What’s the quickest way to obtain a large number of wolf pelts? Stealing them, or at least that was the tactic used by South Dakota’s champion wolfer, William B. Werd. The fraud Werd committed would stretch across two states, multiple counties, and even got the Meade County Bank involved.
Werd’s wolf hunting in the state began when he was hired by the Sheidley Cattle Company of Sturgis in 1890. Werd had already made a reputation for himself as a talented wolfer in Texas, and with a growing cattle business in the Black Hills, his services were much needed. With his job, Werd would find himself traveling throughout the Black Hills, and into Montana.
Bounty Program
In 1899, the Sixth Session of the South Dakota Legislature would pass a law establishing a bounty program for the “destruction of coyotes, wolves and mountain lions.” For ranchers in the state, the loss of livestock had become a serious issue, and the services of people like Werd were seen as much needed.
Shortly after, thousands of pelts were being submitted, quickly amounting to $20,000 in claimed bounty rewards. The vast majority of those pelts would be submitted in just two counties in the Black Hills; Meade County and Pennington County. But there was a hiccup in the whole process. James D. Reeves, the State Auditor, was rejecting bounty certificates that were issued prior to July 1 of 1899.
Reeves had believed that the “Wolf Bounty Act” didn’t take effect until the new fiscal year, which began on July 1st. The Meade County Bank, who filed suit against Reeves, argued that the act took effect on February 8th. The Meade County Bank would win their suit, and the certificates they had submitted would be honored.
It would later turn out that the Meade County Bank had unknowingly helped perpetuate fraud.
Boss Hunter
By far, the majority of the bounties collected through the Meade County Bank came from Werd and his hired men; W.B. Saddles, W.G. Wilson, Miner Harvey, and William McCracken. Throughout state papers, Werd would be hailed as the champion wolf hunter, with his exploits celebrated.
The trick to his success, as Werd would claim, was a secret scent that attracted the wolves to his traps. What the nature of the scent was was a secret Werd would not divulge, but according to his claims, it could net him more than 100 animals a day.
Time and time again, Werd would break records for most pelts turned in. He would only be outdone by his brother-in-law, Charles Handlin. Handlin’s record of 558 pelts would be short lived though, when Werd, just four days later, brought in 568 pelts. Between the two, over $3,000 would be claimed in the matter of a few days, or roughly the equivalent of $109,000 today.
Throughout this time, Werd would be submitting scalps for the bounty program in both Sturgis and Rapid City in South Dakota, as well as in Miles City and Glendive in Montana. The amount of bounties being submitted was so high that soon local newspapers were suggesting that there would be few, if any wolves or coyotes left in the area. In total, thousands of scalps had been submitted for bounty.
Werd and his men, at least in the opinion of local ranchers, had done a great service to the community. That was until the truth came out.
Fraud
In September of 1900, Werd would submit several hundred wolf and coyote pelts to Rapid City. The bounty he would make off with was nearly $2,000. However, the money he made from those pelts was much more, as he had submitted those same pelts multiple times before.
The fraud which Werd was committing was simple in nature. He and his men would submit their pelts for the bounty in one county, only to then steal them back and repeat the process elsewhere. Each time, they would mend them, or sew them back on to the hides of the animals, and turn them in elsewhere.
By the time Werd was submitting the pelts in Rapid City in September though, the law was hot on his heels.
The issue started in Sturgis. In August of 1900, Werd and his men would turn in a horde of scalps for their bounty. The Meade County Bank would issue them their money, and shortly after, those scalps would turn up missing. Werd would also be gone.
But the real trouble began in Miles City, when, at the beginning of September, Werd and his men secured the bounty on wolf and coyote scalps that amounted to $600. While the men would stay in Miles City for a short time afterwards, “having a good time,” once they did leave, it was discovered that the scalps they had turned in had been stolen from the courthouse.
Around a week later, the group would show up in Glendive, where Werd would secure $92 in bounty, and one of his men, Wilson, would receive $580. Upon their leaving of the city, it was once again discovered that the scalps they submitted had been stolen.
Warrants would quickly be issued for the group, and two of Werd’s men, McCracken and Harvey, would be arrested before they could cross the South Dakota state line. There, they would be discovered with a portion of the stolen pelts. After examination, it was clear that many of the pelts had been sewn together, and that portions of them were made out of prairie dog skin. It would later be discovered that the four men had been manufacturing wolf pelts and turning them in for the bounty. But Werd himself, as well as Wilson, would escape for the time being.
The scalps that had started the whole mess would be submitted one more time, just miles from where Werd’s downfall had began in Sturgis. Once the pelts were brought to Rapid City, the fraud was over. Werd and Wilson would take their money, but they didn’t have far to run.
Days after arriving in town, Werd would be arrested by request of authorities in Montana. Governor Robert Smith, of Montana, had offered a reward of $200 for the capture of both Werd and Wilson. Smith then signed requisition papers to have Werd returned to Glendive, so he could face charges there.
Sheriff Aiken, of Glendive, would take the requisition papers himself to Pierre, where they would be given to the South Dakota governor, Andrew E Lee. From there, Sheriff Aiken would travel to Rapid City to pick up Werd, only to find he was gone.
Werd had been granted his freedom under a $700 bond, and then skipped town. Days later though, Aiken would be back in town, not for Werd, but for Wilson who had been captured in Sturgis. Wilson would be brought back to Glendive, and there sentenced to 7 years in the penitentiary.
Bounty Program in Question
While Werd was on the run, the South Dakota state legislature began rethinking the bounty program. In less than two years, $40,000 had been racked up. The fraud committed by Werd and his men, which was one of the largest in either Montana or South Dakota, was largely responsible for the massive cost.
Part of the issue was that the western portion of the state was still largely unorganized, and weren’t capable of creating their own bounty programs. As livestock was being ravaged by wolves in this area, the State passed the emergency measure that created the bounty act.
However, when created, only $5,0000 a year was set aside for the program. Yet, in just 23 months, $15,000 had already been paid out, with another $25,0000 in outstanding claims.
A massive push would occur in the State Legislature to revise the bounty program, and expunge the outstanding claims. But it was a fight that faced a lot of complications.
The revised program would limit the bounty to $5,000 a year, and additional safeguard would be implemented to prevent fraud. However, not everyone was convinced fraud had occurred. Instead, some blamed elected populist leaders, including the treasurers of Meade and Pennington Counties. For some, it was their fault for the mere suggestion of fraud.
Those supporting the wolf bounty were also deeply attached to the matter. For them, it was partially a matter of livelihood. It was intertwined with local agriculture, and they were not willing to budge.
The state auditor’s office would eventually have their records shown in order to demonstrate that there was in fact a massive fraud that had taken place with the bounty program. They would show that $11,000 of the money already paid out went to Werd and his men, who were being investigated and tried in Montana. They showed that these men supposedly killed 3,000 wolves, and of those, 1,000 of which were supposedly killed in just a month’s time.
Trying to cement the case, they documented how these men had been seen at a prairie dog town, where they had many traps set up. The argument was that it was hard to see the difference between a pup wolf and a young prairie dog. They also submitted evidence that these men had not only submitted their scalps for bounty in South Dakota, but also Montana and Wyoming.
The evidence for fraud was insurmountable. Yet, the topic was still heated, nearly coming down to actual fist fights as tempers flared.
But what may have been the largest obstacle in regards to the revision of the bill was that a growing number of elected legislature members simply decided to not show up. Because there were so many absentees, the wolf bounty revision was nearly killed, as it had been dragged out of committee and axed.
Once those who had shirked their duties finally returned, and seeing that the wolf bounty revision was virtually dead, they set out to undue everything that had been done while they were absent, and start over. This would in turn create an uproar, that would prevent the speaker from even calling the house to order.
Eventually, the revision would win over. The next year, little of the $5,000 secured for the bounty program would be applied for.
What about Werd
The state legislature would eventually calm over the wolf bounty program, and Werd himself, who escaped capture for his part in the fraud, seemed to largely have been forgotten.
Werd just couldn’t keep from his old ways though. The fraud he had perpetuated before was the same game he continued running. In 1905, it finally caught up with him. This time, it was after submitting the same scalps for bounty in Montana at Billings, then Junction, and finally at Rosebud. It was at Rosebud that he was finally captured, and then sent back to Glendive to stand trial.
It wouldn’t take much time for a jury to find Werd guilty. He’d be sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary at Deer Lodge.
Werd would serve just two years. In 1907, Werd would receive parole based on his assistance, both before and after his own conviction, of bringing to justice others who were guilty of the same type of fraud he had been convicted of.
It was at the behest of ex-Custer County Attorney Porter that Werd would be paroled. At the time of Werd’s arrest in 1905, an extensive bounty fraud was being uncovered in Custer, Rosebud, and Valley Counties. Over $20,000 had been illegally obtained through this fraud.
Porter would at that time seek the help of Werd, who was able to give “sensational” evidence that would be used against bounty inspectors and other public officers. Because of this ongoing help, Porter would push for Werd’s parole in 1907.