>> WYOMING TERRITORY. 1889. >> AAH! >> WE GOT YA. >> A SHOCKING CRIME. >> NO! UHH! [CLICK] >> ELLA WATSON WAS A FEMALE. AND IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY TO HAVE A WOMAN HANGED IN THE OLD WEST. >> GET THEM UP ON THIS ROCK. >> THE KILLERS USE COWBOY SLIPKNOTS INSTEAD OF A HANGMAN'S NOOSE... TO ENSURE THAT THEIR VICTIMS STRANGLE SLOWLY. THEY WANT THEM TO SUFFER. HOW DOES THIS ONE CRIME HELP REDEFINE THE WEST? THE TRUTH LIES IN THE CLUES THE COWBOYS LEFT BEHIND. [CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS] THE STORY BEGINS 6 YEARS EARLIER, IN WYOMING'S RICH SWEETWATER RIVER VALLEY. IN 1883, CATTLE OUTNUMBER PEOPLE 150 TO ONE. THE RANGE LAND IS OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT BUT FREE FOR THE TAKING, CLAIMED BY BRASH CATTLEMEN, LIKE ALBERT BOTHWELL. >> THE CATTLE BARONS CLAIMED VAST EMPIRES. I MEAN, SOME OF THESE RANCHES WERE THE SIZE OF STATES BACK EAST. THESE WERE REALLY ENORMOUS ENTERPRISES. >> THEY PROFIT OFF THE BEEF OF CATTLE, AND THE BACKS OF COWBOYS. >> THESE WERE GRASSLANDS THAT BELONGED TO THE UNITED STATES, NOT TO THEM. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS SET THEIR CATTLE OUT ONTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND WATCH THEM MULTIPLY. SO THE RICHES TO BE MADE WERE PHENOMENAL IN THE EARLY YEARS. >> THOSE RICHES HAVE TURNED SIMPLE RANCHERS INTO CATTLE BARONS, WHO LIVE LIKE ENGLISH LORDS. THEIR CAPITAL OF CHEYENNE IS A FAR CRY FROM ANYTHING YOU'D EXPECT. IN POPULAR MYTH, WESTERN TOWNS ARE PRIMITIVE BACKWATERS. IN REALITY, CHEYENNE, WYOMING IN THE 1880s IS THE WEALTHIEST CITY ON EARTH, PER CAPITA. >> CHEYENNE BECAME VERY MUCH BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY HIGHLY COSMOPOLITAN AND CIVILIZED CITY, NOT THE WILD BOOMTOWN THAT WE OFTEN THINK OF. >> CALLED "THE MAGIC CITY OF THE PLAINS," CHEYENNE IS ONE OF THE FIRST CITIES TO HAVE INCANDESCENT LIGHTING. IT ALSO BOASTS IT HAS THE FIRST MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC AND TELEPHONE SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD. THE CITY IS A MAGNET FOR MONEY. >> IN THE 1880s, CAPITAL FLOWED INTO THE WEST, INVESTMENT NOT ONLY FROM NEW YORK, BUT ALSO FROM OVERSEAS, AND THE CATTLE BARONS OF THE WEST WERE LIKE THE OILMEN OF THE 20th CENTURY. ENORMOUS FORTUNES WERE BEING MADE OFF WESTERN CATTLE. >> THEY HEADQUARTERED AT A PLACE CALLED THE CHEYENNE CLUB, WHERE THE ELITE MET TO EAT AND PLAY CARDS AND STRIKE DEALS. >> AT THE CHEYENNE CLUB, THE CATTLE BARONS WEAR "WHITE-TIE." THEY JOKINGLY CALL IT "HEREFORDS," BECAUSE IT MATCHES THE WHITE CHESTS OF THEIR HEREFORD CATTLE. ALBERT BOTHWELL SPORTS A RED VEST, TO IMITATE ENGLISH NOBILITY. HE'S IVY LEAGUE EDUCATED, RICH, AND RUTHLESS. YET AS THE 1880s ADVANCE, THE BARONS' PRIVILEGED WORLD... IS COMING UNDER SIEGE. THE OPEN RANGE IS CLOSING IN. BETWEEN 1880 AND 1890, WYOMING'S POPULATION TRIPLES... [GUNFIRE] SPARKING A RANGE WAR SO VIOLENT THAT MANY WON'T EVEN SPEAK OF IT TODAY. SETTLERS HAVE BEEN STREAMING THROUGH THE SWEETWATER VALLEY FOR DECADES ON THE OREGON TRAIL--LURED BY THE HOMESTEAD ACT'S PROMISE OF FREE LAND. THE OREGON TRAIL STRETCHED FOR 2,000 MILES--FROM INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, TO THE OREGON TERRITORY. THE JOURNEY TOOK ABOUT 6 MONTHS. MOST TRAVELERS JUST PASSED THROUGH WYOMING. THE VALLEY'S INDEPENDENCE ROCK BEARS WITNESS TO THEIR TREACHEROUS JOURNEY. >> THIS IS THE TOP OF INDEPENDENCE ROCK IN WYOMING, PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT LANDMARK ON THE OREGON TRAIL. HALF A MILLION PEOPLE PASSED THIS WAY IN THE MIDDLE 1800s. IF THEY GOT HERE BY THE FOURTH OF JULY, BY INDEPENDENCE DAY, THEY COULD BE SAFELY OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS BEFORE THE SNOW CAUGHT THEM. >> MANY STOP TO REST AT THE SWEETWATER RIVER THAT RUNS BESIDE INDEPENDENCE ROCK. >> A LOT OF THEM LEFT THEIR NAMES CARVED ON THE ROCK--SO MANY THAT IT WAS CALLED THE GREAT REGISTER OF THE DESERT. >> BUT BY THE MID-1880s, THIS VALLEY--WHERE THERE'S STILL FREE LAND TO BE HAD--INSPIRES SETTLERS TO PUT DOWN ROOTS. AMONG THEM ARE ELLA WATSON AND JAMES AVERELL. ELLA IS LOOKING FOR A FRESH START AFTER DIVORCING AN ABUSIVE HUSBAND. JAMES DISCOVERED THE SWEETWATER VALLEY WHILE IN THE ARMY AND VOWED TO RETURN. LIKE ALL SETTLERS, THEY'RE CONSIDERED A MENACE BY THE CATTLEMEN, INCLUDING BOTHWELL, WHOSE LIFESTYLE DEPENDS ON KEEPING THE RANGE OPEN. FOR THE RANCHERS, ONE THING ABOVE ALL COMES TO SYMBOLIZE THE THREAT: BARBED WIRE. JOSEPH GLIDDEN'S PATENT HERALDS THE END OF A WAY OF LIFE. GLIDDEN'S SIMPLE BARBS LOCK ONTO A DOUBLE-STRAND OF WIRE. HE DEVELOPS THE MACHINERY TO MASS-PRODUCE IT. IN 1874, HE TURNS OUT 10,000 POUNDS OF BARBED WIRE FENCING. 6 YEARS LATER, IT'S UP TO AT LEAST 80 MILLION POUNDS. IN A LAND WITH FEW TREES, CHEAP WIRE FENCING IS A GODSEND FOR SETTLERS LIKE WATSON AND AVERELL. BUT CATTLEMEN CALL IT "THE DEVIL'S ROPE." >> BARBED WIRE REPRESENTED A DIVIDING UP OF THE RANGE. THE COWBOYS THOUGHT IT WAS JUST TROUBLE WHEN PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY COULD ACTUALLY OWN LAND AND FENCE THE CATTLE OUT OF THEIR NICE, GREEN MEADOWS ALONG THE CREEK. >> WORSE STILL, THESE NEW HOMESTEADERS ARE STAKING LEGAL CLAIM TO THE SAME LAND THE CATTLEMEN BELIEVE TO BE THEIRS. >> MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WANTED A SHARE OF THE WESTERN DREAM. WELL, THE CATTLE BARONS WEREN'T WILLING TO SHARE. THEY WANTED IT ALL FOR THEMSELVES. >> BUT WHY DID THEY TARGET WATSON AND AVERELL ABOVE ALL THE OTHER SETTLERS? >> AAH! >> WE GOT YA. >> WHAT DID THEY DO TO PROVOKE SUCH A GRUESOME CRIME? [CLICK] >> IN THE MID-1880s, SETTLERS LIKE ELLA WATSON AND JAMES AVERELL ARE MOVING INTO WYOMING TERRITORY. UNTIL NOW, WYOMING'S OPEN RANGE HAS BEEN A HAVEN FOR COWBOYS AND CATTLEMEN. GREAT HERDS GRAZED TOGETHER, SHARING THE PUBLIC DOMAIN... AND COWBOYS SET THE STANDARD FOR SKILLS THAT BECOME ICONS OF THE AMERICAN WEST... LIKE BRANDING. ON THE OPEN RANGE, IT'S THE BRAND THAT COMMUNICATES WHO OWNS EACH COW. LIKE HIEROGLYPHICS, THEY TELL A STORY IN CODE... FROM THE LOCATION ON THE ANIMAL--TO THE LETTERS AND SYMBOLS THEMSELVES. FOR INSTANCE, THE WING-LIKE LINES MAKE THIS A "FLYING H." LIKE VANITY LICENSE PLATES, BRANDS ARE A CLEVER SHORTHAND-- WITH A PERSONAL FLAIR. >> [WHISTLES] OUT OF THE CORNER, GIRLS. >> BRANDING IS JUST ONE SKILL PASSED DOWN TO TODAY'S COWBOYS--LIKE THOSE AT THE FLYING W RANCH. THESE MODERN COWBOYS SHARE THEIR PREDECESSORS' TRADITIONS... LIKE THE WAY BRANDS ARE CHOSEN. >> IN THE CATTLE INDUSTRY, IT'S BEEN THE TRADITION TO NAME YOUR RANCH OR YOUR BRAND IN HONOR OF THE MONEY PARTNER. WE TOOK MY COUSIN WARREN AND TOOK HIS FIRST INITIAL AND MADE IT FLYING W. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO SORT SOME CRITTERS. >> [WHISTLES] >> TO ISOLATE A CALF FOR BRANDING, A COWBOY HAS ALWAYS DEPENDED ON A GOOD COWHORSE. >> COME ON, GIRL. GIDDYAP. >> [WHISTLES] >> THEY WORK TOGETHER AS PARTNERS. >> ... COME ON, NOW. COME ON, NOW. COME ON, NOW. >> THERE'S YOUR SHOT! NICE, TOBY! >> WHILE COWBOYS ROPE A CALF, THE BRANDING IRON HEATS TO ABOUT 1,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. >> FLYING W, SEE? WE'LL GO OVER AND STICK IT ON THIS STEER. >> THE IRON CAUSES A PAINFUL THIRD-DEGREE BURN. >> SEE THE SMOKE? THE HAIR'S BURNING AND IT BURNS DOWN INTO THE HIDE. WHEN YOU PULL IT OFF, THE HIDE HAS GOT KIND OF A LEATHER LOOK TO IT. AND THEN THE HAIR WON'T GROW IN THERE. SCAR TISSUE WILL FORM. HE'S MARKED FOR LIFE, WHICH IN HIS CASE WILL BE ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR. >> IN WYOMING IN THE 1880s, BRANDS ARE AT THE HEART OF THE CONFLICT. THE QUESTION OF WHO OWNS EACH VALUABLE COW WILL SOON ERUPT INTO A RANGE WAR. [GUNFIRE] AND IN THE CROSSHAIRS ARE SETTLERS ELLA WATSON AND JAMES AVERELL. THE TWO MEET IN 1886 IN THE SWEETWATER VALLEY. JAMES HAS OPENED A ROADHOUSE--A COMBINATION SALOON, GROCERY STORE, AND POST OFFICE. HE OFFERS ELLA A JOB THERE. SOON, THE TWO FALL IN LOVE AND STAKE CLAIMS ON ADJOINING HOMESTEAD PARCELS. >> IT'S NOT CLEAR IF THEY WERE MARRIED OR NOT, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ADVANTAGE TO NOT BEING MARRIED BECAUSE A SINGLE WOMAN COULD FILE ON A PIECE OF LAND UNDER THE HOMESTEAD ACT ON HER OWN BEHALF. AND SO THEY COULD OWN TWICE AS MUCH LAND THAT WAY. >> WHAT I DID WHEN I SURVEYED THIS OUT... >> AS FOR SO MANY SETTLERS, IT'S THEIR CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. >> THE DREAM OF FREE LAND IN THE WEST HAD FUELED THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION FROM THE BEGINNINGS OF THE REPUBLIC. ABRAHAM LINCOLN HAD CODIFIED IT IN THE LAW IN 1862 WITH THE HOMESTEAD ACT. >> THE HOMESTEAD ACT OFFERS EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN OVER 21 A 160-ACRE PLOT OF LAND. ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS LIVE AND FARM THERE FOR 5 YEARS, AND IT'S THEIRS, FREE OF CHARGE. TO CLAIM THE LAND, A SETTLER CHOOSES A PARCEL FROM A CHECKERBOARD OF HOMESTEAD SITES, THEN SIGNS A CLAIM TO THE LAND. AFTER 5 YEARS, THEY CAN "PROVE UP" ON THE CLAIM, AND RECEIVE A DEED TO THE PROPERTY. BUT THE FARAWAY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS UNAWARE THAT THE DEEDS CONVEY LAND THE CATTLE BARONS ALREADY CALL THEIRS. JAMES AVERELL KNOWS THIS VERY WELL. IN THE EARLY 1880s, HE HELPED SURVEY THE SWEETWATER VALLEY FOR THE GOVERNMENT... SO HE'S IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO CHOOSE PRIME HOMESTEAD PARCELS. HE'S ALSO WELL AWARE THAT THE LAND HE SELECTS IS ALREADY IN USE...BY ALBERT BOTHWELL. >> IT TURNS OUT THAT THEY HAD PUT THEIR 320-ACRE HOMESTEAD RIGHT ON THE PLACE THAT HAPPENED TO BE BOTHWELL'S FAVORITE HAY MEADOW. SO THEY LEGALLY HAD CLAIM TO THE LAND, AND HE WAS USED TO USING IT. HE DIDN'T LIKE THAT. >> HE'S NOT ALONE. MOST BIG RANCHERS RESENT THE HOMESTEADERS. BUT THEY JUST KEEP COMING. NO HARDSHIP SEEMS TOO GREAT TO DETER THEM FROM THEIR DREAM... NOT EVEN LIFE IN A NO-FRILLS LOG CABIN LIKE THIS ONE. >> THIS IS AN ORIGINAL WYOMING HOMESTEADING CABIN, MUCH LIKE THE ONE THAT JIM AVERELL AND ELLA WATSON WOULD HAVE LIVED IN. AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE CABINS WERE TYPICALLY SMALL. >> MOST CABINS WERE ABOUT 15 BY 15 FEET. THE HOMESTEADERS MADE OR BROUGHT WITH THEM EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED, INCLUDING A STOVE FOR WARMTH AND COOKING. A FOOT-POWERED SEWING MACHINE WAS A TREASURED POSSESSION FOR MAKING AND MENDING A FAMILY'S CLOTHES. ELLA WATSON, LIKE MANY OTHER WOMEN, EARNS EXTRA CASH SEWING FOR NEIGHBORS AND COWBOYS. >> COLD WINTERS; HOT, DRY SUMMERS; BOREDOM; AND HARD WORK TOOK A HEAVY TOLL ON EVERYONE. AND THE DRUDGERY AND THE ISOLATION WERE ESPECIALLY HARD ON WOMEN. IT WAS A TOUGH LIFE. BUT IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE POOR AND DISADVANTAGED TO MOVE UP AND SECURE A PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. >> LIFE IS SO HARD FOR THE SETTLERS THAT SOME BREAK THE LAW AND STEAL RANCHERS' COWS THAT WANDER ACROSS THEIR LAND. >> THE SMALL SETTLERS WOULD AUGMENT THEIR OWN SMALL HERDS WITH STRAYS FROM THE GREAT RANCHERS, AND SOMETIMES OUTRIGHT THEFTS. >> BUT RUSTLING CATTLE IS A SERIOUS CRIME THAT CAN TRIGGER GRAVE CONSEQUENCES. >> IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL IN THE OLD WEST FOR THESE RANCHERS AND THEIR COWBOYS FORMED INTO A POSSE, TO SWEEP DOWN UPON RUSTLERS, CAPTURE THEM, AND HANG THEM ON THE SPOT. >> ELLA WATSON AND JAMES AVERELL KNOW THE DANGERS... AS THEY SETTLE INTO THEIR ADJOINING CLAIMS. THEY HAVE NO CATTLE YET, BUT THEY STRING UP BARBED WIRE FENCES IN THE HOPE OF ONE DAY RUNNING A HERD. ELLA ADOPTS THE 11-YEAR-OLD SON OF A WIDOWED FRIEND. WITH NO CHILDREN OF HER OWN, SHE'S LIKE A MOTHER TO THE BOY. NOTHING THEY DO ESCAPES THE NOTICE OF THEIR NEIGHBOR ALBERT BOTHWELL. THE CATTLEMEN ARE NOT ABOUT TO STAND BY AND WATCH THEIR OPEN RANGE DISAPPEAR. >> THE RANGE CATTLE INDUSTRY IN WYOMING COULD ONLY EXIST IF THE RANCHERS HAD ACCESS TO PUBLIC LAND TO GRAZE YOUR CATTLE ON. AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME THEN YOU HAVE MORE HOMESTEADERS COMING IN, IT'S A PRETTY PRECARIOUS TIME FOR THEM, AND SO THEY HAD 2 CHOICES, AND ONE OF THEM WAS TO TURN TO VIOLENCE, WHICH, OF COURSE, THEY SUBSEQUENTLY DID. >> THE RANCHERS BEGIN A CAMPAIGN OF TERROR. THEY SEND THEIR COWBOYS OUT TO CUT THE HOMESTEADERS' FENCES... AND LEAVE MENACING WARNINGS ON THEIR DOORSTEPS. THE RANCHERS' MESSAGE IS LOUD AND CLEAR. IF THE HOMESTEADERS DON'T BACK OFF, THE VIOLENCE WILL ONLY GET WORSE. BUT THEN, A DEVASTATING EVENT APPROACHES THAT WILL CHANGE LIFE IN WYOMING...FOREVER. >> [WHISTLES] >> FOR A FEW YEARS IN THE MID-1880s, CATTLEMEN IN WYOMING TERRITORY ENJOY A BEEF BONANZA. >> CATTLE BECOME THE OIL OF THE LATE 19th CENTURY, AND PEOPLE ARE INVESTING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN THESE GREAT CATTLE RANCHES. >> IN 1882, THE PRICE OF CATTLE REACHES A HIGH OF $9.35 PER HUNDRED POUNDS--ABOUT $200 TODAY. WITH MARGINS LIKE THIS, RANCHERS CROWD THE MARKET. >> IT SEEMED LIKE SUCH A SURE AND CERTAIN WAY TO MAKE MONEY THAT EACH YEAR, PEOPLE BROUGHT MORE CATTLE ONTO THE RANGE. CATTLE CAME IN FROM TEXAS, CATTLE CAME IN FROM OREGON, CATTLE CAME IN FROM THE MIDWEST. EVENTUALLY, IT GOT MORE AND MORE OVERGRAZED AND CATTLE WEREN'T GETTING AS FAT AS EVERYONE HOPED. >> SOON THERE ARE SO MANY CATTLE, THE RANGE CAN'T SUPPORT THEM ALL. >> THEIR CATTLE ARE CROWDED ONTO THE RANGE BECAUSE THE PROFITS ARE SO HIGH. >> BY 1886, THERE'S A GLUT OF BEEF. THAT YEAR ALONE, PRICES PLUMMET 66%. BY THE TIME WINTER COMES, MANY RANCHERS ARE UP TO THEIR NECKS IN TROUBLE. THEN THEY'RE BLINDSIDED. THE WINTER OF '86 TO '87 IS THE WORST ON RECORD--IN A REGION KNOWN FOR TERRIBLE WINTERS. >> YOU GET A WINTER LIKE NO ONE'S EVER SEEN BEFORE, YOU GET DEEP COLD, AND THEN YOU GET A BIG THAW, SO ALL THIS SNOW MELTS AND THEN IT FREEZES AGAIN EVEN COLDER, AND YOU GET A SHEET OF ICE LIKE GLASS COVERING THE WHOLE PLAINS AND CATTLE JUST CAN'T PAW DOWN THROUGH IT TO THE GRASS. SO THEY DIE AND THEY DIE AND MORE OF THEM DIE. >> IN JANUARY, TEMPERATURES DROP TO 40 DEGREES BELOW ZERO, AT LEAST 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. 4 TO 5 FEET OF SNOW COVERS THE GROUND, WITH DRIFTS MUCH HIGHER. THE COWBOYS CAN'T GET TO THE CATTLE TO HELP THEM. AND THE NEW BARBED WIRE FENCES KEEP THE ANIMALS FROM REACHING SHELTER. IT'S A PERFECT STORM FOR THE CATTLE BUSINESS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. >> THERE'S THE FAMOUS PAINTING THAT THE ARTIST CHARLES RUSSELL DID CALLED "WAITING FOR A CHINOOK" OF THIS POOR, BEDRAGGLED STEER. THIS DRAWING SAID BETTER THAN ANY WORDS COULD SAY OF THE CONDITION OF THAT HERD. >> THE BRUTAL WINTER ENDS... ON A CHILLING SCENE. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CATTLE PERISH--A FINANCIAL LOSS ESTIMATED AS HIGH AS 100 MILLION IN TODAY'S DOLLARS. SOME RANCHERS LOSE 90% OF THEIR HERDS. THE CATTLE BUSINESS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. TODAY, THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM WHAT'S STILL CALLED "THE GREAT DIE-UP" ARE EVIDENT ON MODERN RANCHES. >> DURING THE REALLY BAD BLIZZARD OF 1886-87, THE FORAGE WAS COVERED WITH SNOW. IT WAS DEEP AND THEY--THEY COULDN'T GET THROUGH AND MANY OF THEM DIED BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THIS DAILY SUPPLEMENTAL FEED. >> AFTER THIS TERRIBLE WINTER, RANCHERS BEGAN TO SUPPLEMENT THE GRASS BY GROWING HAY. EACH ANIMAL CONSUMES ALMOST 2 TONS OF HAY PER WINTER, WHICH MEANS THAT FARMERS MUST GROW ABOUT AN ACRE OF HAY TO FEED EACH COW. THE STARK REALITIES OF MAKING IT THROUGH THE WINTER ALTERED RANCHING IN WYOMING FOREVER. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GREAT DIE-UP, CATTLEMEN LIKE ALBERT BOTHWELL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY RANCH. BUT IT'S THE COWBOYS WHO SUFFER THE MOST. SOME FIND THEMSELVES OUT OF WORK; OTHERS DO JOBS THEY CONSIDER DRUDGERY. THEY BECOME GLORIFIED FARMERS: GROWING HAY, FEEDING STOCK, MENDING FENCES. NOW THE BIG RANCHES RUN BARBED WIRE FENCES TO CONTAIN THEIR CATTLE, TOO. THE OPEN RANGE IS CLOSING IN AROUND THE COWBOYS. >> NOW INSTEAD OF PUSHING GREAT HERDS NORTH ACROSS OPEN RANGE IN UNKNOWN COUNTRY, THE COWBOY WAS RIDING FENCE LINE AND SPENDING HALF HIS TIME REPAIRING THE FENCE ACROSS A VAST, EXPANSIVE TERRITORY, OFTEN LIVING A LONELY EXISTENCE IN A--IN A LINE SHACK SOMEWHERE AS HE SIMPLY RIDES THE LINE IN ALL KINDS OF TERRIBLE WEATHER. >> WITH THE CATTLEMEN STILL REELING FROM THEIR LOSSES, THEY TURN UP THE HEAT ON HOMESTEADERS THEY SUSPECT OF STEALING CATTLE. >> AFTER THE DEVASTATING WINTER, CATTLEMEN COULD NO LONGER AFFORD THESE LOSSES. >> CATTLE WAS THE LIVELIHOOD FOR THESE RANCHERS, AND THEY JUST GOT PUSHED UNTIL THEY COULDN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE. >> FEELING THE STRAIN, ALBERT BOTHWELL ACCUSES WATSON AND AVERELL OF RUSTLING. >> WELL, HE WAS THE MOST RABID ABOUT AVERELL AND WATSON BECAUSE THEY WERE HOMESTEADING ON PASTURE THAT HE CLAIMED. SO IT WAS A CONSTANT IRRITATION TO HIM--EVERY TIME HE LOOKED OUT, HE SAW HER HOMESTEAD CABIN. >> BOTHWELL ALSO KEEPS TABS ON AVERELL'S ROADHOUSE, WHERE THE COUPLE SUPPLEMENTS THEIR FARM INCOME. >> WHAT CAN I GET YOU GENTLEMEN? >> WHISKEY. >> 2 WHISKEYS IT IS. >> ELLA SERVES COWBOYS AND IMMIGRANTS COMING OFF LONG, LONELY MONTHS ON THE TRAIL. BOTHWELL RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE "SERVICES" SHE PROVIDES. TODAY, SOME HISTORIANS BELIEVE HE WAS RIGHT. >> ELLA WATSON HAS A BACKGROUND THAT'S HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS AND CERTAINLY POINTS TO HER BEING A PROSTITUTE. THERE'S A LOT OF EVIDENCE THAT ELLA WATSON WAS TURNING TRICKS WITH COWBOYS IN EXCHANGE FOR CATTLE. >> FOR OVER 100 YEARS, HISTORY BOOKS HAVE CALLED HER "CATTLE KATE," THE INFAMOUS WOMAN WHO WAS LYNCHED FOR CATTLE RUSTLING. BUT IS THIS CLAIM ABOUT ELLA WATSON RUMOR OR REALITY? FOR THE LAST 2 DECADES, HER GRAND-NEPHEW HAS BEEN ON A PERSONAL QUEST TO FIND OUT. >> OVER THE YEARS, THIS WAS TOLD IN WYOMING HISTORY. IT WAS WRITTEN ABOUT IN MAGAZINES AND BOOKS, SAME OLD STORY FOR OVER 100 YEARS, UNTIL WE BROKE THE SILENCE. >> NOW MANY BELIEVE ELLA WAS DEEPLY WRONGED BY HISTORY. >> I HA--HIGHLY RESPECT HER FOR DOING WHAT SHE DID, YOU KNOW, COMING OUT HERE AND SETTLE AND HOMESTEAD. TRYING TO MAKE A BETTER LIFE FOR HERSELF. >> WHAT'S FACT AND WHAT'S FICTION? AND WHAT'S JUST ALBERT BOTHWELL'S PERSONAL CRUSADE TO PUSH THE SETTLERS OFF THE RANGE? >> FALL, 1888. ELLA WATSON ACQUIRES A SMALL HERD OF CATTLE. ALBERT BOTHWELL SEES HIS CHANCE TO GET HER FOR RUSTLING. >> FOR SOMEONE LIKE JIM AVERELL AND ELLA WATSON TO COME UP AGAINST A RICH, POWERFUL, AND SOMEWHAT PSYCHOTIC MAN LIKE ALBERT BOTHWELL, THIS WAS A NO-WIN GAME. THEY WERE NOT GONNA WIN THIS. >> ELLA TELLS FRIENDS THAT SHE BOUGHT THE RUN-DOWN HERD FROM A TRAVELER ON THE OREGON TRAIL. BUT NONE OF THE CATTLE ARE BRANDED. >> SHE BOUGHT A BRAND FROM A NEIGHBOR DOWN ON SAND CREEK-- THE LU--EL-UH--BRAND AND BRANDED HER COWS WITH THAT BRAND THAT SUMMER. >> BOTHWELL IS FURIOUS. HE SAYS SHE RUSTLED THE CATTLE, AND BRANDED THEM TO COVER THE THEFT. HE ALSO NOTES HOW MUCH HER HERD GROWS BY SPRING. MAYBE SOME OF THE COWS HAVE HAD CALVES, BUT HE INSISTS SHE RUSTLED THEM. BOTHWELL USES ELLA'S EVERY MOVE AS EVIDENCE AGAINST HER, AND SOME SAY HE HAS A CASE. >> THE RANCHERS DIDN'T TARGET EVERYONE. THERE ARE CERTAIN CHARACTERS THEY TARGETED. AND THEY WATCHED THEIR HERDS INCREASE DRAMATICALLY. NOW, THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. AND THAT WAS TRUE FOR AVERELL AND--AND--AND WATSON. >> BOTHWELL OFFERS TO BUY ELLA'S LAND, BUT SHE REFUSES. >> HE SAID, "I'LL GIVE YOU $50 TO BUY YOUR HOMESTEAD," AND SHE TURNED HIM DOWN BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE INDEBTED TO HIM. >> MAYBE THE SNUB IS TOO MUCH FOR BOTHWELL. ON JULY 20, 1889, HE GATHERS HIS FRIENDS--FELLOW CATTLE BARONS FROM SOME OF THE AREA'S MOST REPUTABLE FAMILIES. HE GETS THEM RILED UP, AND INSISTS THEY TAKE ACTION. >> MANY OF THESE OLD RANCHERS HAD BEEN USED TO TAKING THE LAW INTO THEIR OWN HANDS RATHER THAN WAITING FOR THE SLOW AND NOT ALWAYS EFFICIENT PROCESS OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND THE COUNTY SHERIFF TO ENFORCE THE LAW. RANCHERS WOULD SIMPLY ENFORCE IT THEMSELVES. >> BOTHWELL TELLS THE RANCHERS THAT THE FRESHLY BRANDED CATTLE IS ALL THE EVIDENCE THEY NEED. THEY FOLLOW HIM TO ELLA'S LONELY HOMESTEAD. >> AAH! >> GOT YA. GET HER, BOYS. BRING HER OVER HERE. >> BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVE, THE CATTLEMEN ARE OUT FOR BLOOD. >> ALL RIGHT. PUT HER IN THERE. [CLICK] >> NO! >> GO! >> THEY HEAD NEXT TO PICK UP JAMES AVERELL AT HIS ROADHOUSE. >> ... NO! NO! >> THEY'RE PLANNING TO LYNCH HIM, TOO. ELLA'S ADOPTED SON RUNS TO GET HELP. HE HEADS FOR THE HOME OF A FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR, WHERE HE EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENED. THE NEIGHBOR RIDES AFTER THE LYNCHING PARTY, HOPING FOR A CHANCE TO SAVE HIS FRIENDS' LIVES. IN THE WAGON, JAMES AND ELLA ARE TRAPPED. THEY CAN'T ESCAPE THE CATTLEMEN'S GUNS. >> HEY! HO. >> WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING? THIS IS NOT THE LAW IN THIS COUNTRY. >> I DIDN'T STEAL ANY CATTLE! >> THEIR NEIGHBOR HIDES NEARBY, BUT HE REALIZES IT'S HOPELESS TO TAKE THE KILLERS ON ALONE. >> GET THEM UP HERE. GET THEM UP ON THIS ROCK. >> NO! NO! NO! >> COME ON, THERE. THERE WE GO. >> THE VICTIMS STRUGGLE HORRIBLY. THE LYNCHERS DO ALL THEY CAN TO MAKE THEIR DEED AS CRUEL AS POSSIBLE. >> THE CATTLEMEN USED A COMMON COWBOY LASSO, WHICH HAD A SLIPKNOT. UNLIKE AN EXECUTIONER'S HANGMEN'S ROPE, WHICH HAD A KNOT WHICH BROKE THE NECK AND CAUSED INSTANT DEATH, THIS TYPE OF ROPE CAUSED A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH THROUGH STRANGULATION. >> EVEN ON THE WYOMING FRONTIER, A TERRIFYING CRIME LIKE THIS IS RARE. THEIR DEATH IS A DIRE WARNING TO OTHER SETTLERS. THE NEIGHBOR VOWS TO TELL THE SHERIFF WHAT HAPPENED. BUT HIS EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT IS NOT THE STORY THE PUBLIC HEARS. AS ALWAYS, THE CATTLEMEN ARE ONE STEP AHEAD. THEY'VE GONE TO THE CHEYENNE NEWSPAPERS AND PRESSURED THEM TO TELL THE STORY THEIR WAY. >> THE CATTLEMEN MUST HAVE KNOWN THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN HORRIFIED BY THE IDEA OF THE LYNCHING OF A WOMAN. SO THEY MADE SURE THAT THEIR VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED GOT TO THE PAPERS FIRST. THEN THE PAPERS TOOK THE STORY AND RAN WITH IT. >> THE NEWSPAPERS SPIN THE STORY USING A PRESS MUCH LIKE THIS ONE. >> THIS LITTLE PRESS IS CALLED A PLATON PRESS. IT'S A KIND OF JOB PRESS. UH, IT DATES FROM THE TIME THE NEWSPAPERS WOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING THEIR STORIES ABOUT JIM AVERELL AND ELLA WATSON. >> IN BIGGER TOWNS LIKE CHEYENNE, NEWSPAPERS COME OUT ON A DAILY BASIS. IN SMALLER TOWNS, THEY'RE ONLY PUBLISHED ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK. BUT SETTLERS ON ISOLATED HOMESTEADS RARELY HAVE ACCESS TO NEWS. THEY RE-READ WHAT PAPERS THEY GET, AND PASS THEM ON TO NEIGHBORS. SO STORIES BECOME ETCHED IN READER'S MINDS...WITH PERHAPS FAR MORE STAYING POWER THAN TODAY. >> THE NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF THE WATSON/AVERELL LYNCHING WAS AS CLEAR AND LURID AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE NOW CALL MEDIA SENSATIONALISM AS YOU MIGHT EVER WANT TO SEE. THE LYNCHERS WANTED TO BLAME THE VICTIMS FOR WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY USED THE CHEYENNE NEWSPAPERS TO DO IT. >> THE PAPERS SLANDER ELLA WATSON, CONFUSING HER WITH A PROSTITUTE KNOWN AS CATTLE KATE. THE NICKNAME STICKS. >> HERE'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE STORY OF THE WATSON/AVERELL LYNCHING GOT PRETTY MUCH COMPLETELY OUT OF HAND. THIS IS A NATIONAL MAGAZINE PUBLISHED JUST 3 WEEKS AFTER THE EVENT. LOOK AT THIS: "A CLANDESTINE COW-CATCHER, A BLASPHEMING BORDER BEAUTY BARBAROUSLY BOOSTED BRANCHWARD," "ACCOMPLICE AVERELL ALSO ASCENDS TO AIRY ALTITUDE." IT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE POWER OF THE PRINTED WORD TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S MINDS AND TO CHANGE EVENTS, TO CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED. >> WHEN THE CASE COMES BEFORE A GRAND JURY, THE CATTLE BARONS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES AGAIN. THIS TIME, THE EYEWITNESSES MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEAR BEFORE THEY CAN TESTIFY. IT'S SAID BOTH THE NEIGHBOR AND ELLA'S ADOPTED SON DIE OF "UNKNOWN CAUSES." THE LYNCHERS GET OFF SCOT-FREE-- ALL PART OF THEIR PLAN. >> THEY NEVER DENIED THAT THEY'D DONE IT. THEY WERE NEVER SECRETIVE ABOUT IT. EVERYBODY KNEW WHO THEY WERE, WHICH AGAIN POINTS TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS AT ITS HEART A--A POLITICAL ACT. THAT IS, THEY DID IT TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF THESE PEOPLE. >> ALBERT BOTHWELL AND HIS CRONIES HAVE MADE SURE THE OTHER SETTLERS WILL NOT FORGET WHAT HAPPENED TO WATSON AND AVERELL. BUT STILL, THEY'RE NOT SATISFIED. NOW THEY'RE READY TO WAGE AN ALL-OUT WAR. >> THE HORRIFIC LYNCHING OF ELLA WATSON AND JAMES AVERELL IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE WYOMING RANGE WAR. >> THE WYOMING RANGE WAR WAS A SERIES OF VIOLENT ACTS PERPETRATED BY THE CATTLE BARONS ON THE SMALLER RANCHERS IN WYOMING IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE OPEN RANGE FREE FOR THEIR USE. >> THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY PART OF THE WAR ERUPTS IN APRIL 1892. THE CATTLE BARONS AUGMENT THEIR FORCES BY RECRUITING A POSSE OF 23 GUNSLINGERS FROM TEXAS. >> WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN TO GO FAR SOUTH OF WYOMING AND HIRE THESE TEXAS GUNMEN, BRING THEM IN TO DO THEIR JOB, AND THEN THEY WOULD LEAVE THE STATE. THEY PERFORM THE HIT AND THEY'RE GONE. [ENGINE CHUGGING] [BELL RINGS] [WHISTLE BLOWS] >> THE TEXAS POSSE TRAVELS BY TRAIN FROM FORT WORTH TO DENVER TO CHEYENNE. >> IN CHEYENNE, THEY MET A GROUP OF CATTLEMEN AND OTHERS, INCLUDING NEWSPAPER REPORTERS. THIS IS LIKE A GRAND ADVENTURE. >> CATTLEMEN EQUIP THE POSSE WITH AN ARSENAL OF FIREARMS, INCLUDING 41 REVOLVERS AND 45 RIFLES. [CLICKING] THEY ALSO PRESENT THE TEXANS WITH A "HIT LIST" OF SETTLERS TO KILL. >> WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY MEN WERE ON THIS HIT LIST. SOME ESTIMATES SAY 70, OTHERS, 30. BUT THERE WERE DOZENS OF MEN SCHEDULED, TARGETED FOR ASSASSINATION. >> EACH TEXAS GUNMEN'S PAY IS $5.00 A DAY, WITH A $50 BONUS FOR EVERY SETTLER THEY KILL. THEY CONTINUE NORTH BY TRAIN AND THEN ON HORSEBACK. ON THE WAY, THEY MURDER 2 OF THE HOMESTEADERS ON THEIR HIT LIST. NOW THE TEXANS ARE WANTED MEN... WITH A POSSE OF LAWMEN AT THEIR HEELS. IN JOHNSON COUNTY, WYOMING, THEY HIDE OUT IN A BARN THAT'S STILL STANDING. >> HERE, AT THE T.A. RANCH NEAR BUFFALO, WYOMING, OCCURRED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT IN THE JOHNSON COUNTY CATTLE WAR. THE TEXAS GUNSLINGERS AND THE CATTLE BARONS HAD ALREADY KILLED 2 SMALL CATTLEMEN WHEN THE LOCAL SHERIFF DECIDED ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. >> ... TAKE YOUR POSITIONS. >> THEN HE TRAPPED THEM HERE AT THE RANCH. THIS BARN WAS THEIR MOST IMPORTANT FIGHTING POSITION. >> THE TEXAS GUNMEN USE THIS BARN AS THEIR FORTRESS, IN A STANDOFF WITH THE SHERIFF AND HIS MEN. [GUNSHOT] >> [SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY] [GUNFIRE] >> THESE ARE THE FIRING PORTS THAT THE INVADERS CUT IN THE WALL IN ORDER TO SHOOT OUT OF. AND THESE ARE ALL THE INCOMING BULLET HOLES, MADE BY THE LOCALS WHO HAD THE RANCH SURROUNDED. [GUNFIRE] THE INVADERS SPENT THEIR DAY HUNKERED DOWN LIKE THIS, AND THIS AREA WAS REINFORCED WITH SADDLES, AND BOXES, AND BAGS, BECAUSE THESE ONE-INCH PINE BOARDS OBVIOUSLY WON'T STOP A BULLET. >> THE LAWMEN KILL 3 TEXANS, AND IT SEEMS THE SHERIFF HAS THE UPPER HAND. THEN, ON DAY 2 OF THE CLASH, ONE OF THE TRAPPED GUNMEN ESCAPES, AND GETS WORD TO THE GOVERNOR OF WYOMING. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE. >> WYOMING'S GOVERNOR, WHO WAS A CATTLE BARON SUPPORTER, GOT BOTH UNITED STATES SENATORS FROM WYOMING TO GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE, GET PRESIDENT HARRISON OUT OF BED, AND HE ORDERED IN THE SIXTH CALVARY FROM FORT McKINNEY TO COME TO THE T.A. RANCH AND RESCUE THE INVADERS. >> IT'S AN ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY. THE U.S. CAVALRY RELEASES THE MURDERING TEXANS FROM THE BARN...RESCUING THEM FROM THE SHERIFF AND HIS MEN. THE TEXANS ARE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AND CHARGED--BUT NO ONE IS EVER CONVICTED. >> IT IS AN INCREDIBLE STORY, AND IT'S UNPRECEDENTED IN A WAY. IT TELLS US ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF INVESTING POWER IN TOO FEW HANDS. >> FOR NOW, THE CATTLE BARONS HAVE TRIUMPHED. THEY WOULD HOLD ON TO THEIR POWER FOR A FEW MORE YEARS. ALBERT BOTHWELL INCREASES HIS EMPIRE BY ACQUIRING WATSON AND AVERELL'S LAND. AS PART OF THE CATTLEMEN'S LEGACY, THE DOOMED COUPLE IS REMEMBERED AS A PAIR OF RUSTLERS. THEY HAUNT WYOMING HISTORY FOR ALMOST A CENTURY. >> MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE SAID THEY MUST HAVE GOTTEN WHAT THEY DESERVED. >> SOME CLAIM THERE'S CLEAR EVIDENCE OF ELLA'S GUILT. >> WHEN SHE DIED, HER FAMILY DESTROYED ALL HER LETTERS, EVERYTHING SHE WROTE TO THEM. HER FAMILY SEEMED TO BE ASHAMED OF HER. WHY? >> ONLY RECENTLY HAS THE ANSWER COME TO LIGHT--THE RESULT OF AN INVESTIGATION BY ELLA WATSON'S GRAND-NEPHEW. HISTORIANS HELPED HIM RESEARCH STORIES ACCEPTED AS TRUTH FOR A CENTURY. THEY DETERMINED WHY ELLA'S FAMILY REACTED THE WAY THEY DID. THE REASON IS THAT CATTLEMEN THREATENED HER FATHER. >> THEY SAID, "YOU'D BETTER BE CAREFUL." AND SINCE HIS LIFE WAS THREATENED, HE WENT BACK HOME AFTER THE INQUEST, AND FOR THEIR PROTECTION, TOLD HIS FAMILY NEVER TO SPEAK HER NAME AGAIN. >> THE HISTORIANS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT SOME NEWSPAPERS OF THE DAY DIDN'T BUY THE CATTLEMEN'S SPIN, LIKE THE CHEYENNE PAPERS DID. >> THE CASPER NEWSPAPER AND THE RAWLINS NEWSPAPER TOOK THEIR TIME ABOUT IT, TALKED TO PEOPLE WHO'D ACTUALLY BEEN THERE, WROTE LENGTHY STORIES THAT WERE PRETTY RIGHT. BUT BECAUSE THE OTHER STORY GOT OUT FIRST, UM, IT WAS THE ONE THAT GOT INTO THE BOOKS AND GOT INTO MORE BOOKS. >> RESEARCH ALSO DEBUNKED THE MYTH THAT ELLA WAS A PROSTITUTE NAMED CATTLE KATE. >> SHE WAS NEVER CALLED KATE AS LONG AS SHE WAS ALIVE. SHE ALWAYS SIGNED EVERYTHING ELLEN L. WATSON OR ELLA WATSON. NEVER KATE MAXWELL. >> DAN FOUND ANOTHER DOCUMENT POINTING TO HIS AUNT'S INNOCENCE. HE DISCOVERED A BILL OF SALE FOR THE BRAND ELLA BOUGHT. IT PROVED SHE RIGHTFULLY OWNED THE "L-U"--"EL-UH"--BRAND, AND HAD PERMISSION TO USE IT ON HER CATTLE. HE ALSO FOUND LETTERS VOUCHING FOR HIS GREAT-AUNT'S CHARACTER, AND SPOKE TO THE LOCALS. >> I TALKED TO A DESCENDANT OF ONE OF THE RANCHERS. THIS DESCENDANT TOLD ME ALBERT BOTHWELL SENT HIS HIRED HANDS AROUND TO ALL THE RANCHERS AND WARNED THEM, IF YOU TELL THE TRUTH, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED, YOUR DEMISE WOULD BE THE SAME THING. >> SO IN THE END, THE VOICES OF ELLA WATSON AND THE OTHER HOMESTEADERS DO HAVE THEIR SAY. THEIR STORY BECOMES A WESTERN LEGEND...AND A CLASSIC AMERICAN TALE. >> IT'S A STRUGGLE BETWEEN THESE ENTRENCHED ELITES THAT CONTROL ALL POWER POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FINALLY HAD ENOUGH AND WHO HAVE COME IN, AND THEY JUST WANT THEIR PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. AND THEY GET IT. >> FOR THE COWBOYS AND CATTLEMEN, TIME IS NOT ON THEIR SIDE. THE TIDE OF HOMESTEADERS AND BARBED WIRE FENCES IS UNSTOPPABLE. >> FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, THE DAYS OF THE CATTLEMEN WERE DOOMED. EVERYBODY KNEW AS THE SETTLERS MOVED WEST, THEIR DAYS, AT LEAST OPERATING IN THE OPEN RANGE, THE GREAT PUBLIC DOMAIN, THOSE DAYS WERE NUMBERED. BUT FOR 10, 20, 30 YEARS, THE WEST WAS THEIRS. [CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS] [CAPTIONED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE --www.ncicap.org--]
