Virgil Rule Rice tracked horse thieves through the snow, engaged in shootouts in illegal shanty towns, and herded cattle with future members of the Hole in the Wall Gang.

He was the first sheriff of Bighorn Basin, but his story is almost lost to history.

Rice came to Wyoming in 1880 when he was 14 years old. He had joined his mother’s brothers, Robert and Jay Torrey, at Fort Washakie in Wyoming Territory.

By the time he was 16, he was working on his uncle’s farm along the Owl Creek Mountains in what would become Hot Springs County.

He eventually formed a partnership with his uncle, Jay Torrey, in the Embar Cattle Co., one of the largest ranches in the Owl Creek area, employing many members of the Hole in the Wall Gang before they became their greatest enemies.

Rice, nicknamed “Bones”, was Embar’s foreman. Fremont Clipper newspaperR. He reported that he was very much loved by the men who worked for him.

Chasing Horse Thieves

In the winter of 1892, 26-year-old Rice went after the Nutcher brothers, horse thieves who worked for Embar Farm. He was accompanied by Walter Punteney and Andrew Price, and the three young cowboys tracked the thieves through the snow and mud.

After snow fell on their path three times, Rice made his way to Casper alone and boarded a train to escape the thieves, following rumors of the thieves’ whereabouts.

The Fremont Clipper later reported: “Rice enlisted the aid of the sheriff, and after Nutcher left town they tracked him down; (Joe) Nutcher was spotted leaving the cabin at daylight the next morning and arrested; He was immediately taken to Alliance (Nebraska), and Rice brought him back and put him in Lander prison, alone.

“A plot was planned to rescue Nutcher, but Rice foiled this by taking an unexpected route and driving so fast that those pursuing him could not keep up.”

For saving the horses, all three cowboys were given silver-encrusted saddles and gear by Rice’s uncle, Jay Torrey. However, their friendship would soon be in jeopardy when Assistant Cattle Foreman Punteney was accused of stealing cattle from Embar just four years later.

Punteney had left Embar to feed his own cattle at the neighboring Padlock Farm, but Torrey soon accused Punteney of stealing Embar cattle. Not only did Punteney lose his farm, he later fled to the Hole in the Wall and joined the outlaws there. Punteny later implied that he had been forced into outlawing on false charges.

Whatever the reason for his decline, it would become a pattern for Rice. Many of the old cowboys, such as Butch Cassidy and Tom O’Day, rode horses and even led loosely organized gangs.

Thieves’ Cave

Rice was not afraid to confront those who dared to steal not only from Embar but also from local businesses.

On Election Day 1894, the only polling place for those in the original town of Thermopolis was at Embar, located at the mouth of Owl Creek, about 30 miles upstream from town. Except for the three men, the residents of the small town had gone to Embar to vote and participate in the election dance.

That afternoon, outlaws in the Andersonville shacks across the Bighorn River from Thermopolis robbed the store’s safe.

The Fremont Clipper reported on the incident once again:

“The owner, Ed Enderly, put up a desperate fight but was defeated only after receiving a scalping blow to the head from a six-shooter. They forced open his safe and attempted to escape on horseback, taking approximately two thousand dollars.”

“But they didn’t take the homeowners into account here. Slane and the blacksmith, who were in another house, were drawn to the scene by the noise of the fight just in time to open fire on them. A fight ensued, resulting in the capture of one of the bandits, Jacob Snyder.

“The fight was so heated that money was spilled due to obstacles in the road. This one was saved. “Snyder was held in the back room of Enderly’s store by his captors, but was taken across the river by his friends during the night.”

Rice joined the team to recapture Snyder, and the men sped from Embar toward the shantytown known locally as the hideout for members of the Hole in the Wall gang.

“Arriving at midnight, they immediately posted guards and patrolled the town until daylight, then crossed the river and surrounded all the large cabins there and demanded the immediate surrender of the prisoners,” Fremont Clipper reported.

“The greatest resistance was met at an infamous meeting held there. After long negotiations, everyone surrendered, and with them Snyder, who was hiding in this house, also surrendered. Snyder was released on bail, but before trial he was caught stealing Embar company cattle, indicted for grand larceny, and convicted.

Inspiring American Folklore

The same year he helped thwart the safecrackers, Sheriff Rice married Lander socialite Elizabeth Lanigan. His uncle was his best man and their wedding was the talk of the region. His life seemed abundant.

But just seven years later, Rice died of “throat complications” at a Casper hospital. He left behind his pregnant widow and three young children. A tragedy occurred in the family when his wife was declared insane and the children were distributed to relatives.

Although Rice is no longer brought up as often, her legacy has lived on in fiction.

Rice’s uncle, Jay Torrey, was good friends with young writer Owen Wister. Wister likely met Rice because they were in the same social circle while collecting stories for his short story and eventually his novel “The Virginian.” There are those who believe that Rice was one of the many cowboys Wister used as composites for the character of the Virginian.

When his book was published, a first edition was sent by Wister to his friends in Owl Creek. The community eagerly read the novel to see if they recognized any of the characters. Many people after reading this claimed that a famous scene was directly inspired by their former Sheriff, Virgil Rice. Here’s the scene from the Virginian that caught the attention of Wyoming residents:

Now it was the Virginian’s turn to bet or leave the game, and he did not speak immediately.

That’s why Trampas spoke. “The bet is yours, you son of a bitch…”

The Virginian’s gun was out and his hand was resting on the table, holding it aimlessly. And in a voice as gentle as ever, almost like a caress, but drawn out a little longer than usual, so that there was almost a gap between each word, he gave the Trampas man his orders: “You say that to me, SMILE.” And he looked across the table at Trampas.
While Wister claimed not to know the origin of the original story he heard from the cowboys he interviewed, the people of old Thermopolis said they knew the man who said those words. They said he was none other than Virgil Rule Rice, a young cowboy and the first Sheriff of the Bighorn Basin.

Rice’s old friend and former outlaw Walt Punteney later said that the incident occurred in a dark saloon in Old Thermopolis, and that Rice had muttered the words to an impatient card player during a poker game years before.

Although Rice is no longer remembered by most, his words will forever be immortalized in Western literature.

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at [email protected].