Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-10-28
KILLED BY A MUSTANG.
A Tale Told in a Texas Cow Boys
Camp.

IL w do q SACui AAOOhflS = III HiS III
when, after a hard days "drive,' .
and the herd of wild horses had
been penned, that the cowboys
stripped their tired ponies of
saddles and brides, and staked
them out to Craze on the thick
mesquit grass which fringed the
bank of the San Bernado.
After this duty had been at
tended to, the cooking utensils
were brought forth and soon the
coffee-pot was singing musical
little song, and a leg of fresh
calf ribs spiuttering before the
fire. The repast, though rough,
was made enjoyable by an ap-
petite which only violent exer-
else and pure air can give, and
after the boys had eaten until it
became necessary to unbuckle
their six-shooter belts, blankets
were spread under the branches
of a gigantic live-oak, which
seemed to stand guard over the
broad expanse of prairie, and
they settled down for a quiet
smoke.
81 tell you what, boys" said
Ned Curtis who was one of the
hardest riders and best poker
players west Of the Brazos, as he
lit a cigarette, "we are going to
handle some pretty rough mus
tangs tomorrow, and if amy of
you fellows want to show your
fancy riding you had better be
fixing your fank-girts and rolls,
be cause there are some unbran-
ded four-year-olds in that bunch
that are going to make you hum
like a churn-dasher, and you'll
have to fork 'em deep to stay
in the saddle. There is one in
the pen that is a perfect picture
of the mustang mare that sent
Bill Hall to the angels"
"Wasn't he some galoot from
the old States?" inquired one Of
the boys, turning over on his
blanket.
Yes replied Ned, she was
a long tow-headed chap, greener
than an August persimmon,an
with legs on him shaped like a
pair of names"
GLOW did he happen to get
killed Ned? Did the mare firt
him a little too strongW
eyes, that was the way of it.
You see he had just come from
Georgy, and had never been Oh
the back of a wild horse before
in his life, but ne was. spinky
with all that, and wasn't scared
of anything. One day while
driving out in Nueces county,
we made Ground up" of all the
horses in the range, and after
out" all that were in
the "diamond p" brand the boys |
began throwing some down and
riding 'em, just to see the wild
devils buck
"Well, Bill Hall took a darn
fool notion to ride one himself,
and he picked out little Ro-
mustang mare, pure
Spanish, and as wild as a cay
ote, and got some of the boys
to help him throw her down, be-
cause he didn't know any more
about handling a lariat than he
did about runnin' prayer meet
ing.
''When the saddle had been
to her and Bill forked
it, she was turned loose, and the
crowd stood back to see the fun. |
Well, sir, that plug raised her
head, looked back, beloved once
or twice, and then she lit into
the prettiest bucking that l ever
looked at. Stick 10 her, Bill
[ yelled, but the only thing he
could say was whoa! stop her
boys, darn her old hidev
"While he had his knees grip
ped to her like a wise, and his
hair all standing up like n brush
heap, the mustang mare stretch
ing herself out like a step-lad-
der, put her head down between
her front legs, and then bring
ing herself together Ike a rat
trap, she slammed Bill Hall a.
gainst the ground harder than
ever heard a fellow hit before.
When We picked him up one
ear was jammed around to the
back of his neck, and, from the
the look on his face, we knew
that he wasn't long for this
world. lie fingered for a day
or two, and We did all that we
could to ease his pain, but one
morning he motioned us to come
to him, and as | knelt beside his
couch and took his hand in mine
he said: Boys, | am going to
pass in my checks, but | amt
going to shiver about it, even
If / do die way out on a prairie,
with no one but a few friends a.
round me. I'll have a big bed