“As some of you know, I have recently moved here from Texas. In Texas we have a group of lawmen who can operate all over the state, without regard to county jurisdictional lines. The Texas Rangers have been a most effective means of controlling lawlessness in the state, and if I may be permitted to make a correlation, I would say that you can compare the territorial deputies to the Texas Rangers.”
“Texas Rangers? Here? In Wyoming?” Goodman asked.
“No, Merlin, he was just sayin’ they was somethin’ like the Texas Rangers,” Clyde Barnes explained.
“Oh.”
“As special deputies, commissioned directly by the governor himself, we will have the authority to appoint more deputies,” Houser continued. “And I have no doubt but that this cadre of law officers will bring this scourge of rustling to a halt.”
“Look here, Houser, are you tellin’ us that you’ll be puttin’ on a gun ’n goin’ after the rustlers yourself ?” Barnes asked.
“No, my position will be supervisory only. The gentleman I shall shortly introduce will be the field operative in charge of the aforementioned cadre.”
“Mr. Houser,” Duff called out.
“Yes, Captain MacCallister?”
“I would nae like to see any of m’ neighbors being set upon by an angry group of men accusing them of stealing when they may be innocent,” Duff said, “even though they be authorized by the governor.”
“I assure you, Captain, it is not the innocent who should fear whatever we have in mind, but the guilty,” Houser said resolutely.
“What, exactly, is it you have in mind, Mr. Houser?” Burt Rowe asked. “How are you going to determine who is guilty and who isn’t? And how is it you’re going to make the guilty suffer? What is it you are planning to do with these men you are calling territorial deputies?”
“It is simply as I have stated, Mr. Rowe. What I have in mind is putting the territorial deputies into operation so that they may determine who, among the small ranchers, are actually guilty . . . because I don’t believe, for one moment, that all of them are. I’m quite sure that some of them, perhaps most of them, are innocent men just trying, without the slightest chance of success, to make a living as a small rancher. And in the case of the innocent small rancher, I think they couldn’t but welcome our effort to take such action as is necessary to put things right, for, no doubt, their meager herds are also at risk.”
“Yes, sir, but when you say ‘such action as is necessary’ to put things right, that’s the part that I’m wondering about. What action would that be?” Rowe asked, still not satisfied with the answer.
“I’m afraid that is not a question that can be answered with any great degree of certainty. Whatever action is necessary would, of course, have to be dictated by the situation.”
“How come you didn’t ask no local law to be here?” Barnes asked. “I mean, if we’re havin’ a meetin’ to discuss special agents to do some police work for us, don’t you think Sheriff Sharpie should have been here?”
“Mr. Barnes, for your information, sir, I have paid a visit to the sheriff’s office more times than I can count,” Houser said. “Unfortunately Laramie County is so large, and Sheriff Sharpie has but one deputy, Mr. Logan, the problem we are facing now is much greater than his ability to cope. I realized, soon, that if we were going to be able to take care of this, we would have to have help from the territorial governor. So, last week I took a trip to Cheyenne, where I discussed the problem with the governor. It was his suggestion that he grant a special commission to me, and to another, whom I will shortly introduce. This commission allows me to organize these deputies, but disabuse yourself of any idea that they will play a role in the normal policing of the county. Violations of city, county, and territorial laws will continue to be the exclusive purview of Sheriff Sharpie. The territorial deputies will be unique, in that they will be specifically dedicated to the particular problem of cattle rustling, thus avoiding any conflict with the sheriff.”
“Do you have these deputies yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Where do you plan to get them?”
“We will populate the territorial deputies with men who are known to have experience in dealing with outlaws.”
“I’m still not sure of how, exactly, you are plannin’ on usin’ these deputies,” Barnes said. “Do you plan to use them like a posse? I suppose if they know who it is that they are goin’ after, why, it might work out. But right now, we don’t have any idea who that may be.”
“The whole purpose of this meeting, gentlemen, is so that I can alleviate any concerns you may have as to how the territorial deputies will function. I assure you, we will not be putting our trust into the hands of vigilantes. The very idea of vigilantes running unrestrained in our valley is abhorrent to me, as I’m sure it would be to anyone. But I promise you that the men I appoint will be legitimate deputies. The deputies will be composed of brave and dedicated men who will stay on the job until the violators are located and taken care of.”
“Yeah, it’s the took care of part that I’m wonderin’ about. You still ain’t said how it is that you’re a-plannin’ on takin’ care of ’em,” Goodman said.
“They will be dealt with in a way that is appropriate to their transgressions,” Houser said, still avoiding specifics.
“By ‘takin’ care’ of ’em, you don’t mean by havin’ these here deputies lynch ’em, do you?” Barnes asked. He shook his head. “’Cause if that’s what it is you are plannin’, then no, I’m sorry, but I can’t go along with nothin’ like that.”
“Surely, Mr. Barnes, you know that I am a lawyer, and as such, I am an officer of the court. I would
