Biography Nate Champion

1 biography

1.1 life
1.2 johnson county war
1.3 attack on champion
1.4 aftermath of death

biography
early life

nate champion born 29 september 1857 in leander,texas. parents john , naomi champion. 1 of eighteen brothers , sisters, grew in round rock area. father served sheriff of williamson county while while aunt hattie cluck drove own cattle market in abilene, kansas in 1871. money , husband george purchased land become cedar park. footloose cowboys of area worked way north wyoming worked several ranches before building own spread.

the johnson county war

the dramatic events of 1892 took place against background of violent conflict on land use stretched 1889 1909. historian richard maxwell brown refers events in wyoming part of wider western civil war of incorporation.

in days in wyoming, of land in public domain, open both stockraising open range , homesteading. large numbers of cattle turned loose on open range large ranches, financed other investors. in spring roundup held , cows , calves belonging each ranch separated , calves branded. before roundup, calves, orphan or stray calves, surreptitiously branded, , taken. large ranches, concerned practice, forbade employees owning cattle , aggressively defended against rustling.

the situation became steadily worse after poor winter of 1886. large companies began aggressively appropriate land , control flow , supply of water in area; justified these excesses on public land using catch-all allegation of rustling, , vigorously sought exclude smaller ranchers participation in annual roundup; apparently agents of larger ranches killed several alleged rustlers. number of lynchings of alleged rustlers took place in 1889, including double lynching of innocent homesteaders , ranchers ella watson , jim averell.

the large ranches organized wyoming stock growers association (the wsga) , gathered socially cheyenne club in cheyenne, wyoming. in april 1892 wsga hired killers texas; expedition of 50 men organized, proceeded train cheyenne casper, wyoming, toward johnson county, intending eliminate alleged rustlers , also, apparently, replace government in johnson county. major frank wolcott led regulators johnson county. prevent alarm, telegraph lines out of buffalo cut. expedition accompanied 2 newspaper reporters lurid accounts later appeared in eastern newspapers.

attack on champion

the first target of wsga nate champion @ kc ranch . champion small rancher active in efforts of small ranchers organize competing roundup. 3 men besides champion @ kc. 2 men, evidently trappers, had taken shelter night, captured emerged cabin morning collect water @ nearby powder river, while third, nick ray, shot while standing inside doorway of cabin , died few hours later. fourth, nate champion, besieged. 2 passers-by noticed ruckus , rode buffalo, johnson county sheriff william red angus raised posse of 200 men , set out kc ranch .

champion held out several hours, killing @ least 4 of vigilantes, , wounding several others. during siege, champion kept poignant journal contained number of notes wrote friends while taking cover inside cabin. boys, feel pretty lonesome now. wish there here me watch sides @ once. wrote. last journal entry read: well, have got through shelling house hail. heard them splitting wood. guess going fire house tonight. think make break when night comes, if alive. shooting again. s not night yet. house fired. goodbye, boys, if never see again.

with house on fire, nate champion signed journal entry , put journal in pocket before emerged, running door colt revolver in left hand , winchester rifle in right. gunned down 4 men firing simultaneously, hit 28 bullets. invaders later pinned note on champion s bullet-riddled chest read cattle thieves beware . removed entries diary named of attackers.

aftermath of death

the following day posse led sheriff besieged invading force @ ta ranch on crazy woman creek. after 2 days, 1 of invaders escaped , able contact acting governor of wyoming, amos w. barber. frantic efforts save besieged invaders ensued, , telegraphs washington resulted in intervention president of united states, benjamin harrison. sixth cavalry fort mckinney ordered proceed ta ranch , take custody of invaders , save them posse. part of surrender, invaders turned in arms , equipment army. major wolcott, unofficial leader of group made list of these arms , provided government.

in end invaders went free due cunning legal maneuvers defense attorneys. although many of leaders of invaders, such w. c. irvine, democrats, ranchers had hired invaders tied republican party, , opponents democrats. scandal caused rescue of invaders @ order of president harrison, republican, , failure of courts prosecute them. result of scandal, wyoming voted democratic in elections of 1894.