[TEXAS] 1877 Cattle Rustling Court Warrant

Partly printed document completed in manuscript. Hays County, Texas, 14 May 1877. 1 page, 7 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. With Hays County District Court "Texas" star embossed seal. Docketing to verso.

A warrant for one “John Isbell” who was charged with the "theft of a steer" in San Marco, Texas. Cattle rustling was a pervasive problem in the Texas frontier. Often, young cowboys would take advantage of stray steer or young unbranded calfs, adding them to their own herds with altered brands.

A 17-year-old John Isbell is enumerated in the 1880 census, living in nearby Blanco, Texas.

Condition: minor even toning.

[Texas, Legal History, Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Crime & Punishment]