The Rise of the Ranch King

Chapter 34 34. The Legend of the Strangler

"People in the bar knew that the show was about to take place, so they all followed it outside to watch.

There were also those who were booing, saying it would be better to bet on something.

Old David enjoyed the crowd. He stood in the middle and praised Lin Feng's revolver for its excellent quality.

In fact, it was just an ordinary Colt revolver, but he blew it to the sky.

"Lin, you decide the rules." Old David was very confident.

Lin Feng placed five wine bottles in an open space twenty meters away, keeping a distance of half a meter from each other.

"Shoot three bottles and I'll believe what you just said, and how about buying everyone a drink."

As soon as the words fell, the audience burst into cheers because they had beer to drink again!

Charlie stood aside with his arms folded, watching everything with interest. Compared with David Hubbard dressed as a cowboy, he looked more like a well-dressed company executive.

The old cowboys who were watching cheered for Old David and helped him with ideas on how to ensure that he hit three bottles.

In short, the scene was very lively, and even the bar owner’s wife came out to watch.

I have to say that David Hubbard is indeed manly and an old man with a very Western flavor.

Lin Feng snapped his fingers, indicating that he could shoot.

While everyone was staring at it, Old David suddenly pointed the muzzle of his gun at the sky, and then fired two rounds.

The smell of gunpowder from the Magnum rounds wafted around.

Just when everyone was puzzled by his actions, Old David glanced around and said with a smile: "Double-action firing revolver, the six-inch barrel allows the bullet to hit a higher speed and accuracy, it is perfect."

Charlie said: "But you only have three bullets left, which means there is no room for error."

Old David smiled slyly again, raised the gun and paused for half a second before pulling the trigger.

Three shots were fired in a short period of time, and three beer bottles were beaten to pieces.

The melon-eating crowd was excited, they got a free cup of beer!

Lin Feng nodded, and the old guy really had his wits about him.

Seeing that everyone was in good spirits, he asked David to continue shooting the remaining two bottles, this time turning around and shooting quickly like a cowboy duel.

As a result, there were no missed shots again. He didn't even raise the gun and chose to shoot low from the waist.

Charlie stood next to Lin Feng and nodded towards him.

Back at the bar, two large glasses of fresh beer were placed in front of everyone, and the old cowboys started singing excitedly and chanting Lin Feng's name.

He felt that this was an excellent way of publicity, and it only cost a small amount of money.

Now David has the opportunity to show off his past and talk about his life experiences.

Born in River Valley Town, he followed his father to run a ranch in southern Mongolia when he was three years old. He grew up smelling the smell of cow dung. He learned to ride a horse at the age of five and started performing bull riding performances at the age of eight.

“I love the thrill of being on the back of a bull and fighting it, and the best thing you can do after you get thrown off is get back on the thing and ride it.”

Uncle David added: "People are shouting crazy for me, and of course there are opponents. People from PETA will stand in the front row holding signs at every game, just like my most loyal fans, they come every time."

Lin Feng knew about this organization and had seen it at the livestock trading market in Hehe Town.

Most of the members are young people, wandering around holding banners or signs, as if eating a piece of KFC is animal cruelty.

"According to common sense, you should become an excellent cowboy and take over your father's ranch to continue running it, but why did you become a livestock policeman?" Lin Feng asked.

Old David's face turned old instantly, just in an instant.

Lin Feng felt that it would be a turning point, just like those children who originally had a smooth life but suddenly made a choice that was unrelated to Crazy Horse. Old David drank all the beer in the cup and shook his head slightly.

His next words silenced the entire bar.

On the night of David Hubbard's eighteenth birthday, a group of cattle thieves drove into their ranch. His parents died in a gunfight, and he hid in a wine barrel to escape his injuries.

"When the masked man fired the fatal bullet at my parents, I had a chance to kill him and buy my father time to draw his gun but I missed."

Hearing this, the whole place was silent.

The proprietress of the bar covered her mouth with her hands. Needless to say, everyone knew what happened next.

David Hubbard became a livestock policeman and practiced his marksmanship so that he would not miss his mark next time.

For an old man approaching sixty years old, this experience is undoubtedly a lifetime of pain.

Old David suddenly clapped, perhaps to ease the too quiet atmosphere.

It was a period of black history. Around 1983, it was the most chaotic era in Montana’s pastoral areas. Ranchers’ cattle were often patronized by cattle thieves, and criminal gangs even formed a complete black network.

By stealing in one area and transporting it to another area or even Canada for sale, the existence of gangs of cattle rustlers poses a major threat to ranch profits and even lives.

In 1985, River Valley Town began to establish a livestock committee, and repeatedly petitioned the federal government to request legislation and establish enforcement procedures. At that time, due to land development issues and conflicts with northern Indians, the herders were in opposition to the state government, and the application was always opposed by the governor. .

Against this background, the Livestock Committee formed a self-defense group composed of ranchers and cowboys to crack down on livestock theft crimes with very strong methods.

The cattle thieves they encountered either died in gunfights or were captured alive and lynched.

Once a cattle thief is caught alive, he will be "hanged on the city gate" and a sign will be written to warn other criminals.

Because of their tough style, the self-defense group has a well-known name: The Strangler.

Although the style of doing things is barbaric, the "Riverdale Strangler" has also set an example for other pastoral areas in Montana. In the absence of state government action, self-defense groups have been formed in various places, all using the banner of "XX Strangler" to deter thieving gangs.

The stranglers, later known as the livestock police, have continued for nearly forty years.

Today, Montana has a specialized livestock agency, but the livestock committee has always existed as a non-governmental organization, and the livestock police have also remained to this day. However, the population is aging seriously, and not many young people are willing to engage in this kind of low-paying job. Traditional old cowboys also face retirement one day.

It can be said that the relatively stable security in the pastoral areas of Montana today was obtained by ranchers and cowboys fighting for their lives. However, there are still a small number of poaching gangs, and their equipment has kept pace with the times, using four-wheel off-road vehicles and GPS. Such high-tech products.

The past events told by Old David triggered the memories of many elderly people. Most of the old cowboys in their fifties and above had experienced that turbulent era.

Some of them also served as livestock policemen for a short time, but few like David Hubbard could stick to it for thirty or forty years.

Lin Feng listened fascinated, as if watching a thrilling movie.

Several old men in the bar began to discuss the first chairman of the Animal Husbandry Committee. He was a very courageous man. You must know that the formation of civilian armed forces was absolutely not allowed by the federal government.

When Old David said his name, Lin Feng was stunned for a moment.

Ben Grando.

Lin Feng immediately thought of something. This surname was not common in Hehe Town.

"What's his relationship with Hans Grando?"

"Hans is Ben's only son, and he inherited the current Grando family ranch." Old David's eyes were slightly closed. "Ben Grando died of an infectious disease twenty years ago. He was about 61 years old at the time."

It seems that Jasmine's family has made a lot of contributions to River Valley Town, but what makes Lin Feng confused is that he did not hear the name of the Otto family from beginning to end.

In the war between the herdsmen in Riverdale Town against the thieving gangs, Cassidy's father was mentioned, but the Otto family seemed not to exist.

In Lin Feng's opinion, that might be another story.

(End of this chapter)