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Show Page 51 v "I lost control of my nerve very suddenly," wrote Ann, "when the Governor looked at me expressing annoyance over the violent agitations I had caused in the outer office. I could only look at him in confusion." It was a rare occasion when Ann Bassett lost her nerve, an ever rarer one when she admitted it. Ann soon regained her composure and told her story, to which the governor listened with sympathy and interest despite Ann's unexpected intrusion. Having already heard similar stories from Wyoming ranchers, he promised to see that the killer was found. Although he was not seen again in Brown's Park, Tom Horn remained a free man until 1903, when he was hanged for the murder of a young boy. With Horn gone from the valley Ann turned her attention to the man she believed had hired him, Ora Haley. Not long after Rash's death, the Two Bar had purchased a ranch within the boundaries of Brown's Park itself. This gave the outfit a legitimate right to graze cattle in the valley. But it also aroused Ann's fury. Against Haley she announced "an open declaration of war." It wasn't long before Ann went into action, not against Ora Haley directly, but against the creatures which represented him-his cattle. "Throwing caution to the winds," wrote Ann, "I pushed cattle off the range. My neighbors did not support me in this, my challenge to Haley, and defiance of law and order |
