THE HANGING OF WAGGONER NEAR NEWCASTLE--ATTACK UPON NATHAN D. CHAMPION
AND ROSS GILBERTSON ON POWDER RIVER--BRUTAL AND COWARDLY MURDER OF
JOHN A. TISDALE AND ORLEY E. JONES IN JOHNSON COUNTY
Emboldened by exemption from prosecution for the Sweetwater executions,
the cattle ring determined to begin a systematic and indiscriminate
slaughter of their supposed enemies. They had in their employ men of
known recklessness and daring, and apparently the plan was to have
these hired assassins begin on the eastern side of the state and pick
off their men as they came to them. The first job was the hanging of
Waggoner, a few miles from Newcastle, on the morning of June 4th, 1891.
Three men went to his house and with false papers took him under
arrest. He was alone with his wife and two small children, so his
friends were ignorant of his arrest; in fact, his wife supposed he had
gone with friends and quietly awaited his return, unsuspicious of foul
play. The body was found on the 12th of June hanging to a tree in a
gulch some miles away, since known as “Dead Man’s Canyon.” When found
the mustache had dropped from the flesh, the face was black, the hands
pinioned behind and decomposition rapidly doing its work.
Naturally great excitement prevailed in the community when the
discovery of the body was made, and for a time there seemed a
likelihood of more trouble. The savage brutality characterizing the
act of leaving a human body hanging in the woods to be eaten by
vultures or devoured by wolves was calculated to stir the blood of
the average citizen. But the cattlemen’s domination in the community
proved superior to the resisting forces and the matter was dropped
after a partial investigation, with no arrests made. Circumstances
quite clearly pointed to certain men as the lynchers, but in Western
parlance, they “had a pull,” and no official action was taken.
Waggoner came to Wyoming from Nebraska and was engaged in the horse
raising business. His herd increased quite rapidly and the stockmen
called him a rustler. This was never established and today there are
many reputable people who declare that he was brave, kind hearted,
generous and a law-abiding citizen. His 1,000 head of horses have been
virtually lost to the heirs by legal protection, but thus far none of
them has been identified as “stolen.”
Just before daylight on the morning of November 1st, 1891, four men
entered the cabin of W. H. Hall, on Powder River, where Nathan D.
Champion and Ross Gilbertson were living. As the door swung open it
stood against the foot of the bunk occupied by Champion. With pistols
pointed, one of the party said, “Give up; we have got you this time,”
and immediately fired at the body of Champion. The latter seized his
revolvers from under his pillow and commenced shooting, whereupon the
would-be murderers escaped from the house. The blood at the door, the
gun, clothing and horses left near the cabin not only evidenced the
fact of some effective shooting on the part of Champion, but gave
identification as to the assaulters. Joe Elliott was arrested, charged
with attempt to murder, and on a preliminary hearing put under $5,000
bonds. The witnesses having been killed or run out of the country, the
case was finally dismissed.
Defeated in their attempt to kill Champion and Gilbertson, and getting
the worst of the house-breaking plan, the stockmen naturally put their
heads together to devise other methods of procedure. Bodily safety
seemed to be a controlling idea in the new system of campaign, which
proved to be that of ambushing. District Court met in Buffalo late in
November, 1891, and business of one kind or another called in many of
the country people. This would afford the desired opportunity to waylay
their victims on the road going to or returning from the county seat.
True to the well-matured plans, the killing began on the evening of the
28th of November.
Orley E. Jones, familiarly known as “Ranger Jones,” a young man of 23
years, went to Buffalo to arrange for lumber to complete his house on
his claim, expecting to get married as soon as the building was ready
for occupancy. He started home on the afternoon of the 28th, driving
two horses to a buckboard. At the crossing of Muddy Creek, fifteen
miles out from town, he was shot three times by someone in hiding under
the bridge. The wagon was taken to a gully some distance from the road,
the horses turned loose, and Jones’ body left in the buckboard, the
murderer or murderers seeking safety in flight.
J. A. Tisdale, who lived sixty miles from Buffalo, had gone in to
purchase winter supplies for his family and, after a few days’ visit,
started home on the evening of the 30th, spending the night at the
Cross H ranch, four miles out. Tisdale stated to friends in Buffalo
that he had overheard Frank M. Canton tell Fred Hesse that he (Canton)
would take care of Tisdale, and that he feared he would be killed on
the road home. He was nervous and uneasy, and as a precaution bought
a double-barreled shotgun to carry. A local writer speaking of this
incident, says:
“Tisdale still showed his uneasiness at the Cross H ranch, and that
night had the window blinds all closed and told one of the boys there
that he thought the cowmen were going to kill him. He started the next
morning on his journey home. Three miles on his murderer was lying
in a gulch within twenty feet of the road, waiting for his victim to
approach. Slowly but surely Tisdale, with his heavy load, was going
to meet his death at the hands of the cowardly fiend. He approached,
passed, and when twenty-five feet by, the murderer’s rifle belched
forth its deadly contents. The first shot, from appearances, struck
the handle of his six-shooter, which he had under his coat on the
left side, and glanced off. He had evidently tried to cock and shoot
his shotgun then, for one of the cartridges was indented slightly, as
though he had drawn the hammer back part way, and it had then slipped
from his thumb, he having received a death shot in the side before he
had time to fully cock it, and the poor fellow fell back on his load
shot to death.”
To avoid immediate discovery, the wagon and team were driven half a
mile below, the horses shot and the wagon and dead man left out of
sight from the road. But Charles Basch, approaching from the south on
horseback, had witnessed at least a part of the murderous deed, and
he rode to Buffalo and gave notice of same. Basch charged Frank M.
Canton with being the murderer. Sheriff Angus sent a deputy and a small
posse after the body and it was taken to town. The village was full of
country people, and excitement ran high. About the time of the arrival
of Tisdale’s body, Jones’ brother reached town, having grown nervous
over his non-appearance. A searching party was quickly organized and in
the evening the body of Ranger Jones was discovered in a gully near the
crossing of the Muddy, as detailed above, having lain in the buckboard
for three days. Here was cause for still greater excitement, but the
officer of the law had no trouble in preserving order.
Charles Basch having accused Frank M. Canton with the murder of
Tisdale, it was generally believed that he also ambushed and murdered
Jones, though a few persons thought Fred Hesse was the guilty party,
taking the cue from Tisdale’s remark that he had overheard Canton tell
Hesse that he would “take care of Tisdale,” thus implying that that was
his share of the bloody work, and that others were to do their share.
Canton was arrested and given a preliminary hearing before Justice of
the Peace Parmalee. Two days were spent in the trial, when the accused
was released.
The people freely charged the court with corruption and declared the
evidence ample to justify the placing of the prisoner behind the
bars without bail. Only the presence of cool heads in the community
prevented the wreaking of vengeance upon Canton and some of his
sympathizers. Canton and Hesse left the state in a few days. Some
time later new and material evidence was found, and a new information
was filed. Canton was in the state of Illinois, and Governor Barber
was asked to issue a requisition for his return. This request the
governor refused. In March, 1892, Canton returned to Cheyenne to join
the invaders, and the papers were served upon him. Laramie City being
in the same judicial district with Buffalo, Canton was taken before
Judge Blake in chambers, and given a hearing. He was held in bonds
of $30,000, for which sum the following named persons qualified as
sureties, the bond bearing date of April 4th, 1892:
Hubert E. Teschemacher, Wm. C. Irvine, E. S. Rouse Boughton, Fred G.
S. Hesse, Lafayette H. Parker, A. R. Powers, Joseph G. Pratt, Elias W.
Whitcomb, Arthur B. Clarke, John N. Tisdale, David R. Tisdale, James W.
Hammond, Charles S. Ford, Henry W. Davis, George P. Bissell, William E.
Guthrie, Ralph M. Friend, George W. Baxter, Hiram B. Ijams, Frank H.
Laberteaux and Ranslaer S. Van Tassell.
These cowardly shootings in the back from places of safety completed
a list of dead at the hands of the cattle barons as follows: Jim
Averill, Ella Watson, Tom Waggoner, O. E. Jones and J. A. Tisdale, to
say nothing of the attempts to murder, and yet they went unwhipped
of justice, to plan and execute other forms of oppression and other
methods of murder. No wonder the people of the state everywhere looked
upon the cattlemen as being arrayed against them and as the enemies
of true progress and development in the commonwealth. The eyes of the
masses were opened to the situation.