Four Johnson County, Wyoming Court Documents

VARIOUS SHERIFFS

Publication: Privately printed by various sheriffs in Johnson County, 1894, 1896, 1899, Johnson County, Wyoming

The documents include a criminal complaint, a bench warrant, and two subpoenas.

1). State of Wyoming Plaintiff, vs. Phil Cohn Defendant, Subpoena on the part of the State. Special Deputy Sheriff John G. Round certifies he received the subpoena on the 16th day of November 1899 and served it on W.J. Thomas, T.P. Hill, P.A. Gatchell, Albert Cullavau, and Mrs. W.H. Holland on the same day. All were to appear in court in Buffalo on the 17th day of November 1899, at 9 a. m. to testify as a witness against Phil Cohn the defendant.

2), The People Of The State Of Wyoming vs. Phil Cohn Bench Warrant, November 17, 1899. Cohn charged by the Clerk of the Court of the crime of "Larceny of one head of meat cattle of the value of $5.00 upwards, ownership unknown." Written in ink on the verso we learn that Cohn was served on the 17th day of November 1899 by doing so before the District Court.

3). State of Wyoming Plaintiff vs, Al Smith Defendant, Subpoena on the part of the state. The State of Wyoming, County of Johnson, SS. To L.A. Webb.... Verso reads State of Wyoming, Johnson County: "I certify that I received the within subpoena on the 8th day of April 1896 at 9 o'clock a.m. and served the same to the within named L.A. Webb on the 8th day of April 1896. O.A. Sproul, Sheriff By Thos. G. Smith, Deputy."

Note: Al Smith and his brother George were cattle rustlers that worked out of their cabin which later became known as the headquarters of the famous Hole-In-The-Wall. Al was involved in 1897 in the Hole-In-The-Wall fight between rustlers, a U. S. Marshall and men from the CY Ranch led by Bob Devine, the CY foreman. Al fled on horseback with a bullet wound to his right hand that caused him to drop his gun. Interestingly, a few years later the gun, a Colt single action Army 45 caliber revolver, was found and can now be viewed at the Wyoming State Museum.

4). In Justice Court, H. J. Purcell, JP, Johnson County. Criminal Complaint. The State Of Wyoming vs. Frank Tims. Witnesses: D. V. Bayne. Filed this 14th day of December 1894. H. P. Purcell, Justice of the Peace. Complaint says that D. V. Bayne on the 3rd day of December 1894 in Johnson County, Wyoming, Frank Tims did steal and take away the following described goods from the wagon of Dr. Bayne 250 lbs. of Reliance flour value $12.50, 50 lbs. of lard value $10.00, 10 lbs. of raisins value $2.00, 5 lbs. tea value $2.75, two boxes of axle grease value 40 cents, three wagon pillows value 90 cents, six wagon spokes value 90 cents, one axe handle value 50 cents, two pounds Climax tobacco value $1.10, one 5/8" iron rod value $1.00, one 20 pound pail of AB Bremen jelly value $2.00. D. V. Bayne contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of Wyoming.

These cases occurred during the 1890s, a volatile period in Johnson County history. At this time, the county was the epicenter of the Johnson County War, a violent conflict between large cattle barons and small homesteaders over land and grazing rights. During this decade, the legal system in Johnson County was often under intense pressure. Juries frequently acquitted those accused of cattle theft, which infuriated the larger cattle companies, which led to the "Invasion of 1892." In the years immediately following the Johnson County War, local courts were heavily involved in settling property and criminal disputes that the "war" had failed to resolve through extrajudicial means. It is likely that all of these cases ended in dismissal or acquittal as Johnson County juries were famously sympathetic to small operators and notoriously refused to convict defendants in larceny cases brought by large cattle interests.

All four documents are in very good condition.