Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-02-22
THE PHANTOM SIZED
Of the Prairies-. Adventures With
a Wild Racer
That Was Many Times Takea Only TO es-
cape---0nce Captured by a His
tOric Mule Known as "Abe
tiReoin."

good deal Of romanGe attached to his his
tory, much OF which [ suppose was pure fc-
ton. Such a horse, however, did exist, aud
he was often seen on the plains, and in the
canyons, and gazing down at the passer by
from the mountain tops. At midnight often
a horse was seen flying By the lonely camps
on the prairie, aud the Indians declared they
had been startled out of their sleep by the
shrill neigh or the Gathering hoofs of the
phantom horse" as they called him. The
Cheyenne Indians had stolen him in Kansas,
where he had been q noted race horse, and
the Sioux had in turn stolen him from the
Cheyennes, who sold him to the Utes, and
in a great battle near UtItIh mountains the
Snake Indians had captured him from the
Utes. He had escaped from the Snakes, and
tor q long time remained Wild on the ~prairies,
bat finally a Mr.. Gallagher and a party Of
hunters had succeeded in capturing him
and took him to the Salt Lake settlements
but he had escaped, took to the mountains,
and finally drifted back to his old pastures
on the Wind river. All efforts TO rccapture
him were in vain, and when | arrived or the
Wind river he had been h. large sone four
wears. / knew Mr.. Gallagher well and wrote
him about the horse. He replied there was
such a horse, and for a time he had been in
his possession. Mr. Gallsgher's letter re-
vived all interest in the mysterious horse,
and | determined, if possible, TO capture
him 1T the earliest opportunity. The Snake
Indians, who inhabited that region, did NOT
ike to talk about him, and believed he was
possessed of an evil spirit. They freely ad
mittcd often seeing him, but would not help
TO catch him or have anything to do With
him.
Thus ran the legend of the wild horse Or
the phantom Stced of the Wind River noun
tains, as he was frequently called.
| gave strict instructions 10 all hunting
parties, scouts and trappers, to look out tOr
ne Wild horse and if they saw him 10 let me
know. Once word came that he was at
Buffalo Bull lake, sixty miles away, and !
sent ~ parts of A-rapshoe Indians and
scouts to capture him. After days OF watch
ing
They Finally II,ss0ed HIN
and thought him TO their camp. For days
thew beat. chokCd and starved him. bat hit
Grave spirit seemed un~conquerablc. His
legs were tied with ropes, and the Indian
resorted to all their known skillin horscman.
ship 10 break and conquer him. At last
one ambitious Indian youth announced he
| could ride him, and the ropes were taken OF
The Indian mounted the wild horse and
| both disappeared into the hills. In the even
ING the Indian returned to the camp tooSore
| and bruised, and announced that the horse
had thIogu him and escaped into the noun
taias. That was the last seen OF BIN tor
! pesri7 three months, when a trapper on Big
Wind river said he saw a horse With al H.
dim saddle on and q rope tied to the under
| Jaw Grazing on the river bottom, aud he at
tempted to approach him, but he fled into
| the bills ike the wind. The ArrapahOcs no
| sooner heard of this than they set out for he
Big Wind river, determined TO capture aad
| bring MIN in. | will here say the Arrapa-
hoes did not share the superstition o! their
| neighjors, the Snakes. in believing the
morse had supernatural powers, or was
possessed of g bad spirit. They simply re
| gsrdCd him as a horse and were anxious to
have the honor ef being his captors.
In a few DAYS | heard the Arrapahoe
chief had succeeded in finding where the
horse Uatcred. and skillfully spreading hiS
lsriat on some bushes had succeeded IN
catching him. lie Was tied 10 Il tree, and ]
sent "a wagon and some soldiers to help bring
him in. Chained to the wagon he war
| started Tor camp, but had only gone five
miles when he broke the chain in twain and
| once more led to the hills, dcfyIng all pur'
suit.
TIE wild horse was not again heard Of for
nearly three months, when one morning,
iust after breakfast in midsummer, a senti-
I-uel out post reported a horse on o bluff
| overlooking the camp, and on q closer in
.pec,ion with glasses we saw it was the veri,
able wild horse with the chain still about
his rcck. He,seemcd greatly excited,
Kept GaIIoplnG Up and Down
he bluff with head and tail erect, steadily
looking at our horse and mule herd, which
vas quietly grazing in the valley, | gave
orders to the soldiers not 10 disturb the horse
or apparently to notice him, but sent word
TO the hcrders to move the herd gently TO.
ward the bluff, keeping well in the back,
ground themselves. The horse presently
descended the bluffs and approached the
herd. but suddenly taking alarm, crossed
the valley and went up the opposite hills.
As il charmed by the presence OF his oWn
kind, he recrossed the valley and assumed
his old position on the bluffs. Being reas'
snred be came down, and for a minute
Joined the mule herd. Then running round
and round he worked toward the horses aud
mares. As long as he would run | let him
90, but seeing that he was settling down TO
capture our mares, / started him out on the
hills once more. Part Of the herd was now
| driven in. a cavalry company and some
team mules saddled up, and we waited fo'
DEVELOPMENTS. We could see the long chsin
about his neck dangling between his fore
legs and apparently ttreshing them at every
step. In about an hour the horse, seemingly
exhausted, came down from the hills and
entered the herd with the mares. | now
ordered the men in txos. threes and sixes
TO seize the passes leading to The hills and
to picket the bluffs. Then began e chase
the lie Of which | had never secn before
| had sent out troopers to sl the passes aud
| divided up a company into squads OF six
and eight, with orders to relieve each other
as fast as their horses became blown. The
pursuing party started the horse, and he
made straight for the bills. where he was
turned back aud driven across the valley
again. Go where he might soldiers from
every canyon and on every hillside emerged
| With lariAts, ready to lsssO him. Lake most
animals when closely pursued, the horse ran
almost in s circle, and soon made no effort
70 enter the hills. HIS only anxiety seemed
to be to escape the immediate presence Of
bis p~ursuerS who gradually closed in on
him. At first he
Easuy 0utran the swiftest Horses.