River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-11-22

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up he swept over the prairie with the
soldier held almost perpendicularly before
him. He was out of range before any
body could pick up gun. There were a
dozen or fifteen horses at the post, and in
five minutes as many men had mounted
them and were galloping away in pur-
suit.
White Devil and his victim had disap-
peared over swell about mile from
the fort As the horsemen reached the
crest they found the dead body of their
companion on the grass, bitten and
stamped and kneaded to a bloody mass.
The horse stood facing them, forty rods
away, as if he had waited for them TO
come up. AS the remains were being con-
veyed TO the fort several hunters came in
and in a short time force of twenty
mounted men left the gates to try and
effect the capture of the vicious animal.
The men had lassoes, hobbies and ropes,
and the instructions were to drive the
horse from the nelghborhood if he could
not be captured. He stood on the ridge
and looked down upon tle band as it left
the fort. The four lasso-throwers rode
directly at him, while the rest of the men
separated and rode to cut off retreat by
way of the mountain.
When the first horseman was within a
hundred feet, White Devil, who had been
standing like block of stone, threw up
| his head and started off at sharp trot.
Ten rods beyond the first ridge was a
second with little green valley between.
Ridges and valleys ran straight away to
| the west for twenty miles, and as the
horse headed that way one of the hunters
sail:
The beast is in for long race. lie will
go down to the end of this valley, turn to
the left, and before noon he will be back
| here, return on the fort side of this first
ridge. Three of US will push ham along
as fast as we can to the end of the valley
| The rest of you drop out in squads here
and there and race him as he comes back.
Let three or four men halt right here to
give him last push"
The wild horse courted pursuit. Half a
mile away he was racing up and down,
throwing his heels into the air, snorting,
and paving the sod in his impotence to
be off. With hoop and yell, three
lasso-throwers started in pursuit. They
were almost near enough for throw
when the horse headed away at a trot
| They could not gain an inch, though they
had three of the best mustangs in the Ter
ritory, and the animals were pushed to tho
top of their speed. Head up, name roll
| ING back over his shoulders like wave
of foam, and his massive tail streaming
out like a flag, the White Devil lifted his
| feet and put them down as steady as
clockwork. While they were doing their
best, they could see that he was not using
all his power. They kept up continual
yelling for the first five miles, hoping to
to break his pace, but neither shouts nor
the reports of rifles lost him step.
| In seventy minutes the White Devil
was at the end of the valley, fresh as a
daisy, while the mustangs, half mile
behind, were reeking and blown. He
waited for them to come up, and then
turned to the left, struck pace, and
swept away at such gait that he was
soon out of sight. Ten miles to the east
was the first squad of men. They sight
ed him mile away, and were all ready
for pursuit Coming straight ahead, with
the grass almost smoking under his feet,
the wild charger passed them not. more
than a hundred feet away. He laid back
his ears at their yell, but went straight
ahead at his laundering pace. In ten
minutes the men could hardly see him.
| A second and third squad were treated
| in the same manner, and as the last one
was reached White Devil changed his
| pace to gallop, threw up his heels, and
| headed for the range. He was soon out
/ of sight, and the chase was abandoned.
> fr,hH GtPnn0p
/ horse looked down from the ridge again,
| and by and by walked down to within
pistol shot of the fort. A band OF sixty
] friendly Indians, on hunt, had halted
at the fort the night previous, and were
anxious to organize new chase. More
than eighty well mounted pursuers were
| ready soon after breakfast. Some rode
to cut off retreat to the range, ana Others
galloped down the valley. An hoIr af-
ter tney were out of sight the main body
made dash for the horse, which had
been grazing for the last half hour. He
took the valley as before, and men drop
ped out at every mile to push him as he
returned.
White Devil was pushed faster than be
fore, but he would neither break his trot
nor let a horseman get within 100 feet Of
him. The Indians who had gone on ahead
were expecting him to turn to the left, as
before, but the wild horse kept straight
1 ahead as he reached the mouth of the val
lev. He ran out on the prairie for twenty
miles, firing out every horse in pursuit
and then wheeled and returned over hi:
route ofthe previous day. Men were wait
| ing for him, but he scarcely appeared be
fore he was out of sight. He was pacing
and trotting by turns, and not until he hac
reached the end of that eighty-mile chase
did he break into run. When near the
fort he crossed the ridge, shook off the las
pursuer, and entered dark canon in the
mountains. The Indians traced him unit
the canon split into three or four rocky
defiles, and then they camped down witt
the determination to wait till hunger ano
thirst should drive the fugitive out. Dark
ness came, midnight came, and the watch
ers had heard nothing.
With the soft tread of wolf almost,
foe stole upon the Indians sleeping undel
the walls of the fort. Stepl step, step
and white object stood within ten fee
of the first sleeper and peered this wa.
and that. 1t was White Devil! The rec
men were still waiting in the dark canon
but the horse had emerged from the rang
by some detile known and used before.
| The sentinel at the gate heard shril
neigh, saw the smoldering brands OF tn
dying campfTes flung high in the air, AM
next moment the Indians were yelling
and screaming in alright. Back AM
forth charged the horse, striking, kicking
and uttering wild neighs, and he did no
disappear until the roll of the drum call
ed the soldiers TO arms.
The Indians had suffered such damage
that they were determined to kill th
strange tormentor as soon as daylight
came, though his life had hitherto beel