Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1892-01-07
A SPECTRAL CATTLE n,r.-
On 1t Comes. With = Dull. IT,.
Souhl, ssA

SCUM, Thuaass.,.
Said an ex-cow-boy recently :.
sat drea ming Of the past. Is he
the old stockmen OF Weston, among
and Northwestern Texas thor !, Aansal
dition which accounts for - ia
strange phenomenon on the Arl, very
river. As all very we'll know . !.
cattle drives have gone forevs ae Old
the cowboy is fast becoming AZ aad
ure OF the past. Twenty year a.. y. y
over 500. 900 cattle came Owe, :, aso
wide trails leading from Ts~. .no's
across the Arkansas river uass Up
Gibson. This year not a drivs " ~. u
place over the old paths. ''tss
along the old Shawnee
which ran eastward from the Rcd s !.
er and crossed the Arkansas NJ, ~ !.
from Fort Gibson the grass ia pr rOs Ia
ly covering tho ground which m a.uat
SO many years beaten hard and - 'o'
by thousands Of hoofs that went a.. vafs
over the drive every fall but Will; a0os
owner can be found who claim ~ -
herd. and no drivers desiona,as we
having it in charge there is said ~
mysterious drive OF stampedsa !" ~! 70
tie at the Arkansas ford every tsu ,
even yet 'a''
Some say 1t is the 9TH of Sen,o,
Der Of each year. and some assert ~
it is the 25th; but while there ;aas
slight disagreement as to tho A..
there is no difference OF opinion A. :,
the other facts.
'On the night designated in s.,
TENDER Of each year a listener At y.
old Arkansas crossing can hear n.
low, dull, laundering sound Of rush,..
cattle far In the distance provirs
nearer aud nearer. becoming louds.
and louder. till he can scarcely hs..
himself think. 1t is supposed to h
the lost herd the fate of which h..
been wrapped in mystery since II la,t
the Red river with its drivers in ls7l
have known two men who claim n
have heard and seen this spect,sI
drive. and their description Of II i
exactly the same.
'On it comes with this dull, thuD,
dering sound. till it gets near enouch
for you to hear the cowboy singing
his monotonOus dirge as he tries 10
turn the host into a swiftly reyolyiu,
circle. On it still comes never ceas.
ing, and the humdrum chanting Of tina
cowboy. and the continuous swinging
of his lash. and the quick springing Of
his wonderfully quick witted horse
can not one nor all. stop nor turn
them.
'On comes this immense host to The
banks OF the Arkansas, with its wide
sandy bed. and Its treacherous waters
Into the water rush these thou
sands of wild-eyed. frightened cres
lures, and then the watcher sees for
the first time that there are only two
cowboys In charge OF this maddeued
crowd Of brutes. Into the wide river
they 60 and the two heroes-one
beardless boy and the other but little
older-are swimming. one on each
side OF the herd. right with the front
ranks.
Presently the young boy goes un.
der. and with the cry. Save yourself
Albert! Quicksands!' he is swallowed
up. The warning ia useless In .
few minutes the wide. rushing river.
which carried on its bosom thousands
OF horned heads and two brave riders
with their steeds flows on swiftly
TO the sea, with not living creature
between its treacherOus banks
'And this is repeated every year
and has been for scora OF years nov
gone by.
What is the explanation? 1t has
none. The oldest cowboys in the
service will tell you of herd that
mysteriously disappeared in 1871 after
IL left the Red river on the old Shaw.
nee trail and every body knows this
Is true. There was jealousy among
the cowboys. and some say that 4
stampede was started by one faction
In hopes that two brothers Albert and
Willie would be killed in trying TO
check 1t, and that they were lost 10
the Arkansas. while the conspirato's
went to South America. And they
add that this spectral drive is their
temperance from the dead each year.
But you don't believe in ghosts %
VOu1f -CslOh,- no,nocrat