Gang Crackdown: When Stuart’s Stranglers Raided the Rustlers

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An August 8 dispatch from Helena repeated the story of the Bates Point battle, termed “another slaughter of horse-thieves,” with additional details. The attackers, identified as “Granville Stuart’s cowboys,” killed nine of the horse thieves, but five escaped. The cabin was set on fire and burned. “Never was there a period in the history of this or any other territory when so much horse thieving was going on. The citizens are determined to effectively stop it.” The story concluded with a greatly exaggerated assertion: “Fully fifty thieves were hanged or shot in the past month.”

August 16: “At Rocky Point. M.T., a few days ago a band of cowboys captured a gang of horse-thieves, recovering from them thirty-two head of horses. The five outlaws were then suspended from the nearest trees.”

August 22: “Near Helena, Montana, the other day, fourteen horse-thieves were attacked by cowboys and nine of them killed.”

These contradictory newspaper stories undoubtedly contributed to later confusion about the extent of the Stuart raider retribution, as many of the items were repetitions of previously reported incidents. In the end, estimates of the number of victims of the 1884 cattlemen’s campaign ranged from 19 to 75.

Some viewed this as unlawful wholesale slaughter by bloodthirsty vigilantes, and Granville Stuart as the leader came under severe criticism for his actions. He never apologized for the raid, however, and took full personal responsibility for what transpired. Veteran cowboy Teddy Blue recalled that he once heard a woman accuse Stuart of hanging 30 men. Raising his hat to her, Stuart said, “Yes, madam, and, by God, I done it alone.”

Because of the severity of the criticism heaped on Stuart, the identity of the other raiders was never publicly divulged. But in a letter to fellow cattleman Conrad Kohrs several years later, James Fergus revealed that two who rode with Stuart were rancher Reese Anderson and Fergus’ own son, Andrew. He praised the operation, saying that the service rendered the stock interest by the members of the Stuart party, “risking their lives against great odds to rid our country of organized bands of horse and cattle thieves,” should never be forgotten. “The vigilantes in all their time,” he said, “never did a braver, nobler, or more necessary act or one that paid better in its results.”

Others echoed this opinion. Ranch manager F.S. Stimson, shortly after the raid, told a newspaperman of Calgary, Canada, that he believed Stuart’s vigilantes accounted for 38 dead. “Some recently elected deputy sheriffs are raising a howl about it,” he said, “but the general opinion is that as far as stock interests are concerned, the hanging was a great success.”

The editor of the Mineral Argus scoffed at rumors of scores of victims, saying even an estimate of 17 was “placing the number a little too high.” He argued, nevertheless, that the raid had succeeded in its purpose: “Infrequent report of losses to date is tangible evidence of the horse thieves’ exodus to healthier climes. Suspicious looking parties have been seen descending the Missouri in small boats and adopting other means of flight.”

The Rocky Mountain Husbandman also defended Stuart and his men, saying the Montana rustler gangs “were the most efficient and thoroughly organized band of thieves that has probably ever existed in the west….Mob law is certainly to be abhorred, yet when we consider the great annoyances that the people have been subjected to, we cannot censure [Stuart’s vigilantes] for this summarily dealing out justice without awaiting the inefficient, slow action of the law.”

The Montana Stock Growers’ Association showed its appreciation and gratitude for the determined and successful accomplishments of Granville Stuart by electing him president of the organization that summer of 1884.

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