A fence-cutter defended his actions in 1884: “The brave old Texan went to the front with their families and drove back the Indians . . . When danger disappeared capitalists flocked in, the land was sold in large bodies or given to rich corporations, the country fenced. The old Indian fighters find themselves surrounded by the wire fence . . . We ask punishment for unlawful fencing as well as unlawful cutting. Fort Worth Gazette In 1888, Bill Johnson of Shelby, received warning in February that if he did not stop using barbed-wire he would be visited by the Erath County Regulators who would cut his wire, burn his posts, and hang him. Stephenville Empire