E-text prepared by Al Haines

THE FREEBOOTERS OF THE WILDERNESS

by

AGNES C. LAUT

Author of
"The Conquest of the Great Northwest," "Lords of the North," etc.

New York
Moffat, Yard and Company
1913
Copyright, 1910, by
Moffat, Yard and Company
New York
Published September, 1910
Second Printing, October, 1910

CONTENTS

PART I

CHAPTER

I TO STRADDLE OR FIGHT II AN INTERLUDE THAT CAME UNANNOUNCED III THE CHALLENGE TO A LOSING FIGHT IV STACKING THE CARDS V THE CHOICE THAT COMES TO ALL MEN VI WHEREIN ONE PLAYS AN UNCONSCIOUS PART VII WHILE LAW MARKS TIME, CRIME SCORES VIII A VICTIM OF LAW'S DELAY IX EIGHT INTO MIGHT X THE HANDY MAN GETS BUSY XI SETTING OUT ON THE LONG TRAIL XII THE MAJESTY OF THE LAW VEILS ITSELF XIII THE MAN ON THE JOB XIV ON THE GAME TRAIL XV THE DESERT XVI BITTER WATERS XVII WHERE THE TRACKS ALL POINT ONE WAY

PART II

XVIII WITHOUT MALICE XIX BALLOTS TOR BULLETS XX A FAITH WORKABLE FOR MEN ON THE JOB XXI THE HAPPY AND TRIUMPHANT HOME-COMING XXII A DOWNY-LIPPED YOUTH IN GRAY FLANNELS XXIII IT AIN'T THE TRUTH I'M TELLIN' YOU: IT'S ONLY WHAT I'VE HEERD XXIV I AM UNCLE SAM XXV THE QUESTION IS—WHICH UNCLE SAM? XXVI THE AWAKENING XXVII THE AWAKENING CONTINUED XXVIII THE UNITED STATES OF THE WORLD

FOREWORD

I have been asked how much of this tale of modern freebooters is true?In exactly which States have such episodes occurred? Have vast herdsof sheep been run over battlements? Have animals been bludgeoned todeath; have men been burned alive; have the criminals not only goneunpunished but been protected by the law-makers? Have sheriffs "hiddenunder the bed" and "handy men" bluffed the press? Have vast domains oftimber lands been stolen in blocks of thousands and hundreds ofthousands of acres through "dummy" entrymen? Have the federal lawofficers been shot to death above stolen coal mines? Have ReclamationEngineers, and Land Office field men, and Forest Rangers undergone suchhardships in Desert and Mountain, as portrayed here? Have they notonly undergone the hardship, but been crucified by the Government whichthey served for carrying out the laws of that Government? In a word,are latter day freebooters of our Western Wilderness playing the samegame in the great transmontane domain as the old-time pirates played onthe high seas? Is this a true story of "the Man on the Job" and "theMan on the Firing Line" and "the Man Higher Up" and the Looters?

I answer first that I am not writing of twenty years ago, or yesterday,or the day before yesterday, but to-day, the Year of our Lord1909-1910 in the most highly civilized country the world has everknown; in a country where self-government has reached a perfection ofprosperity and power not dreamed by poet or prophet. The menace toself-government from such national influences at work need not bedescribed. The triumph of such factors in national life means thewresting of self-government from the people into the hands of the few,a repetition of the struggle between the Robber Barons of the MiddleAges and the Commoners.

It seems almost incredible that such lawlessness and outrage andchicanery can exist in America—many of the outrages would disgraceRussia or Turkey—yet eve

BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!

Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR!