Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-11-18
THE ELK 6UNNERs.

Il The following accoaa Of foot race be
tween Keniuckian halfbreed lndi
n an, who ran seventy I've miles, in elepei
hours, we believe exceeds anything Of ,h
+ kind in human enduraute, on record. Very
few of the fee,est race orses could equal II
The following relailbais literally true
Maj John Doughenys ihe kenluckian men
toned, is still living, Il Clay county, Mis-
souri,, which he has repI'senied3in The Leg
isulure, besides having a|ied he impor,an
post Of Indian agent - was lamous il
his youth, among the I|f|e and nlpunlaih
men as hunter Of exls fdInafy skiIIapd
endurance. :.
In the year 1919, lhe B oi|Ii Es,. Con.
pany had post just beId Council Bluffs
named Forl Lisa, after q geDilemnn wht
established ii. There was much compet
lion in The trade, al that lijne, and il was {
grand point 10 select The best men for run.
ners. Mr.. Lisa had wiIhhim Kenuckian
named Doughery, a fue young fellow with
a frame Of iron, The speed Of the ostrich
and The endurance Of tbe camel. lie was
fortunate moreover in Fhe retention of 0
halfbreed, called Nal Bguf, who notwlh-
standing his name (bad been was considered
Of hardly less merit lhanpougherly, and be.
tween the Two men, Consequently, a keen
rivalry existed. DoughegIy, had travelled or
foot from the Blackbird HIls to For Lisa, a
dislance Of ninety mtleSiin thirteen hours.
Nal B@ul also boasted some Astonishing
feats Of 'bouom, and both were stationed
at the fort during the tiple that we speak of
for the purpose Of supplying venison.
One evening in July, The weather ex.
tremeIy warm, the grasshlgh, and The pos
furnished with meat, Il two were playing
al cards when their employer came up, re.
preached them with their negligence, and
ordered them to start. Tie first thing in the
morning, on u hunt.
Obedience was promiSed, of course, but
the game continued eac1 moment growing
more desperate, the spiiH Of rivalry perva.
ding their hears in eystylhing, ill finally
morning broke. and lhehalr-breed declared
him self 10 be broken. They fell asleep on
the spot, and The sun asweII up, when Mr.
Lisa, Informed of The case, again approach.
ed,-in no pleasant haiaor. ii may be sup
posed-cursed, sacred and cardhoo'd, until
The delnquenls fully afoased, and Itile a.
shamed, took their guns md starred for Pa
ipillion Greek, oli~ he edge of the prarie,
abou. five miles off. Theglhere discovered
gang OF elk, when ,he Kentuckian sugges-
ted plan Of approacbs whleb would enable
them 70 get a good sass ire shaif .hrsea' !.
TrunKrrng N ms eSsssf diumph the
night previous, observed sulkily:
81 don't kill elk with my gun bu. with my
knDe."
The pluck Of the other was reused in an
instant. rightly interpreting the vaunl as q
challenge 10 trial speed and bouom, and
on his saying, proudly, that what his com,
panion could do, he could do also, both
hung their guns in tree, and approaching
the herd they suddenly raised the Indian
yell, which has most paralyzing effect up
on animals. Off ihe creatures went across
a low prafia, few miles in width, leaving
their pursuers lar behind but steadily the
after continued their pace, nevertheless
They reached The bluf--Osccnding-cross
ed Observation-Disclosures resolve uppermosl in
their minds, never 10 say fail League
after league The chase and race continued
The men painting like hounds, cooling then
mouths in crossing an occasional branch,
BY throwing up the wafer with their palms
but still unpausing, until approaching Elk
Horn river, distance Of twenty miles, by
mutual agreement they took circuit with
an increase of speed, got ahead of tie elk
and actually prevented them from crossing
: Leagues and leagues,upOn a new track tht
chase continued, the animals by this lime 81
exhausted by heat, thirst, and above all
, fright, for the hunters had necessarily sen
forth their wells, in this as much as scream
Of mutt al defiance, as an arIi6ce OF TIT
+ chase-lhat they scarcely exceeded their pur
suers in speed the latter, loaming and mad
! dened with excitement, redoubled their ell
= forls, until The elk reaching prarie pond
: or sink the hunters al their heels, plunge
: desperately in, lay down, and abantone
e themselves, Needless of all else. 10 the graf
fcalion of their thirst. The frantic rivals
knife in hand, dashed in a(ter their prey an
u began the work Of slanghler, pausing not Ii
e they had butchered sixteen elk, dragge
=, them from the water, and cut up an
ST prepared The meat for transportation 10 tn
fort. whittier they had 10 return for horse
Had The race ended No! for victory {
death, was the inward determination; ar
as yet, neither had given away. Off dashe
3 again the indomilobe halC.breed. and,
IS his side, The unyielding Kenluckian. Rids
Q, and hollow, stream and limber-no yellir
a nOw,-and in desperate silence, were lc
= behind. The sun was sinking: blind sta
;" gering, on they went; they reached The fol
y hOgard, wild, and voiceless as from The fir
ar Of The savage, the 'gaunlels' Of fiends.
10 crowd gathered round the exhausted me
"a who had arrived together, and now lay fair
y, - ing, still side by side, q long time, be(o
y they were enabled by signs and whispers,
or tell that they had run down sixteen elk, al
et yet couldn't say which was the best man.
Il. This feat brought upon Dougherly an
,w lecton Of the lungs; nor did he recover |
Nv =" strength for several years. He is still ali
20 aquiel and influential citizen. Nal Ba
th became very dissipated, and died in sh,
28 Time. Our Informant tells us, that he ma
es an examination Of The country forming tn
race track, himself, and that they withc
exageration,mu have run sepenty. .fue mi
between The hours Of eight A. M, and Sc
n, en- P. M.