, 1884-11-20
WILD HORSES.
Parties Organizing for the Purpose
Of Killing Stations.
How Horse Raisers in Wyoming
Lose Valuable Stock.
One Of the Novelties of Western
Ranch Life.

Up in Northeastern Wyoming and in
Northwestern Nebraska. many bands Of
wild horses still roam as fearless and as feet
as in the days when the country was an
unexplored wilderness, a terra ~inooonito
to the white man. and inhabited only by
the Sioux. the Blackfeet and the Crow
Indians. Keen to scent the approach of
foes, feet as the antelope that may often
be seen browsing in security at their side,
and free as the winds that sweep their
prairie home, they have successfully
eluded the pursuit of cowboys and es-
capped the destruction the white mans
rife has melted out to the buffalo and the
game ofthe West.
One would naturally think that no ami.
mails that roam the plains would be less
inimical to the industries of the region
than the fugitive bands Of wild horses and
it will surprise many to learn that parties
have been organized in this city for the
express purpose Of killing the wild stall
lions.
Year by year horses are lost from the
bands in the Territory. Some Of them
are found, but when mares escape they
are lost beyond reclaim. When wander
over the plains they descrv a band of
horses grazing in some distant valley or
outlined from the summit Of some hill.
They approach the band in equine curios-
ity, and from that day they belong to no
man. The wild stations are the guardi-
ans of the bands. Always on sentinel
duty, they give the alarm when any foe of
their liberty approaches; in a moment the
~straeglers are rounded in. n feet footed
stallion leads the van and with others at
the tanks and at the rear away they go in
laundering charge. Be the cowboy
mounted ever so well no horse bearing q
burden can overtake the riderless ones,
aud so it has come about that the herds Of
wild horses have increased instead of d.
minished in numbers during the past few
years.
It bas been observed, however, that
few if any colts are to be seen among the
bands during the autumn and winter,
and one naturally wonders what becomes
of the natural and regular increase Of the
horses. The answer is simple. In the
spring and carly summer cowboys and
professional horse hunters go out well
mounted for the express purpose of catch
ing the young colts. A band Of wild
horses is located. They are watched, per-
haps for days. When a favorable oppor-
tunity is offered the men sweep down
on thsm. Unable to keen pace with
the grown horses. easily winded and not
thoroughly alive to danger, the colts
0 lag behind; a lariat suddenly Kisses
through the air with unerring aim-and
the colt is q captive. Taken 10 some
ranch tho colt is fed milk for some
time. 1t soon adapts itself to the
change in its food and readily be-
comes a pet. more affectionate and de-
pendent than those Of its kind born in
captivity. Hence the professional horse
hunters are rather pleased when recruits
are made to the wild horses through the
n-L;dh aIono nsoront ,La cantnro Of ,be
- Laooma sroo;al oh;a.,s
osL;rI as1;a;.a.;aa - no ~. &c ,ha
-
III L.. oeu.uo s,s,,;ood bv r0~;o,s
borso hroodors hos a, Iost become 90 LARGO
-. H. adon,o5 -
- - n~s H. - u~aran, enr+hor
- saoasLlo -, ~ 49, ranch of
H. po.. sit,.,ad ohout eaasn
- nou.L.-.~J as r. .;,,. ooorlT, ,uo
- $50 h. n,ndcrod .way and
r.Las--~L~-: :; ,La,,oL, c,us ono
- ,.;,L ~ iii torsos
o,LS~La~so - Laro .nForad nronor.
,;e-s,las.as anJ 80 = h.s oars aba,t th.,
orran;sod oFor, viii ho m,de ,b;s
W:|~~S..~~a... ~ o..1I;on. c.
IA oc.hora an,;u. h.nd. NOV he
.sisI aoS~ros IT, a., "a
- &c h~n,e~a IN soon 49, Co..
- W IT,. IN
- ~ Iaur Sn~ar a. ~ in 49,,
- snnnl,, of s,rsra % ,ba, ,ho;r
- 49, ~ ron "a drr;ro tha w;D,ar
noiSes may W Nc" -
The rest Is easy. Mounted upon their
granted animals the hunters will pur-
she the wild bands when thew are some
L., wo.Lonod hr ,bo r;o,rs oc W;n,ar
Riding as close as possible the hunters
will then shoot down the stations from
time to time. hy thus G 1t Is hoped