Blood Over Hay in the Big Bend
A violent dispute over the ownership of a hay stack leads to a pitched battle with multiple casualties.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
There was a shooting scrape in the Big Bend country Friday of last week which promises to result in four deaths. It occurred on the Blythe ranch, and grew out of the question of ownership of a stack of hay. L. Q. Blythe purchased the hay, after which the Wilson brothers laid claim to it, and a regular pitched battle ensued, in which the followers of each of the claimants participated. In the melee Richard Garlick was shot in the head, L. Q. Blythe through the abdomen, Virgil Blythe in the back, and a man called Dutch Ben received a bullet in the groin.
“A regular pitched battle ensued, in which the followers of each of the claimants participated.”
Rural property disputes in the late 19th century were frequently settled with violence rather than courts. Today, 'range wars' have evolved into complex legal battles over water and land rights in the region.
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