In 1879, big Texas herds bound for the northern ranges of Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas were following the Western Trail into west central Texas. The trail crossed No Man’s Land, today’s Oklahoma Panhandle, on the way to Dodge City and Ogallala, Neb. While not the preferred route to the far northern ranges, cattlemen still used the Chisholm Trail to reach the grasslands of southern Kansas where exceptionally fine pasture transformed the wild Texas cattle into beefy, contented animals.

Trail driving was naturally a dangerous occupation involving stampedes, swollen rivers and the mere fact that living out-of-doors could bring on the unexpected at any time. Indians could be troublesome and drovers were constantly watching for cattle thieves.

Letters from Troy Stockstill to family members in Kansas described the country of the Chickasaw Nation in present-day Oklahoma. Stockstill and partners purchased 500 head of cattle.

“The face of the country was rough and broken, a fit rendezvous for robbers,” Stockstill wrote. “The country (is) full of lawless cutthroats and plunderers that would take a man’s life for $5 or less.”

Stockstill expressed concern that they would be able to get out safely with their stock. He had good reason to be concerned.

A correspondent for the Arkansas City Traveler reported that Indian Territory south of the Kansas border was fast becoming a lawless land filled with desperate men before reporting the details of the subsequent attack on Stockstill and his partners.

On July 2, 1879, the trail herd was moving at a leisurely pace through the Shoto Valley, 80 miles south of Fort Reno (Oklahoma). Stopping to rest, the drovers spied four men approaching on horseback. T.H. Candy (Canelee) was with the herd. James Henderson was leaning on a wheel at the front of the wagon with the cook and a young herder, both unnamed. Troy Stockstill and W. W. Woods were on their horses.

The strangers rode directly to the wagon inquiring, “Hello, boys, how are you getting along?”

One of the drovers responded, “Slowly.”

With that, the strangers dismounted and drew their six-guns. The leader announced, “I guess we’ll have to arrest you.”

The correspondent for the Traveler explained, “That game had been played often in the Territory, to ‘arrest’ men under pretense of law and then disarm and rob them, but these men fully understood the movement…” Still in the saddle, Stockstill drew his pistol and shouted, “No you don’t.”

But one of the robbers was faster. Bullets split the air, hitting Stockstill in the side. James Henderson, “dropped dead in his tracks,” shot through the heart. With hot lead flying all about them, the cook and herder ran for cover as Woods’ horse bolted. Stockstill was hit again, this time in the stomach. The stunned cowboy slumped forward in the saddle. As horses panicked and ran, Stockstill received two more shots before charging beyond the range of blazing-hot lead. Stockstill stayed with his horse about a half mile before he fell dead from the saddle.

The other mounted cowboy, W. W. Wood, fought with his horse for about the same distance before bringing it under control. The cook made a clean get-away. The herder was wounded and begging for his life when Woods turned his horse toward the outlaws.

“The robbers sent a volley after him from their Winchester rifles, shooting his horse from under him.”

Fortunately, the unnamed herder, “… begged so hard for his life that he was allowed to go.”

The Traveler’s correspondent eulogized Troy Stockstill, writing that he was a resident of Medicine Lodge, Kan., “where he had been engaged in raising cattle and was a gentleman and well-respected citizen. He leaves a wife and six children, the oldest being young ladies of about 17 or 18 years.”

James Henderson was a single man about 31 years of age. His parents reportedly lived in Oskaloosa, Kan.

The escalating lawlessness of Indian Territory alarmed the Kansas border communities that had little recourse for justice in the territory except through federal authorities. Officers who had entered the territory in search of fugitives had often mysteriously disappeared, never to be heard from again.

“In the section we speak of, there are at least 40 outlaws from Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, and the state of society is fearful … The Territory should be brought into the Union and have competent men and civil laws instead of being a den for desperadoes.”

The bodies of Troy Stockstill and James Henderson were returned to Kansas, Stockstill in Medicine Lodge and Henderson in Valley Falls. Henderson’s stone reads “ASSASINATED.”

The editor of the Burlington Patriot wrote, “In that section ... life is uncertain and robberies are of everyday occurrence. If these men fancy a gun, saddle or pistol, they simply take them, regardless of law or ownership.”

Tragedy and terror were unfortunately constant companions for many years to come when entering “The Territory” on The Way West.

“The Cowboy” Jim Gray can be reached at 220 21st Rd., Geneseo, KS 67444, (785) 531-2058 or kansascowboy@ kans.com.