There is an insatiable demand in the restaurants of Europe for horseflesh, and Napoleon Vichy made good money fulfilling that need. He got horses by whatever means necessary - which mostly meant thievery.
He worked with a mover of stolen goods in Texas named B.W. Langtree, who was able to acquire young, healthy horses for him.
Unfortunately for the both of them, their thefts attracted the notice of retired Texas Ranger Tom Pickett and Jesse Custer. Vichy shot Pickett with his own gun, but Custer was able to escape, leading the captured horses away in a stampede.
Jesse caught Vichy before he could escape and taught him a lesson in Texas history.
Before the advent of cars and easy transportation, a horse was a man's only way from one way to another. If you stole his horse, you most likely condemned him to death, alone out in the wilderness. And so, of all the crimes that could be committed, horse theft ranked among the highest, and there was only one punishment for that.
Jessy led Vichy out into the plains and strung him up from a hanging tree.
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