Campbell)
THE ROBBERIES of stage coaches became quite a common incident and while there were no regular guards, it was the duty of shotgun guards, after they had guarded the treasure coaches to the end of their run, to return to their regular station and accompany passenger coaches that might be passing at that time.
In August of 1877, Boone May and John Zimmerman were returning as guards of a passenger coach consisting of two passengers. Everything was going quite peaceably and the guards were riding a short distance behind when the coach reached a point known as Robber's Roost, an ideal place for holding up stages, because of the canyon, timber and brush. The very familiar command of "Halt" rang out on the night air, and in a few minutes the passengers were lined up and the robbers were relieving them. of their valuables. The leader of the gang asked the stage driver if there were any guards with the coach and being informed that there were two coming behind, the leader commanded No. 1 and No. 2 to go back to the rear and kill those two "................." Frank Towle and his companion proceeded to sneak back under cover of darkness toward the guards, but May and Zimmerman had heard the command to "Halt," and had dismounted and were likewise creeping up within range of the holdup as the two highwaymen came crouching along through the brush. May and Zimmerman opened fire on them. May was using a shotgun and shot Towle. The attack by the guards caused the robbers to hurry from the scene, leaving the terror-stricken passengers and coach to go on its way. While talking over the incident at the station, Boone May was informed that there was a reward of several thousand dollars offered by the Commission at Cheyenne for the capture of Frank Towle, dead or alive. The next day Boone May returned to the scene of the fight in order to secure some proof of the fact that he had killed Towle. He found that the body had been dragged up the gulch a short distance and secreted under some brush. From the body of his victim he took two gold nugget stick pins and then proceeded to cut off his head, which he placed in a gunny sack and delivered to the Commissioners at Cheyenne. However, his efforts were in vain, for the Commissioners claimed that the offer of reward had recently been withdrawn, and refused to give him anything for his work in ridding the country of one of the bad men of the time.
PERSIMMON BILL
(Contributed by Malcolm Campbell)
IN 1878 Gilmer & Saulsbury were running a freight line between Cheyenne and Deadwood, leaving the main trail Hat Creek, going down Indian Creek, crossing the Cheyenne River at the resent site of Edgemont, through Red Canyon and Custer. They sent to Salt Lake City for a man by the name of Stuttering Brown to stop the stealing of their horses, of which they were losing several. At Cheyenne Crossing, Brown recognized a man called Persimmon Bill, whose real name was Wm. Chambers. Brown accused him of stealing horses and trouble started, but was stopped by other men in the place.
That night Brown started for the Hat Creek station. Going along toward Indian Creek Brown was shot and seriously wounded. He died at Hat Creek station next morning. It is supposed he was killed by Persimmon Bill. I relate this incident as this man Persimmon Bill was around Fort Fetterman and was well known by my father, who was an officer of the law at that time. When Bill left for the Black Hills, my father sold him a rifle that he had and that Persimmon Bill wanted.
INDIAN GRAVES
NEAR where Old Woman empties into Lance Creek, on Jim Hogg's homestead, on a big sagebrush flat, graves were found where the Indians deposited the bodies of the dead, or their bones, after the flesh had decomposed. The Sioux wrapped the body in a freshly skinned hide and placed it upon a scaffold about 7 or 8 feet high, where it remained until the scaffold decayed, then the bones were buried. There must have been ten or fifteen graves in this plot. These graves could be plainly seen in 1896. Several years after that two or three had been opened. The Pharaohs were not the only ones whose graves were robbed. In that respect the Indians were like the Pharaohs--they buried their treasures with· them, also enough tobacco, fire making implements, a bow and arrow or gun for hunting, and enough food to subsist a traveler on a journey of several days toward the Happy Hunting Ground. It was near the site of this burying ground where the emigrant wagon was burned and Wm. Pearson discovered the sewing machine. No one knows whether they had any connection.
GRAVES
A NUMBER of unmarked graves are in this section of the county--one of a cowboy on the big butte north of the ULA ranch whose name has been lost to memory in the intervening years.
There is also another grave near the old Texas Trail, about one mile south of Glen Hanson's ranch-name also unknown.
FOSSILS
IN 1910, Professor Sternberg was collecting fossils for the Museum of Natural History in this part of the county, and while engaged as an archaeologist was greatly pleased with this section of the country and filed on a homestead on Old Woman Creek, just west of the Cross A ranch. His wife came later and taught the Warren school. Some of the pupils were Charlie Seaman, Lloyd Gordon, Inez, Berniece and Gladys Brown.
Mr. Sternberg lived here for a number of years and worked all of this end of the county. He shipped tons of fossils to Washington, New York and England.
He found one prehistoric animal on Seven-Mile Creek, a tributary to Cheyenne River, that weighed 13 tons. Harry Dougherty helped him haul it to Harrison, Neb., for shipment to New York.
This country was once inundated by water, as is evidenced by the fact that marine fossils, turtles, fish, etc., were found. One fossil was that of one-half of a fish about 3½ feet long and 18 inches wide. The vertebrae and ribs could be plainly seen. This fossil was found on Mule Creek, on the side of the shale hill near Highway 85. Mr. Sternberg had many kinds of tropical plants and some palm leaves and dinosaurs that belonged to a weird past, which may have been thousands to millions of years ago, or during the Great Ice Age.
In places the ground is covered with bone fragments of these enormous beasts that once lived on the Wyoming prairies.
NEWSPAPER
THIS END of the county also boasts of having had the only rural newspaper in the county. It was published by Mike Henry, whose place was about four miles south of Red Bird store, now the property of Henry Wasserburger. About 1919, Henry began the publication of a paper which was called "The Warren Booster." It continued to make its appearance for about two years, then Mike's venture in the field of journalism was cut short by his untimely death at Edgemont, So. Dak.
WORLD'S GREATEST HORSE RACE
JOHN BERRY was a stage driver, and in 1885 was a hotel and saloon keeper at the new town of Douglas, Wyo. He won the great endurance horse race from Chadron, Neb., to Chicago, Ill., a distance of over a thousand miles.
In 1893, the year of the World's Exposition at Chicago, some of the citizens of Chadron proposed an endurance horse race from Chadron to Chicago, to prove that a Western-raised horse had more vitality than his Eastern cousin.
Buffalo Bill added $500.00 to the purse and asked to have the race end at his Wild West show in the Columbian Exposition. Several firms added prizes such as saddles, guns, cowboy equipment, etc.
There was a set of rules, among them being these: Only horses bred and raised west of the Mississippi were eligible to enter. Each rider limited to two horses. Each rider to be furnished a route map. Each rider was required to register at places along the route. There was one for weight of rider and saddle, and no rider could allow his horse to drop dead at the end and win a prize. The horses were to be branded with a race brand (a small 2 under the mane).
Nine cowboys entered the race, only two from this section-John Berry and "Doc" Middleton. Only five contestants finished the race, and one of them shipped his horse on the last leg.
Berry won the race on "Poison," taking just 14 days. John Berry was about 35 years of age, with red hair and a "steer-horn" mustache, weighing about 160 pounds. His entry had been protested on the ground that he was ineligible, because of having done the routing. (The route map was made by Berry).
"Doc" Middleton, who was a familiar character in this section of the country, was about six feet tall, wiry and straight, about 40 years of age, dark hair which he wore long below his shoulder blades, with his mustache and whiskers about 18 inches long. After he returned from the Exposition he wore a goatee like Buffalo Bill. After leaving Sioux City, "Doc's" main horse gave out, but he continued the race with his other horse. "Doc" was regarded as a dare-devil and one of the best riders in the West. He made the headlines of all the papers in the States, and this publicity even reached England. He was the favorite of the "know-how boys," and was given a big reception in all the towns through which he passed. Flowers were thrown in his path and the souvenir collectors took hair from his horse's mane and tail. It is said they even plucked few of "Doc's" whiskers, and perhaps this was true, as when "Doc" returned he was wearing a goatee and never explained how he lost his broom. On the last leg of the journey, "Doc", being handicapped as he was, he and his noble steed came in third.
"Doc" attended his last roundup at Douglas, Wyo., in the early part of 1913. He stacked his tools and turned the job over to a younger generation, and for the last time "Doc" heard the cook say "Come and get it."
BONES
IN 1934, Henrick Hanson, whose ranch is ten miles south of the AU7 ranch. a former Niobrara County State Senator, and son Glen, while building fence on their Cheyenne River ranch, uncovered a skull while digging post holes. Mr. Hanson leveled off more ground, exposing a mass grave of five skulls and some bones, four adults and one child. It was thought that the bones might be those of early immigrants or travelers who were victims of Indian raids along the old trail, inasmuch as they were about one mile from what is known as the old Texas Trail. The place where these skulls were found was no larger than a washtub. There was the fullest evidence that they were burned, for there were ashes and charcoal under the bones, and it is not known that the Indians ever burned the bodies of any but those whom they put to death by torture. The grave was between two big sand rocks and the water for years had washed sand over them. Within a mile of this grave they found another skull 'and some scattered human bones. These bones were in a better state of preservation than those found in the grave. Many Indian fire-pots, artifacts, arrow points, etc., were found nearby. Charles Van Dyne found a skull about three miles south of this place, on the Cheyenne River. This was a skull of a white person, as the molars were filled. It is claimed that a dentist can identify his work, but perhaps the dentist that did this work has passed on and could not be recalled to identify this work. They probably all died with their boots on.
COWBOYS AND EARLY-DAY SETTLERS
Tom Black
Lee Miller
A. A. Spaugh
Tom Bell
Henry Petz
Frank Decastro
Jim Christian
Jack Evans
Art Thompson
Alfred Johnson
Tom Skinner
Jim Danks
Clayton Danks
Ed White
Joe Ashton
Hank Burgle
George Hill
Francis Miller
Paul Miller
Mike Jordan
Bob Jordan
Mont Quest
Arthur Davis
James Rodabaugh
Lew Davis
Andy Jackson Powell
Frank Douglas
John Miller
Joe Petty
R. S. Adams
Neil Jordan
J. H. Magoon
Lewis Berggren
J. J. Zurn Brunnen Jacob Mill
Andrew Falconer
J. J. ZumBrunnen
Jacob Mill
Charles Partridge
Chris Joss
Sam Joss
Albert McFarlane
Henry Card
Jess Cornelilson
John Mead
Pat Woods
Alvin Lynn
Fred Williams
Bob Porter
Ben Thomas
0. H. Scott
Albert Soske
Jasper Harmon
E. K. Bowel
Wm. (Bill) Bonsell
Orvil Dryer
Gene Dryer
George Paine
Clair Arnold
Art Petty
Bill Ormsby
Nate Wheeler
Dick Wheeler
Paul Heppner
0. J. Demmon
Ray Baughn
Shorty West
Frank Moore
Floyd Moore
Robert Douglas
Snow Dixon
A. H. J. Dixon
Jesse Freel
Paul Kipping
Howard Devol
Andy McKean
Dr. N. E. Wells
Wm. Dixon
Ben Field
Art Field
George Saffell
Charles Quinn
Ray Marty
George Marty
Walt Reed, Sr.
Otis Hill
A. J. Colgan
JUSTICE COURT
THE FIRST Justice Court in this part of the county was held at the ranch of Hogg & Sons on Lance Creek, early in the present century. John T. (Daddy) Hogg had been commissioned a Justice of the Peace.
A man walked into the Ed (Pug) Lindsy ranch. Lindsy was away from home and Mrs. Lindsy and her two daughters were in the ice house getting ice. The footman, being unknown to them, and at that day and time it was very unusual to see any one afoot, and when he entered the house it frightened Mrs. Lindsy, and she and the girls remained in the ice house. In about a half-hour the man came out with Ed's favorite .45 Colts and a few other things. When Ed returned and heard the news he went to John T. Hogg's for first aid by consulting "the Court." "His Honor" deputized Lon Galbreath to bring the intruder in "dead or alive." He found the renegade 6 or 7 miles below the Lindsy ranch on the Cheyenne River, so Lon read the Court's order to him, and asked him why he had scared the women. He replied, "I didn't scare any women, I didn't see any woman." Lon found the stolen goods and relieved him of them. Lon put the bracelets on him and the fellow said "You needn't put them on, I'll go along and I'll not hurt ye." Lon said, "I'm not putting them on because I'm afraid of you, I'm just putting them on to keep from killing you."
He was given a fair and unbiased trial, found guilty by the jury of a charge of petit larceny. The court sentenced him to six months in jail at Douglas, county seat of Converse county. John T. Hogg deputized Hugh McWhorter to take him to Lusk and turn him over to a deputy sheriff (Lum Barber). McWhorter was provided with a team and buggy to deliver the prisoner to Lusk, some 75 miles away. He started that afternoon and they camped all night on Old Woman Creek in an abandoned cabin. He hobbled the horses and during the night they started toward the ranch. The next morning Mac discovered his horses were gone. He told the prisoner that he would have to go get his horses, and for him to stay there, and if he left he (Mac) would hunt him up and fix him so he wouldn't get away from anyone else. When Mac returned with the horses he said the "poor simp" was still there.
Arriving at Lusk, Mac turned him over to Lum Barber and the man began to realize there was something to all this. He said, "I didn't think that old man way out there in the sticks could do anything to me that would be binding; I thought I was just getting free transportation to Lusk, as I wanted to go there anyway." Mac told him he had gotten that free ride all right, and was headed for more.
The prisoner wrote to John T. Hogg and asked for leniency. Mr. Hogg informed him that he considered one leniency in his case was sufficient and the. verdict would stand as is.
John T. Hogg also certified the county papers for predatory animals. Some of those who called on him for this service were: Ira Thomas, Frank Galbreath, Ethan Hogg, Lon Galbreath, Ed Lindsey, George Lacy, Charles Thomas, Mert Jones, George Lyons, Solon Clark, C. R. Zerbst, Tom Wilson, "Dad" Brewster, Bill Spencer, Bill Blair, Alex Jones, James Hammell, Christ Ruffing, Frank Zerbst.
ANOTHER case that came before John T. Hogg's court was in the early spring of 1908 or 1909. There was a man found dead on Robber's Roost Creek. They telephoned to the John T. Hogg ranch, and he in turn phoned to the Coroner at Douglas. The Coroner informed Mr. Hogg that it would be impossible for him to come, and for him (Hogg) to handle the case through the Justice Court. (The Coroner and the dead man were separated by 125 miles). A jury was empaneled, composed of Roy Robison, Fred Robison, Billie Blair, Albert Herman, Jim Williams and others. At the trial it was learned that in November of that year A. W. Sedgwick employed a sheepherder. A short time afterward, during a snowstorm, this band of sheep was discovered without a herder, and a diligent search had failed to discover any trace of the missing herder. Henry Morrison found a coat on a fence post and it was proved later that this coat belonged to the herder. Morrison stated that the herder had stopped at his house a few times and was noticeably acting queer.There was a patent medicine day book in the coat pocket with an identification blank which was filled out, and also a sales slip for a pair of shoes. The Justice told the jurymen to examine the corpse thoroughly, as it was their duty to determine how the man had met his death, if possible. When he was discovered the magpies had eaten his nose off and picked his eyes out, but otherwise he was in a good state of preservation. After the jury had made an investigation, the justice asked others who were present to ask the jury any questions they might have in mind, as he wanted them to make their statements there and then instead of later on. The jury found that the man was partially demented and had died of exposure.
Mr. Sedgwick said that when he hired the herder he had purchased a new pair of shoes for him, and the corpse had on a new pair of shoes. John Hogg telephoned to Ohio, the address on the identification card, and asked what disposition was to be made of the body. The party answering the telephone proved to be the dead man's brother, who said it would not be necessary for him to come, as he had not seen his brother for 35 years, and for them to give him a decent burial and he would pay all expenses. The body was buried in the cemetery at Edgemont, So. Dak.