Those arguments could not simply be dismissed because Voss was disliked.
The territorial authorities had to examine them.
Mallory's report was reviewed.
Additional measurements were taken.
Older public records were obtained.
And the chronology of the disputed documents was reconstructed.
Gradually, the evidence clarified the pattern.
Several alterations had been introduced after the original surveys.
Some depended on references that couldn't have existed at the stated dates.
Others conflicted with the physical terrain.
The evidence supported the conclusion that material records used in the property claims had been falsified or misrepresented.
The civil land disputes began moving toward formal correction.
But the criminal questions remained harder.
Who ordered the changes?
Who knew about them?
Who threatened witnesses?
And who was responsible for the deaths of Thomas Hart and Samuel Whitmore?
Briggs refused to cooperate at first.
He claimed the fire at the storage yard was accidental.
He denied attacking Thomas.
He insisted Samuel died in an ordinary riding accident.
But the accounts of Peter Henshaw and other witnesses created serious problems for him.
Several recovered documents contradicted parts of his statements.
A former employee identified his handwriting on instructions concerning survey equipment.
Another described seeing him with Samuel's satchel shortly after the surveyor disappeared.
Then Augustus Rell, the old foreman, was located in Montana.
He had been living under a different surname.
When investigators questioned him, he initially denied remembering much.
But as more evidence emerged, his account changed.
Rell admitted he had participated in efforts to make field records match a predetermined boundary.
He said Briggs pressured him.
He also acknowledged that Thomas objected and threatened to report the discrepancies.
His statement concerning Thomas's death was incomplete and self-serving.
He claimed Briggs struck Thomas during a struggle.
He denied intentionally pushing him into the ravine.
But he admitted the rustler story was false.
For Caleb, hearing that confirmation was devastating.
Thomas hadn't died fighting cattle thieves.
He died after refusing to cooperate with a false survey.
His brother had been trying to protect the truth.
And for five years, the people who knew allowed Caleb to search for men who had nothing to do with the fatal encounter.
Caleb sat beside Clara when the news arrived.
He stared toward the window.
For several minutes, he said nothing.
Then he whispered, "He stood up to them."
Clara took his hand.
"Yes."
Caleb swallowed.
"He could've walked away."
She nodded.
"He could have."
His eyes filled.
"But he didn't."
For a moment, he seemed almost proud.
Then grief returned.
Clara leaned closer.
Caleb held her.
And together, they sat quietly while the afternoon sun moved across the cabin floor.
The circumstances surrounding Samuel Whitmore's death proved more difficult to reconstruct.
Some evidence showed that Briggs arranged a meeting with him.
Other records indicated company representatives were concerned about his findings.
A witness remembered seeing Samuel arguing with a man near the northern work camp shortly before he disappeared.
But no one could reliably describe the entire sequence that led to his fatal fall.
The available evidence supported serious suspicion.
It did not permit every question to be answered with certainty.
Clara struggled with that.
She had spent months hoping that finding the truth would provide a complete explanation.
Who confronted her father?
What did he say?
Did he fight?
Was he frightened?
Did he know he was going to die?