The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-12-17
Killed by a Mustang.


It was clear moonlight night when,
after hard days "drive, and the herd
of wild horses had been penned, the cow
boys stripped their tired ponies of sad
dies and brides, and staked them out to
Craze on the thick mesquit grass which
fringed the grass of the San Bernardo.
After duty had been attended to, the
cooking utensils were brought forth, and
soon the coffee-pet was singing, a musical
little song, and leg of fresh ca1f-r1bs
spluttering before the fire. The repast,
though rough, was made enjoyable by an
appetite which only violent exercise and
pure air can give, and after the boys had
eaten until it became necessary to un-
buckle their six shooter belts, blankets
were spread under the branches of live
eak, which seemed to stand guard over
the broad expanse of prairie, end they
settled down for quiet smoke.
ST tell you what, boys" said Ned Cur
tis. who was one of the hardest riders
and best poker players west of the
Brazos, as he lit cigarette, 1--WE are go
ing to handle some pretty rough mus
tangs tomorrow, and if any of you fell
lows want to show your fancy riding you
had better be fixing your hank-girts and
rolls, because there are some branded
four-year-olds in that bunch that are go
going to make you hum like churn-
dasher, and you'll have to fork 'em deep
to stay in the saddle. There is one in
the pen that is o perfect picture of the
mustang mare that sent Bill Hall to the
angela -,
States ?" inquired one of the boys, turn
ing over on his blankets.
Eyes" replied Ned, che was long,
tow-headed chap, greener than an August
persimmon, with legs shaped like pair
of hams"
"How did he happen to get killed,
Ned i? Did the mare firt with him lit
tie too strong ?'
eyes, that was the way of it. You see,
he had just come from Georgy, and had
never been on the back1of q wild horse
before in his life, but he was spunky
with all of that, and wasn't scared of
ANYTHING. One day while driving out
in Nueces county we made round up of
all the horses in the range, and after
cutting out all that were in the 'dla-
mond p brand, the boys began throwing
some down and riding 'em, just to see the
wild devils buck
"Well, Bill Hall took darn fool no.
ton to ride one himself, and he picked
out little Roman -nosed mustang mare,
pure Spanish and wilder than a cayote,
and got some of the boys to help throw
her down, because he didn't know any
more about handling lariat than he did
about running prayer meeting.
'tWhen the saddle had been strapped
on her, and Bill forked it, she was turned
loose, and the crowd stood back to see
the fun. Well, sir, that plug raised her
af
times, and then she lit into the prettiest
bucking ever looked at. Stick to her,
Bill!' I yelled, but the only thing ne
could say was, Whoa! stop her, boys;
dafn her old hide
ssWhile he had his knees gripped to
her sides like vice, and his hair stand
ing like brush heap, the mustang
stretched herself out like step-ladder,
put her head between her front legs, and
then, bringing herself together like rat
trap. she slammed Bill Hall against the
ground harder thrn ever heard fell
low hit before. When we picked him up
one ear was iammed around to the back
of his neck, and, from the look on his
face, we knew he wasn't long for this
world He fingered for a day or two,
and we did all we could to ease his pain,
but one morning he motioned for us to
come to him, and as knelt beside his
couch, and took his hand in mine, he
said: Boys, Tn going to pass in my
checks, but amt going to shiver about
it, even if I do die away out on the
prairie, with no one but few friends
around me. I'll have big, broad bed
to rest tn, and if some day you ride by
my grave won't you get down and think
of me awhile?'"
"Well, sir, the boys the ornary cussQs
were crying like women, and felt ter
ribly shaken myself, but we all promised
that we would, and then he raised him.
self little and in faint voice said:
Ned, want you to write to my mother
and tell her wasn't very dutiful son,
but I loved her just the same
Ned, he muttered, SO faint could
hardly hear him, don't tell my folks
when you write that was slid into
heaven by mustang, and with that he
fell back, his grasp on my hand relaxed,
and Bill Hall was on this earth no more,
and when I thought how his mother
would grieve it made me feel weak in the
knees.
"We buried him, and Jack Jones, who
is something of scholar, because he
had chance to go to school down in
Bay Prairie, wrote on the headboard of
the grave:
ssWILLIAM HALL
Gat q EATT.