The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-03-04
CATCHING A WILD HORSE
Thrilling Experience In
Northern WYOMING.

A Thrilling Experience In
Northern Wyoming.
When | was stationed up in the
Wind river valley, Wyoming ter
ritory, l had most exciting ex.
perience with a wild horse, writes
Gen. James Brisbin iu the Horse
man. ! had often heard of this
horse, and there was a good deal Of
romance attached to his history,
muchOf which, l suppose, was pure
fiction. Such a horse, however, did
exist, mud he was often seen on the
plains, in the canyons, and gazing
down at the passers by from the
mountain tops. Az midnight Of.
ten a horse was seen flying by
the lonely camps on the prairies,
and the Indians declea,ed they had
been scared out of their sleep by
the neighbOr clattering hoofs ofthe
"phantom horse" as they called
him. The Cheyenne Indians had
stolen himin Kansas, " here he had
been a noted race horse, and the
Sioux had in turn stolen him from
the Cheyennos, who sold him to the
Utes, and in a great battle near the
Uintah mountains the Snake In.
diuns had captured him from the
Utes, He escaped from the Snakes,
and for a long time remained wild
upon the prairies, but finally Mr.
Gallagher and a party of huutera
had succeeded in capturing him and
took him To Salt Lake settlements,
but ho had escaped, took 10 the
mountains, and finally drifted back
to his old pastures on the Wind
river All efforts to recapturo him
where in vain, and when l arrived
on the Wind river he had been at
largo some four years. l knew
Mr.. Gallagher we'll and wrote to
him about the horse. He replied
there was such a horse, and for a
time he had him in his possession.
Mr., Gallaghe.'s letter revived all
interest in the mysterious horse,
aud determined, il possible, to
capture him at the earliest oppor.
tunity. The snake Indians, who
inhabited that region, did not like
to talk about him and believed be
was possessed Of an evil spirit.
They freely admitted often seeing
him, bu! would not help to catch
him or have anything to do with
him.
Thus ran thelOgend of the wild
horse or the phamntom steed of the
Wind river mountains, as he was
frequently called.
Igavo strict instructions 10 all
hunting parties, scouts, and trap.
pers to look out for the wild horse,
andifthey saw him olot me know.
Once word came that he was at
Buffalo Bull lake, sixty miles away,
and 1 sent party Of Arrapahoe
Indians and scouts to capture him.
After days OF watching they finally
lassoed him and brought him to
their camp. For days they beat,
choked and starved him, but his
brave spirit seemed nnconqurer.
able. His legs were tied with
ropes, aud the Indians rosorted to
all their known skill in horseman.
ship to break and conquer him, At
last one ambitious Indian youth
announced he could ride him, and
the ropes we're taken of. The In.
dian mounted the wild horse and
both disappeared into the hills.
In the evening the Indian return.
ed to camp, foot.sOre and bruised,
aud announced that the horse had
thrown him and escaped up into
the mountains, That was the last
seen Of him for nearly three
months, when a trspper on Big
Wind river said he saw a horse
with an Indian saddle on and a
ropo tide to bis under Jaw grazing
on The river bottom, and be aL.