On this date in crime history – April 30, 1867, western lawman
Burton C. Mossman was born in Aurora, Illinois. Little is known about Mossman's
childhood in Illinois, though he apparently learned to be self-reliant and
resourceful at a young age. When he was 21, he left home and moved to Mexico,
where he quickly began proving himself one of the most canny and successful
ranchers in the territory. By age 30, he not only had his own spread in New
Mexico, but was also the superintendent of a two-million-acre ranch in northern
Arizona. As the size of the southwestern cattle industry increased, cattle
rustlers began to take advantage of the lack of surveillance on the isolated
ranges to steal stock. In 1901, the territory of Arizona responded by
organizing a ranger force to rid the region of rustlers and other outlaws. The
governor of Arizona convinced Mossman to sign on as the first captain of the
Arizona Rangers.
Mossman was suited to the task. Courageous and skilled
with a pistol, he had a knack for surprising rustlers while they were still in
possession of stolen cattle. Though he could use violence to good effect when
needed, Mossman preferred to trick his quarry into giving up peacefully when
possible. After a long and adventurous career with the Arizona Rangers, Mossman
eventually returned to the more peaceful life of a rancher. By the time he retired
from ranching in 1944, he had business interests in cattle operations from
Mexico to Montana, and more than a million cattle wore his brand. He lived out
the remainder of his life at his comfortable ranch in Roswell, New Mexico, and
died in 1956 at the age of 89.
His book
can be purchased at Amazon through the following
link:
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