VAN TASSEL TELLS OF HUNT FOR SLAYERS

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Ex-Deputy  Maintains Owl Saloon Robbers
Had Aid in Break

By Newel Van Tassel.

     I have always held to 
the opinion expressed by a 
number of persons who 
were living in the vicinity of 
Billings at the time of the 
robbery of the Owl saloon 
and the murder of Serg,. 
Robert T. Hannah by Ed 
Grady and Orton Mosier 
that they had inside as well 
as outside help in escaping 
later from jail.

     Adequately to explain 
my reasons for that opinion 
I will summarize briefly my 
earlier acquaintance with 
Charlie Harding and the 
circumstances leading to 
his becoming deputy 
sheriff under George 
Hubbard, who was sheriff 
at the time of the robbery 
and killing, and my getting 
a job as special deputy 
sheriff and jailer.

Worked for NF Outfit

     During the years 1895 
and 1896 I was working for 
the NF outfit owned by 
Lowther and Clifton, 
located about eight miles 
below the old Roundup 
post office.  During that 
time Harding went to work 
for the HX outfit on Fattig 
creek near Roundup.  
These two outfits were part 
of the Lower Musselshell 
pool, composed of a 
number of the smaller 
concerns whose cattle 
numbered a few hundred 
to several thousand head.  
Harding and I were sent to 
the Flatwillow roundup to 
represent the Lower 
Musselshell outfits in the 
spring of 1896.  He came 
over to the NF outfit one 
evening and we started for 
the Flatwillow the next 
morning, with our string of 
horses, each of us having 
10 horses in our mounts.

     Charlie had taken on 
much weight during the 
winter and was not in good 
condition for a long ride, 
especially having to drive a 
string of horses.  We made 
the N Bar that night, a 
distance of about 30 miles, 
and stayed all night, and 
then went on to the 
roundup the next day, a 
distance of 50 miles or 
more miles.  We went by 
way of the Two Bar ranch.  
There we obtained new 
directions from Osker 
Stevens and learned the 
roundup wagons were 
about 30 miles ahead of us 
yet, which meant a long 
ride, considering the 
driving of our loose horses, 
the time we had left, and 
Charlie tired and sore.

     As for myself, I was in 
the best of condition, 
having been building fence 
and riding and feeding 
cattle all winter.  In driving 
horses especially when 
there is no road or trail, if 
you do not keep them 
moving along, when they 
start to get a little tired and 
hungry, they are apt to 
scatter.  And it was up to 
me to keep them moving.  
Charlie came along 
behind.  It was a job to 
follow the dim trail and 
watch for the landmarks 
Stevens had told up about.  
But it was that and other 
things connected to our 
work on that and other 
roundups that I gained his 
respect and confidence.  
He learned that I did not 
tolerate anything but the 
right brand on any calves 
belonging to our range.

Aided Hubbard's Election.

     Harding had a host of 
friends all over the north 
side of Yellowstone county 
and was a great help to 
Hubbard in the election 
that made him (Hubbard) 
sheriff.  In return Hubbard 
made Harding deputy 
sheriff and jailer.  Harding 
kept the books, looked 
after the jail and took 
Hubbard's place in his 
absence.

     In the fall of 1900 
Hubbard was returning 
from Deer Lodge where he 
had taken some prisoners.  
The train on which he was 
riding was wrecked and he 
was quite badly injured.  
Harding then sent for me 
to take to take his place at 
the jail, as he had to take 
charge of business at the 
courthouse.

     Shortly after I entered 
on the job, two men 
working for the Gilsdorf 
brothers took a fancy to 
the saddle horses 
belonging to the Gilsdorfs 
and lit out with them.  I was 
sent after the thieves with 
Tom Sayles, the 
undersheriff.  We crossed 
the Yellowstone, went up 
Blue creek when we got 
track of them, and went on 
to Pryor agency.  When we 
reached Pryor Tom's horse 
had gone lame and could 
go no further.  The agent 
gave us our supper, 
loaned us his driving team 
and sent his most 
dependable Indian police 
to pilot us through Pryor 
gap to Bowler.

     We arrived at Bowler 
about midnight and stayed 
until morning.  Crain, the 
Indian guide refused to go 
any further.  We got our 
breakfast, paid Crain for 
his services and went on.  
It snowed and blustered all 
the forenoon.  We had lost 
track of our men and 
neither of us knew the 
country.  But, fortunately 
we stumbled onto Clabe 
Young's place and got our 
dinner, and fed our  
horses.  We made Frannie, 
Wyo. that night and found 
traces of our men again.  
They had headed toward 
Eagle's nest, where, when 
we arrived we got our 
dinner.  The men had 
passed there headed for 
Cody.  We made Corbet 
about 6 o'clock that 
evening and learned that 
they had stayed there part 
of the night but had left 
there between midnight 
and morning.  We had 
supper, got a change of 
horses, some information 
as to roads and headed for 
Meeteetse, Wyo., by way 
of the Wise ranch.

Captures Thieves.

     We reached Meeteetse 
the next day at 12:30 a.m.  
The next morning we 
drove up the Graybull to 
the lower end of the 
Pitchfork ranch, then 
owned by Otto Frank.   We 
could find no trace of our 
men so we turned back to 
Meeteetse.  We had eaten 
our dinners and were 
standing around in a 
saloon, mostly wondering 
what to do next.  Sayles 
was near the door and I 
was telling a reporter who 
we were when Sayles 
stepped back to and said, 
"They are here."

     By "they", of course, he 
meant Jim Gilford and 
Mark Thompson, are 
quarries.  They had tied 
their horses to a hitchrack 
and started to the 
blacksmiths shop to take 
the chains off some spurs 
they had stolen at a sheep 
camp.  They were greatly 
surprised when they saw 
us for they knew we had 
beaten them to Meeteetse 
by 12 hours, in spite of the 
fact they had a head start 
of about nine to 10 hours.

     It had taken us three 
days to get to Meeteetse, a 
distance of about 200 
miles the way we went.  
The trip back to Billings 
with our prisoners took 
about four days.  When we 
rode down Montana 
avenue on our horses 
there was a welcoming 
crowd on the street, for 
Sayles had notified 
Hubbard from Meeteetse 
of the arrest.

     The prisoners pleaded 
guilty before Judge Loud, 
and Thompson received a 
two year sentence, Gilford 
got one to four years.

     While Hubbard found 
fault with me for putting the 
county to the expense of 
such a trip involved, I do 
know that it suited Charlie 
Harding to know that I 
would not just go a little 
way and then come back 
empty handed.  That is 
why he called on me to go 
down the river after Grady.  
He knew that if Grady went 
in that direction, I would 
find out and follow him.

     The evening before the 
Owl saloon affair Tom 
Holly asked me to stay all 
night with him since his 
family was away and his 
place had been robbed of 
$80 a few nights before.

     Along towards morning 
we heard shooting.  We 
got out of bed and went 
over to the windows.  Soon 
a group of men rode by on 
horseback.  Soon I could 
distinguish Charlie 
Synder's voice.  In an 
excited shout he was 
saying, "They have killed 
Hannah and shot Hubbard.  
Get your gun Van and 
come on."
     Holly and I hustled into  
our clothes and took the 
shortest way to the 
Courthouse.  There was 
quite a crowd there.  Tom 
Sayles and Jim Webb had 
gone after Orton Moiser.

     Another man (whose 
name I can't remember) 
and I were scheduled to go 
down to the Thurmans' on 
the Buffalo creek in search 
of Grady.

     After getting our dinners 
with a roundup outfit, we 
rode to Billy Randall's and 
stayed all night.  When we 
got in sight of Thurmans' 
we saw several men.  We 
got upon a bluff to look the 
situation over.  But we 
thought they did not look 
dangerous and we went 
down to the house and 
found that Hubbard had 
sent some men down by 
train.  I think they had 
crossed the Yellowstone in 
a boat.  Anyway they were 
ahead of us.

Tells About Search

     We talked things over 
and found that Ed 
Thurman had been notified 
about the circumstances 
and had ridden toward 
Hardy's horse camp where 
a small brother was 
staying.  I had no trouble in 
persuading the man from 
Billings who had 
accompanied to go back 
on the train, and I took one 
of the men Hubbard had 
sent down with me.  This 
new partner, whose name 
was Harris, was a good 
rider.  He and I found 
Thurman's horse's tracts 
and followed them to near 
the Hardy horse camp.  
But we never saw him, and 
the three small boys at the 
camp seemed to know 
nothing of the affair, for 
when we rushed the door 
they were surprised and 
scared.  We were sorry for 
them, but we knew that 
Grady was dangerous and 
we took no more chances 
than we had to.

     The next night we 
stayed with Billy Blain.  
After considerable more 
travel, we turned back to 
Billings.  Somewhere near 
Razor creek we met 
someone who informed us 
that Grady had been 
caught, which was a relief 
to us. 

    Not long afterwards 
came the report of the jail 
delivery.  I do not hesitate 
to say delivery because it 
was no break.  Webb had 
a number of prisoners in 
the jail for stealing stock 
and they all got away but 
one prisoner and Jim 
Grady, preferred not to 
leave, for fear of jumping 
from the frying pan into the 
fire.

     McBride the jailer was 
said to be downtown in a 
saloon gambling and the 
jail practically was left 
unlocked.  Horses and 
guns were placed in 
convenient places for 
them.  I was not need in 
this case as could be 
expected , and so I am not 
familiar as to who was sent 
in pursuit of Grady and 
Mosier, but it is certain 
they did not catch them, 
and therefore it is to be 
supposed they were sent 
the wrong way, otherwise 
they would have found 
some trace of them.
     I have heard stories of 
their going toward the  
Black canyon in the Big 
Horn mountains, but I have 
reason to doubt those 
stories.

     I was told not long after 
their escape that parties 
from the Musselshell 
county were sent in pursuit 
of them and saw them but 
did not try to take them 
and I was well acquainted 
with a large part of the 
population of Yellowstone 
county at the time and I am 
more inclined to believe 
this story.  This is backed 
by other reasons.

     No long afterwards I 
went to a dance in Leedy, 
southwestern Phillips 
county, about 150 miles 
northeast of Billings,  
Unimpeachable sources 
there told me that Grady 
had stopped there after the 
jailbreak and bought a 
meal and brought another 
one to his partner.

The Billings Gazette
Billings, Yellowstone County, Montana, Sunday December 3, 1939