Powder River invasion : $b War on the rustlers in 1892Mercer, A. S. (Asa Shinn)
History
Powder River invasion : $b War on the rustlers in 1892
Mercer, A. S. (Asa Shinn)
Cattle trade -- Wyoming -- History -- 19th century; Johnson County War, 1892; Wyoming -- History
George Dunning of Idaho, in the confusion incident to the surrender,
secreted himself in the loft of the house until dark, when he walked
away. He took the “wrong end” of the road and went into Buffalo, where
he was arrested by Sheriff Angus and put in jail. R. M. Allen, manager
of the Standard Cattle Company, of Ames, Neb., had left the party after
the K. C. murders, and when met by the news which caused the retreat
to the block house, presumably going to hurry up reinforcements, by
order of the mob, and was captured at Buffalo. Dudley, suffering with
a broken leg, had been sent to the military hospital before the TA
engagement. Another Texan, shot in the groin, was not taken with the
party, but sent for later.
A Buffalo paper of April 14th, speaking of the situation just after the
surrender, says:
“Here in Buffalo, all was excitement and unrest; rumors of all
descriptions, preposterous, ludicrous and probable, pervaded the
atmosphere. No two men could start a conversation but what a crowd
would soon gather around. Knots of men could be seen on all street
corners, earnestly speculating on the outcome; but for all the utmost
decorum and good nature prevailed. But few arrests were made by the
officers, and those only for the personal safety of the individual
arrested.
“Soon after the return of the troops with the prisoners to Fort
McKinney criminal complaints were sworn to before Justice Reimann and
warrants for murder and arson issued against these men. Sheriff Angus
served the warrants on Colonel Van Horn, demanding the surrender of the
criminals to the civil authorities of Johnson County, but his request
was denied.”
The history of this remarkable siege would not be approximately
complete without showing how the rescue was brought about. Hence, the
reader will pardon the introduction of copies of the various official
telegrams that passed over the wires on the subject.
The private telegraph line from Douglas to Buffalo being in the hands
of the cattlemen and no message permitted to pass while the expedition
was moving north, was at once ordered opened to business when the gang
went to the TA fortification. The raiders’ friends telegraphed the
situation to Acting Governor Barber as soon as the line was repaired,
and he immediately opened up communication with Washington, as the
public believes, in harmony with previously arranged plans. The delay
in repairing the line came nearly proving disastrous to the invaders,
for it was late on the afternoon of April 12th when Barber received
notice of the perilous condition of his friends. At once the following
message was given for transmissal:
(Telegram)
Cheyenne, Wyo., April 12, 1892.
The President, Washington, D. C.:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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