Stuart's Stranglers

History

Cattle thieves posed a significant threat to ranchers in Montana Territory. Rustlers operated well-organized networks, stealing stock in one region and selling it in another, often across the Canadian border. By the late 1870s, ranchers formed stockgrowers' associations to lobby the territorial legislature for legislation to curb theft. At the 1883 legislative session, cattlemen successfully lobbied for a bill placing a bounty on predators such as coyotes and wolves, but the bill they desired most failed.

House Bill 49 would have created a board of five livestock commissioners and hired six inspectors, investing them with power to arrest suspected thieves without a warrant. Governor John Schuyler Crosby vetoed the bill, citing unfair taxation and excessive freedom for inspectors. Faced with an unchecked rustling industry, many ranchers took the law into their own hands. Granville Stuart originally organized a group of ranchers and cowboys after the theft of his stallion and 35 steers.

The 14 men who gathered at his ranch in the Musselshell region called themselves a 'Vigilante Committee', akin to earlier vigilance committees in western Montana mining camps. They became known as Stuart's Stranglers. Their missions were directly led by William 'Floppin Bill' Cantrell. Membership during chases fluctuated between 17 and 40 men, depending on the location of the thieves and the day of the week.

Stuart's Stranglers tracked down livestock thieves in Montana. The men they caught were either shot in a gun fight or lynched. Many hanged bodies bore placards reading 'Horse Thief' or 'Cattle Thief'. The group was known for being extremely deadly and efficient.

They also allegedly killed illegal range squatters scattered throughout the frontier, which would become a Montana range war.

Did You Know?

• Stuart's Stranglers have been criticized by some historians for meting out extrajudicial justice without due process of law.
• There is debate about whether the group actually reduced the overall rate of horse and cattle theft.