New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1884-02-13
A Ride On An Elk's Back.
!. II. Marden, better known

j. II. Marden, better known as
t'Buckhorn Joe, arrived in the city
yesterday with a wagon load of game,
shot in Bear Greek canon and vicinity.
Joe resides few miles from Morrison,
near the junction OF Bear Creek and
Turkey Greek canons.
Il tell you that elk was whopper,"
said Mr.. Marden to NeaUs reporter
who was inspecting the load, '.and he
gave me such q ride as hope never to
enjoy again.
elbow was that?' asked the reporter.
swell, you see, it was last Monday,
and was up Turkey creek canon on
the lookout for game. saw fresh
signs of elk and climbed up a rock to
take look around. had to be awful
quiet about it, though, SOS not to skeer
the game. The rock I cium wasn't
above thirty foot high, and I caiker-
lated there wouldn't be much danger of
their getting sight first. got up to
the top and looked around long enough
to satisfy me there wasn't anything in
sight. Then I started to 60 down on
the other side. 1t was very steep on
that side, and reached out and caught
the limbs of a big spruce tree that
stood up against the side Of the rock. l
hadn't scarcely more than done this
when my feet slipped from under me
and swung out off the rock. MY
weight was too much for the limbs I
had mold of, and went down almost
as thought was lead, taking the limbs
with me, although they didn't prove to
be of any use that l could discover in
what happened afterwards. I didn't
have much time to think while going
down off that rock, but had an idea
that was in for some cracked bones.
l didn't strike ground, though, and
now, come to think it over, wish I
had. You see that elk with the seven
prong horns was hiding under the
shade of the spruce tree, and I fell
square on his shoulders.
Il guess it would be hard to tell who
was skecrt the worst, me or the elk.
The elk started as though he had been
shot, and this saved me the trouble of
doing anything of the kind, for he set
back his head and brought them big
horns OF his right square down on my
legs and held me there as fast as if 1
had been glued to his back. The wits
seemed skcert out of that elk. He did
not seem to care where he went or
wehre l wanted him to 90. Turkey
creek canon seemed to please him we'll
enough for little while or until some
dogs got after him. He didn't seem to
have any regard for his safety, and APP
peared to be only looking for danger
Gus places to run along. was not
afraid for the elk, but when he skirted
along the edge of a precipice, at times,
where the fall would be from three to
five hundred feet, l was somewhat
afraid that the consumed elk would
loosen the grip of his horns on my legs.
Onct when he was a tearing along the
edge of gorge where could look
down as I hung over and see my face
in the creek. fully five hundred feet be-
low, thought could feel the grip of
his horn relaxing on my left leg, and I
thought it was all up with me. But he
held right on and in few minutes he
was tearin' through the trees. That's
where got scratched up in this way.
suppose that would have been knock
ed to pieces only for the way them big
horns lay over me-
''How did you escaped"
''Weil, you see, as we come down
Bear creek canon after q run of about
twenty m les in this canon we almost
run over my 14-year-boy there, who
was out hunting, and as quick as
flash he sent a bullet through the heart
of the elk. Then we stopped. I've
reckoned it up and if that elk and I
went q foot we went forty-tive miles, -
Mr. Marden bore MANY evidences 1T
the hardship which he had undergone,
his face and hands being literally fay
ed.-Denvcr AcWs.