6 Bodies Found in Cave, 3 With Hearts Cut Out

A gruesome discovery near the resort town of Cancun, where police discovered six dead bodies, three of them cut open and their hearts removed. Authorities are investigating the identities of the four men and two women found dead in the natural cave, said Francisco Alor, the Quintana Roo state attorney general. "They were apparently tortured and their chests were opened to remove the hearts," Alor's office said later in a statement. Three of the bodies had the letter "Z" carved on their abdomens -- a possible reference to the Zeta drug gang, though officials did not make an explicit connection to cartel violence that has plagued many parts of Mexico. Also Sunday, armed men in two cars barged into a girl's coming-out party in the southwestern town of Coyuca de Catalan, sparking a deadly gun battle...more

2 Found Shot Dead Near Illegal Border Crossing in Arizona

Arizona authorities found two bodies near a common illegal border crossing Sunday, not far from where a deputy was shot last April, MyFoxPhoenix.com reports. Emergency dispatchers in Pinal County reportedly received a 911 call Sunday night from a man saying he and his friend had been shot before the cell phone signal was lost. Officials later found the bodies and two weapons, described as a long gun and handgun, according to the station. Police said it's not clear whether the victims were illegal immigrants -- adding that the pair had tattoos indicating that they were from the area. The location where the murders occurred is a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants headed from Mexico to Phoenix and the U.S. interior. It is also near where Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll, 53, was shot and wounded April 30 allegedly by drug smugglers...more

FBI investigates shooting of 2 by border agents

The FBI is investigating a Saturday incident in which two suspected drug smugglers were wounded after they allegedly threw rocks at a pair of Border Patrol agents. Manuel Johnson, an FBI spokesman, said the violence occurred about 1:30 p.m. on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation about 40 miles west of Nogales, Ariz. He said border agents intercepted two men who were hauling backpacks containing drugs. The agents opened fire after the suspects hurled rocks at them. "We're looking at this as an assault-on-federal-officers investigation," Johnson said. The wounded men, whose names were not released, were transported to a Tucson hospital. Johnson said he was told neither suffered life-threatening injuries...more

From guns to butter in Juárez

If 5,000 soldiers couldn’t stop the violence in Juárez, will a small army of teachers, doctors and economists be able to do the job? The U.S. Agency for International Development is betting $1.53 million that they can at least make a difference. USAID, the development assistance arm of the U.S. State Department, is asking the Paso del Norte Group to find ways to seed economic development, education and other social programs in Juárez. The private business group, with members in both El Paso and Juárez, will lead the first-of-its-kind program that’s expected to be a model for similar programs along the U.S.-Mexico border. “If people don’t have jobs, they become ripe for being targeted by sicaros (hitmen) and narco traffickers,” said Lisa Colquitt-Muñoz, regional coordinator for the Paso del Norte Group. Among the plans under consideration so far: • Studying the potential for cross-border health insurance and the development of a medical zone in Juárez that would attract Americans to travel to México for treatment. • Creating an agency modeled on the U.S. Small Business Administration to encourage the growth of small businesses with loans and other assistance. • A fund-raising extravaganza featuring performances by world-renowned names in opera and popular music, to be held in El Paso and Juárez next fall...more

Governor assails species litigation

Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday called for changes in both the federal Endangered Species Act and in the law that allows environmental groups to search for friendly venues to file lawsuits under the act. Speaking at the summer convention of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association in Casper, the Democrat said litigation in recent years concerning wolves and sage grouse should have been handled in federal court in Wyoming, not in Montana and Idaho. “I lost my shirt” in rulings in those cases, Freudenthal lamented, because environmental groups’ lawsuits were handled by judges “who rule how environmental groups want them to.” The governor was referring to U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Montana and U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill in Idaho. Speaking to the livestock producers, Freudenthal reiterated his view that the Endangered Species Act should be changed but said neither Republican nor Democratic presidential administrations have been willing “to touch” the issue...more

The Western Watersheds Project’s Assault on Family Ranchers

Another Earth Day has come and gone. Earth Day has become a holy day of obligation for America’s secular religion, the environmentalist movement. But hidden behind the facade of planting trees or discussing the virtues of “paper or plastic” is a well-financed global group of dedicated radicals who are bent on changing the way we live whether we like it or not. They are funded by a vast network of wealthy individuals, trust funds, and foundations who selectively give money to organizations they can control like puppets on a string (think George Soros). One such organization has dedicated its entire existence to the warped dream of one man who says that his ultimate goal in life is to destroy families and a way of life with absolutely no regard for the economic or human cost. Meet Jon Marvel and the Western Watersheds Project. This is an organization that bills itself, according to its mission statement, as a group dedicated “to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through public education, public policy initiatives and litigation” That last word “litigation” is the key, because in truth they are nothing more than a group of professional plaintiffs who have filed hundreds of lawsuits against the government and individuals to accomplish their goals. Between 2000 and 2009 they have filed 91 lawsuits and 31 appeals in Idaho alone and hundreds more throughout the West...more

Wolf-recovery program now 'at risk of failure'

Twelve years after Mexican gray wolves were reintroduced in Eastern Arizona, their dwindling numbers are putting the population "at risk of failure," says a recent report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Factors such as the rigid borders of the endangered wolves' recovery area, removal of wolves to protect livestock, and illegal shooting of wolves are keeping the only wild population of Mexican gray wolves from growing, says the "conservation assessment" released last month. The project has cost taxpayers $20 million or more since 1998. Now officials and others are seeking a way to move the wolf program further from its origin as a way to rescue the subspecies, and instead create a viable wild population. Among the initiatives under way is a proposed release of eight captive wolves into the area, which would be the most wolves released since 2003. The regional head of the Fish and Wildlife Service discussed the possible release with the directors of Arizona's and New Mexico's game and fish departments Wednesday. Much of what the service and environmentalists are proposing, Schneberger sees as threatening to her livelihood and that of her neighbors. The truth about the project, Schneberger said, is it's doomed by genetic limitations. Just seven wolves trapped in the 1970s are ancestors of the entire population of Mexican gray wolves, including the 42 in the project and more than 300 in captive breeding sites. "They have plenty of space. They just can't breed," Schneberger said...more

Ex-BLM chief backs wild-horse preserve plan in NV

A former U.S. Bureau of Land Management director has endorsed a proposed wild-horse preserve in Nevada, saying it makes more sense than Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's plan to send mustangs to the Midwest. Jim Baca, who served under President Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1994, said horses should remain in the West to spare the cost of land purchases and leases associated with government-funded, long-term holding facilities in the Midwest. He noted the West has abundant BLM-managed land. "It doesn't make sense to send them to the Midwest when you already own the land you already need," Baca told The Associated Press on Friday. "The BLM should try something different. What they do now doesn't work and has never worked." Under the proposal by the horse advocacy group Return to Freedom and the Soldier Meadows Ranch, about 1,700 captive horses would be sent to the ranch for short-term holding before their eventual release back to the range...more

GASLAND to debut June 21 on HBO

What a fascinating story. Filmmaker Josh Fox is offered $100,000 for the natural gas drilling rights to his property in the Delaware River Basin on the border of New York and Pennsylvania. Drill, baby, drill? Many would be tempted to take the money and run. Not Fox. He just ran. Or rather, set off on a cross-country trip to do a little investigating about what it would have meant if he signed on the dotted line and let the gas company drill away. "Gasland" is Fox's urgent, cautionary, and sometimes darkly comic look at the largest domestic natural gas drilling campaign in history, which is currently sweeping the country and promising landowners a quick payoff. Part verité road trip, part exposé, part mystery and part showdown, "Gasland" follows director Fox on a 24-state investigation of the environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing. What he uncovers is mind-boggling: tap water so contaminated it can be set on fire right out of the tap; chronically ill residents with similar symptoms in drilling areas across the country; and huge pools of toxic waste that kill livestock and vegetation...more

Wyo. plan seeks slaughter of some unwanted horses

The state representative behind a new law allowing the Wyoming Livestock Board to slaughter unwanted horses says the plan could include using a Cheyenne stockyard as a holding bin for the animals. State Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, is executive director of the United Organizations of the Horse, the nonprofit group pursuing the plan. She sponsored House Bill 122, which passed during this winter's legislative session to make the plan possible. Wallis said United Organizations of the Horse is discussing the plan with the Wyoming Livestock Board. Under the plan, horses would be screened and then rehabilitated, trained or slaughtered, depending on their condition. "Many of us believe that the best and responsible solution is humane slaughter and good use of that meat,'' said Wallis, a rancher. Wallis said the group would take horses either from people who couldn't sell or keep their horses for some reason, or from brand inspectors and law enforcement officers who find starving horses with clear titles. Horses in reasonably good condition would be rehabilitated, while horses that are old, untrainable or dangerous would be slaughtered. Wallis said slaughtering could potentially be conducted with a mobile operation that could be taken to different areas of the state. The meat would be primarily marketed for zoo feed and pets, but could also be sold for human consumption in the state...more

Rebuilt farmhouse to be reflection of pioneer past

A 140-year-old adobe farmhouse that burned in the 2007 wildfires is not only rising from the ashes, but will offer more insight into the lives of farmers in the post-Gold Rush era. The Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead in Escondido, which only had walls left after the fires, will reopen June 26. The structure that was destroyed had a few articles of furniture in it. But the $700,000 rebuilt version will be almost fully furnished with period tables, a parlor stove, a platform rocking chair that operates on springs, a pie safe used for storing pies and a hutch for dishes. All were bought from various sources with a $12,000 grant from the county, said Anne Cooper, manager of the museum. The new house is being built according to measurements taken of the old one in 2004, when it was restored by architectural historian Ione Stiegler. Stiegler is the architect for the rebuilding, and contractor Mark Sauer is doing the reconstruction. Visitors will now see an exact replica of the old house, down to the dimensions of the logs, the thickness of the walls, the details of molding and siding, even the whitewash, Sauer said...more

Nice, but a $700,000 farmhouse?

Like a scene from a Hollywood Western

f you've ever wondered what it was like to grow up in a pioneer town, the Homestead Village is about as close as it gets. Begun in 1988 by the Fort Rock Valley Historical Society, the village has grown to more than 10 buildings that sit on a dry and windy prairie, rivaling anything seen in a Clint Eastwood Western. The village began with two abandoned buildings that were about to be burned down because ranchers believed they were a danger to cattle that wandered the open range. First was Britt Webster's hand-hewn log cabin, only a roof, four walls, five windows and a door. It was the family home from homesteader days until the death of Webster's only son, Carl, in 1988. Next was Dr. James Thom's tiny two-room medical office, its shelves stocked with medicine bottles. Thom was the only physician in the Fort Rock Valley during the influenza pandemic of 1918, but he kept his neighbors safe and only lost one patient. Almost every pioneer town had at least one church, and in the Fort Rock Valley, built entirely of wood in 1918, it was St. Rose's Catholic Church. If you stand on its porch and look toward the Webster cabin you'll see the town's vintage windmill...more

It's all Trew: Photos serve as reminder of boundaries' importance (John Prather)

In our modern times when eminent domain and development arrogance often dominate the evening news, we received the story and photos of John Prather, a rancher who lived in Otero County, N.M. Prather garnered national attention in the 1950s by taking a heroic stand against the U.S. government's attempt to condemn his ranch in order to add it to the nearby McGregor Missile Range, a part of Fort Bliss, near El Paso. Although the Devil's Rope Museum in McLean has a huge library about barbed wire, some 6,000 related artifacts and a section dedicated to ranches and brands, we still welcome true stories about the uses and history of these subjects. The story of John Prather fit our requirements as it told of early-day fence building, the importance of defining our boundaries and protecting our right to own land until death, if need be. The package contained photos and published documents plus eight livestock brands used by the family, all registered with the New Mexico State Brand Records dating from 1888 to modern times. A special display has been constructed to house and show this information. Brothers John and Owen Prather traveled from Van Zandt County in Texas to the Prather Ranch in New Mexico in 1883 to begin homesteading. There was no surface water on the vast semi-desert grasslands, so the brothers took work teams and fresnos and began damming up the arroyos and watersheds where possible. In good years, larger equipment was used to build larger lakes and finally a water well some 1,015 feet deep was drilled. Eventually, John Prather built his ranch to include 27,000 acres grazing approximately 1,000 cows...more

Song Of The Day #328

It's another Swingin' Monday on Ranch Radio.

Today's selection is Down The Line by Elana James. James is the former fiddle player for the group Hot Club of Cowtown and this is from her first solo album, titled Elana James.

Stats don’t reflect border fear

Federal statistics may show a drop in violence for big cities in border states, but they don’t reflect the reality of rural areas along the border, local experts say. While the studies may be truthful, they don’t capture the reality of life along the border, said Palominas-based veterinarian Gary Thrasher. “Douglas is safer than it ever was, but go out into the San Bernardino Valley and it’s a different story,” Thrasher said. While larger cities are receiving federal dollars and beefing up efforts, they’re forcing border-related crime into the rural areas, said Thrasher, whose work with cattle ranchers takes him to both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. “They have those reports, and they certainly look good, but in fact they don’t tell the whole story,” he said. “They’re leaving us out.” Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said residents of the rural areas along the border would come to a different conclusion. “You tell that to the people in the eastern part of the county who’ve experienced home invasions and multiple crimes,” Dever said. “Ask them if those statistics have any meaning.”...more

Border ranchers react to White House meeting

All eyes and ears were on Governor Brewer and President Obama on Thursday as the two met at the White House to discuss securing the border, including sending National Guard troops. Arguably, few have more at stake than the ranching community of southern Arizona who spend their days and nights keeping watch over their property. In late March of this year, one of their own, Robert Krentz was shot to death on his ranch near Douglas. The killer's identity is unknown, as is the killer's immigration status. But investigators have said they suspect the murder was the work of an illegal border crosser. Even after the senseless murder, border crimes against Kentz' family and the close-knit ranching community haven't stopped. KGUN9 talked to Gary Thrasher, a friend of the Krentz family and also a rancher. Thrasher explained what has been happening in the areas closest to the border. "People are breaking into homes, intimidating women to lock themselves into bedrooms. There have been 2 or 3 threats since Rob's been killed," Thrasher said. For a family that was already devastated by the loss of a loved one, more acts of crime are terrifying and push them to a breaking point. Thrasher told KGUN9 that shortly after Krentz' murder, someone broke into the home belonging to Krentz' sister. Thrasher said he's hoping all this won't result in another shooting. President Obama has promised Governor Brewer that in two weeks' time, his staffers will come down to assess the situation for themselves...more

Rancher has close-up view of immigration debate

Rancher Chip Johns calls a spacious, hacienda-style house in southwestern Doña Ana County home. He's lived there about 25 years, ever since selling the food processing plant he used to own in Santa Teresa and jumping into the ranching business. The 66-year-old said he's the nearest full-time county resident to the Mexican border, outside the urban center of El Paso. He said he doesn't feel extremely threatened by the undocumented immigrant traffic that crosses his ranch on a daily basis. He admitted the situation has its risks, but seemed resigned to accepting them. While Johns said the immigration problem doesn't seem especially bad at the moment in the county, he's concerned about what will happen because of the renewed focus on Arizona's border. He said he's worried immigrant traffic will shift toward New Mexico. "When they close the border at Arizona, like they're going to do, all those people are going to start coming this way," he said. Johns said he's concerned that a proposal for creating federally designated wilderness on acreage he ranches near the Potrillo Mountains, in the southwest corner of the county, would create an immigrant smuggling corridor because of prohibitions against vehicle travel in wilderness...more

Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Luck is in the jeans

by Julie Carter

Every cowboy has a "secret weapon" that gives them a competing edge. Their arsenal for the illusion, or delusion, of luck runs the gamut of superstitions.

With rodeo and roping season moving into the heat of the year, both by thermometer and by calendar, cowboys are plotting, planning, driving and surviving while taking their best shots at making the finals.

A cowboy's belief in what brings him success, while often falling short on factual verification, will never lack in creativity.

Jim was a calf roper who carried a gallon jug of water in his camper in which to wash his lucky rodeo shirt, never pouring the water out all summer.

"Don't want to wash out the luck so you have to keep it in the water," he'd say.

By the end of a long rodeo season he was noticeably a loner. Apparently, the smell of luck was not as socially rewarding as the possession of it.

As a team roper, Walker always believed that hard work paid off and he endorsed the theory that "perfect practice makes perfect." But lately, he'd begun to wonder if he wasn't standing in the wrong line.

A similar "wrong line" feeling had occurred to him when he was in college. Walker recalled that incident landed him erroneously in the military corps. Repeating that lesson, even hypothetically, was not a good plan.Walker had spent his entire adult life pasture roping in all kinds of weather, most often riding a green colt with no one around to help. Every loop had to count.

When he reached a point in life where he could rope for fun, he built a good arena, kept a supply of fresh Corriente steers, bought exceptional horses and ropes by the boxcar full. And, he practiced non-stop.

He was dedicated to eating right, exercising, regular strength training and of course, took his vitamins. He was selective about the ropings he entered and even more discriminating in choosing his roping partners.

Most of the time, the results were as favorable as the game of team roping ever allows. Win some, lose some.

In his good-natured way, Walker made a lot of friends and was gradually making his way into that elite club of the ropers labeled as "wolves."

Wolves are just ropers too, but ones with impressive, inarguable winning records.

Walker's new partner, Les, drives down the highway in the proof of his skill with a rope.

Les' trophy truck has advertising on all four corners that declares him to be a champion. He proves his dedication to the sport by practicing late into the night and would stay at it until it was time to go to work if needed.

Les consistently catches two feet on his end of the steer, keeping his success percentage impressively high. On the rare occasion that he misses, you hear none of the usual litany of excuses --bad cattle, bad flagger, bad barrier, the header's fault, it rained in Brazil, the neighbor's mother's cousin's dog died - you've heard them before.

After watching the duo stop the clock time after time in the practice pen in 100 degree heat with humidity to match, Walker's wife thought she'd ask Les what his secret to success was.

Too late to take it back, Les' answer made her wish she hadn't been so inquisitive.
Proudly Les told her, "Absolutely every bit of ability and success I have, I attribute to my lucky polka dot under drawers."

With that tidbit of information out to the general population, there is likely to be a run on polka dotted BVDs down at the mercantile. A particular color wasn't detailed as necessary.

Although, I do wonder if a trendy zebra stripe or leopard print would be as effective.

Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net

It's The Pitts

The Run Around

by Lee Pitts

Many years ago in our area two brothers took a bank for many millions by tricking the loan officer into thinking they owned a lot more cattle than they really did. In the morning they showed the loan officer a set of cattle and then they took him to lunch and force fed him martinis for two hours. In the afternoon their cowboys ran the same cattle around a hill a second time as a supposed new bunch of cattle. That evening they shipped the same cattle to another ranch where they were shown to the same loan arranger a third and fourth time as even more collateral. The loan officer should have been tipped off by the fact that a couple thousand head were supposedly subsisting on a 500 acre ranch that was so devoid of grass it looked like a moonscape.

I’m not sure but the brothers may have gotten the idea from the Germans who, in World War II, captured a few Americans at El Guettar in Tunisia. They marched those American prisoners up the main street of Tunis to impress the natives with their military superiority and then they trucked the same prisoners back to the start of the parade where they marched them down the street again. This went on several times until the natives must have thought the Germans had captured our entire Army.

Or the brothers may have gotten the idea by reading about Moreton Frewen. This pioneer businessman was so stupid he failed on three different continents. In the late 1800’s Moreton bought a large herd of cattle and liked them so much he bought the same set a second time when they too were run around a hill and shown to him again.

I don’t advise anyone to follow a life of crime but if you are going to try this trick at home there are a couple potential pitfalls. First, make sure that there are no “marker cattle” in the bunch. If the rest of your herd is healthy and all black or red, a white one, or an animal with a runny nose and frozen tail, is going to stick out like a wart on the face of a supermodel. Even a soft-shoed urban banker might recognize a Longhorn steer with long horns and a distinctly marked hide if he sees the same animal more than five times in a row amongst a set of straight blacks or reds.

I hate to admit this but even I, your humble correspondent, have unknowingly helped cattle buyers see double. Many years ago, when cows were worth about 60% less than they are now, I worked ringside at a commercial cow sale that was held on a ranch out in the country. In many ways it was unlike any other sale I’ve ever participated in. For one thing, the sale started at ten o’clock in the morning. Most auctioneers and ring men work bankers hours and the sales usually start at one. We cranked up the sale and the cattle were coming through the ring in big bunches to make nice even loads. But the buyers weren’t interested in even buying a pickup truck load. Anticipating a wreck, the savvy owner had pre-weighed the cattle and he protected the cows to the price they’d fetch at the sale barn in town.

We weren’t getting any cows sold and I’m sure the owner was ready to call off the sale when a big buyer showed up at noon to eat lunch before what he thought would be a one o’clock sale. When he saw we were already selling cows he waded right into them. The ranch owner, who had more sand than the Hawaiian Islands, went out back, had the cattle he’d already caught back resorted into smaller bunches and, because they were all the same color and without ear tags, no one was the wiser when we resold them. I thought the cattle began to look familiar and kept thinking we’d be running out of cattle soon but the ranchers, who’d been sitting on their hands before, now suddenly came alive. They started bidding on the same cows they could have bought $300 cheaper just hours before. We ended up having a great sale, although it was a long day because we sold twice as many cattle as were advertised.

It was the only time in my life I’ve worked the same sale twice in one day.

Song Of The Day #327

Ranch Radio's Gospel tune this Sunday morning is Precious Lord Take My Hand performed by Merle Haggard.

You will find the tune on his 10 track CD Cabin In The Hills.