By E.S. Dement 1
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During the interval of Mrs. Garner's absence Kerr and his crew had not been idle. Cousin Charlie and a helper having shown up with slaughtering paraphernalia wanted some action. Young was given orders to gather a few more of the remaining 26 cattle from a holding pasture and to select three steers for slaughter. These cattle were put into the corral, roped, half-dragged and half-driven out of a thicket of fir trees with strong low-hanging branches about 200 yards from the pens. Here they were shot butchered and hung up for the night to cool out.

At the beginning of this latter operation there were two local members of the party who seemed to want no part of it. Jett and Stephens rather hurriedly decided more groceries were in order as supplies were running low. Young, by this time, had also become a little jumpy and felt it might be an appropriate time to try for a little more information from the local boys. He supplied Jett with money to bring back whiskey. Jett and Stephens returned about the time Young and Charles Kerr had finished with their butchering and Young proceeded to loosen Jett's tongue a little with the bourbon. Very shortly, he told Young that the D cattle they had brought in did not belong to Mrs. Garner but to Dement, and that Dement was a rancher who lived in Myrtle Point. If Young had been concerned before, he was more than bothered at this revelation. Later, after everyone had eaten supper and turned in for the night, he went to the shack where Loren Kerr was bedded down and related what he had been told. He also suggested that Kerr get in touch immediately with Dement. Kerr thought the matter over briefly and replied "To hell with Dement. We'll move these cattle out if they have to go out under canvas."

Young's own testimony later in his own trial went on to relate: "After leaving Kerr's bedside, I went out to the place of butchering, cut off the ears and cut out the brands from the three hides, and hid them." These pieces, however, were never found.



Whiskey was a quarter, but back then a quarter was really something. If you were packing out to the mines, a stop in the town of Eckley was definitely in order to stock up on whiskey, bacon, and flour, and maybe even buy the horse a new pair of shoes at the blacksmith.


 Next: The Next Morning ...
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