The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-05-05
4esrriptire Artirles.
WILD WESTERN SCENES.
Thrilling Adventure of an Old Texas Ranger.
Fighting the Misunderstanding the Buf-
falO and the Antelope.

A correspondent Of the Philadelphia
Times, contributes the following to late
number of that paper:
Colorado city, a bustling, go-ahead town
of three thousand inhabitants, with bank.
newspaper, good schools, churches, thea
tire, race course, brick store, dance hall
hotels and the full complement of saloons
and gambling rooms, is at the foot of the
Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain, on the
line of the Texas Pacific Railroad. Two
years ago there was one tent saloon here
There is rich stock country around Col
orado and it is likely to be city of some
Importance two years hence.
The Llano Estacado is far from being
the arid desert | was taught to believe 1t
in my school boy days. 1t is covered with
a thick growth of buffalo, mesquite and
grommia grass, and you can get water al
most anywhere by digging few feet into
the ground In the old overland days
Buffalo chips" for fuel were to be found
in abundance. Since the advent of the
railroad the buffalo have been driven away
and the ''chips'' have rotted. There are
plenty of mesquite roots everywhere, how
ever, as large as trees and they make very
hot fire. The buffalo were slaughtered
here by the thousands, and when the rail
road first opened up the countrymen made
fortunes by gathering up the bleaching
bones and disposing Of them for fertilizing
purposes There are very few buffalo on
the Staked Plain now. Great herds OF
antelopes have taken their place and hunt
ing them for the market is profitable oc-
cupation. The hunters receive S. per head
for the animals at any of the stations along
the road. A good outfit of experienced
hunters-two men-will kill from ten to
thirty antelope per week.
[ spent two weeks at one of these an.
telope camps in company with a range,
friend of mine wel[known along the from
tier, by name-well, he is usually called
''Mad Milton" which nom de guerre was
given him because of certain recklessness
of disposition and impetuousness of temper
which makes him dangerous man to Of
fend. He is splendid friend, however
intelligent, cultured, gentlemanly and lead:
the wild life of a frontiersman from choice
As we rode across the rolling plain ''Mad
Milton regaled me with choice bits ot
frontier lore. in which Indian fights, hunt
ing scouts and adventures with desperadoe'
and outlaws were about equally proper
toned.
"By the way said my friend, "if yor
are interested in stories of this sort you Cal
get your surfeit in the next two weeks
The head of this hunting outfit is an olt
frontiersman and Indian fighter. range'
with him several years. He is a curious
character, [ assure you."
The next day we reached the camp o
the antelope hunters at Wards Wells
which is a watering place one hundred ant
fifty miles west of the Colorado river. W.
were Hospitality received and "Mad Mil
ton" introduced me. On the morrow the
intended to start out on a hunt and W
were glad to accompany them. They stall
the antelope on foot, and when one is kille
it is disembowled and thrown into ligh
wagon which follows the hunters. Whe
the wagon is loaded they drive to the neal
est point on the railroad and ship the pre-
duct of their rifles to the northern market:
I had heard about numerous herds Q
antelope. | saw them on that trip. Bun
ches numbering from thirty to three thou
sand were constantly passing US, and be
fore three o'clock the first day we kille'
twelve fine antelope. 1t is exhialratin
sport and 1 enjoyed it hugely. The pas
sing of trains and the screech of the loco
motive only excites the curiosity of thes
timid animals, and when the cars dart b
their feeding ground they rush forward i
a confused group to see what it all means
The slender foot passengers take advar
tage of their fright and bang away at thel
with their little toy pistols, which yer
rarely, it must be confessed, hit the objec