Stuart's Stranglers

By the late 1870s, ranchers began to form stockgrowers' associations to lobby the territorial legislature for legislation to curb the theft.

Governor John Schuyler Crosby vetoed the bill on the grounds that it unfairly taxed all property and that it gave too much freedom to inspectors.

Faced with a rustling industry unchecked by legal means, many ranchers proceeded to take the law into their own hands.

[1] Granville Stuart originally organized a group of ranchers and cowboys in response to the theft of his stallion and 35 steers.

Throughout their short existence their membership during chases would fluctuate between 17 and 40 men, depending on the location of the thieves and the day of the week.

As the gang rested in a log cabin owned by Old Man James, the Stranglers surrounded the place, released the horses so the men inside couldn't escape, and promptly demanded their surrender.

During the heat of the battle, the Stranglers set fire to the cabin, resulting in nine rustlers dead in the ensuing shootout.

Every one of the outlaws in the gun battle at Bates Point was either killed or wounded with the exception of Edwards and Nickerson, who—for the time being—got away unscathed.

[10] Stuart's Stranglers, like other vigilante groups, have been criticized by some historians for the extrajudicial justice they meted out without due process of law.