The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-03-02


of one and the nigh hind wheel of the
other was not over a foot, the space
between the tongues was six or eight.
The sky was black as / rushed out of
the tent, and all the camp fires had
burned low. l flung my clothes into
one of the wagons, and then hurried
back and got weapons and some other
articles, and during this time the
heavens seemed afame and the earth
fairly rocked.
Men were shouting, horses neighing,
and the din was awful. but as REACHED
the wagon the second time there came
steady roar like the rush of great
waves, and it grew louder all the time.
/ could not understand it for two or
three minutes. The noise came from
the west, and I stood upon the wagon
so that could overlook the tents. A
flash of lightning was followed by a
moment of pitch darkness, and then
came a long, tremulous flash, lasting
three or four seconds. By its light I
caught sight of the herd of wild horses
bearing down upon us in mad mob,
and just as the lightning ceased they
entered the stream.
The splash of the waters had the
sound of breakers, and though !
shouted warning at the top of my
voice no one could have heard
me twenty feet away. Next moment
that terror-stricken herd was in camp,
while the clouds opened and the rain
came down in torrents. I scrambled
back into the wagon, and what [ saw
during the next ten minutes can never
be forgotten. The frightened horses
leaped over the tents, or ran against
them, fell over guy ropes. bumped
against the wagons, and made clean
leaps over the ambulances, and all the
time each one kept up wild neighing.
| heard our own animals plunging and
rearing and neighing, but knew that
we were helpless to prevent the STAN
pede.
AS the first of the herd got through
our camp to the wagons, two of them
entered the V-shaped space, and 9TH
ers kept them crowded in there. The
lightning was flashing and the thun-
der roaring again, and the poor beasts
were appalled, at the situation. There
were four or five lassoes and a dozen
spare lariats in my wagon, and when
I saw that the entrapped horses were
making no move to get out I picked
up a noosed rope, lifted the side cover
of the wagon, and had the moose over
the head of one in three seconds. The
one behind him tried to turn when l
sought to moose him, but hit his heels
aga nst something and twisted back
toward me until my hand touched his
nose as I slipped the moose over. Then
I made the other ends fast, got out
the lassoes, and, standing on the front
of the wagon, I noosed three horses
inside of five minutes. 1t was no trick
at all, for they were pressed right up to
the wagon by the weight of those be-
hind, and the awful war of the ele-
ments tanned them.
The herd was ten minutes working
through the camp, and as they cleared
it they took away every horse and
mule that we had. Every tent was
Frustrated, much of our provisions and
ammunition destroyed, and one ambu-
lance smashed to pieces. One man
was killed and three were injured by
the rush of horses. As an offset a
wagner had lassoed two, I had five,
and two more had hobbled themselves
with tent ropes. In the course of a
day we got all our animals back but
one old mule, and managed to repair
damages. Our captives were the
finest wild horses ever seen on the
plains. My lot included three stations,
and I sold one of them right there
with the moose around his neck for
two hundred dollars The others I
kept until our return to Texas, tamin g
them little every day, and then got
one thousand dollars for the four.
The span of stations went to st. Louis
after bit, and one of them proved
himself the fastest trotter of that dec
ade. N. Y San.