cattle-thieves

We jail-birds stick together, and he was obviously a man of power and influence - why, he was probably on dining-out terms with half the badmashes* (* Ruffians.) and cattle-thieves between here and Jallalabad, and if necessary he'd give me an escort; we could travel as horse-copers, or something, for with my Persian and Pushtu I'd have no difficulty passing as an Afghan.

The Sky Writer Geoff Barbanell 2010

But I knew these gentlemen pretty well -- cattle-thieves themselves and utterly unprincipled; perhaps having a grudge against the said buyer, perhaps wanting merely to annoy me, and also possibly hating to see such a fine opportunity not taken advantage of.

Ranching, Sport and Travel Thomas Carson

Calves bearing the "H L" brand — that claimed by a company known to be made up of cattle-thieves — followed mothers bearing almost every brand that grazed herds in that part of the State.

Judith of the Plains Marie Manning

A "XXX" man turned his head with a deliberate slowness and regarded Peter with narrowing eyes: "If the subject of cattle-thieves and their punishment is unpleasant to the gentleman from New York, perhaps he will favor us with something more cheerful."

Judith of the Plains Marie Manning

Chicago tough, whose only knowledge of a horse had been gained by observation, could so quickly become a trusted member of this desperate gang of cattle-thieves he could not conceive.

The Free Range Francis William Sullivan 1925

It was not his idea to shoot the rustlers, but rather to capture them alive, since the unwritten law of that lawless land decreed that shooting was too merciful a death for horse - or cattle-thieves.

The Free Range Francis William Sullivan 1925

The calves were being driven off the range into concealment by cattle-thieves.

The Free Range Francis William Sullivan 1925

To have a man like Morrill officially responsible for the detection of cattle-thieves was a travesty.

Roosevelt in the Bad Lands Hermann Hagedorn 1923

County, had brought in three cattle-thieves named Red

Roosevelt in the Bad Lands Hermann Hagedorn 1923

One day he missed the boat, its rope having been cut, and he inferred that it must have been stolen by three cattle-thieves who had been operating in that neighborhood.

Theodore Roosevelt An Intimate Biography Thayer, William R 1919