The morning call., 1892-02-01
RISKED HIS LIFE.
A Reckless Mans Ride Down the
Mountain Side.
Chicago Exchange.


Il do not want at this late day 10 take
away any Of the glory General Putnam
acquired by his famous ride in Revolutions
airy DAYS" said C. p. Chandler of Colorado
at tie Grand Pacific in Chicago; but l was
an eyewitness Of a ride out in Colorado
that was a grea, deal more daring than that
Of the brave Putnam, and the rider was not
Inspired by pursuing foes. 1t was all done
on a wager between two fellows of q reck-
less type.
From Union Dump TO Pandora Mil,
near Telluride, Colo in the great Marshall
Basin, and not far from the beautiful Bridal
Veil Falls, is a distance Of something over
two miles The dump is so far above the
mill that there is a drop Of 5000 feet III the
trail which leads down tn d.. The trail IL
hard one, and 10 accomplish journey from
the dump to the mill Was tile work Of an
hour The ore from the mine was carried to
the mill on burrows, thirty or forty OF the lit
tie elevators usually being led down at
time. a fellow who termed himself Rat
tlesuake Bin, the Terror OF Dakota was
one of the boss b8rr0-punchers around the
camp He was great bl0whard out what
he boosted Of more than anything else he
owned on earth was a COW pony by name
Get There The trail from the Union
Dump 10 Pandora was easier OF travel Tor
men than for OTutes, but Bill always sW0Te
that he and Get There could cover the dis
lance faster than any man in the mountains
He offered to bet on the proposition, and
finally found a seer tic IN the person OF one
'Lanky' johnson, who owned a saloon and
q pair OF legs which we're his pride. He
was considered the finest mountain climber
in the State. Well, 'Lanky and Bill came
10 terms r a race, Bill wagering his sum-
mer wages, his burTOs, his cabin and fix
! lures and everything else he could beg or
borrow that he could ride his pony from the
dump 10 Pandora in shorter time than
'Lauky' could 20 the same distance afoot.
'LankY' met him, and put up money
against the collateral, the stake all told
being worth a couple OF thousand dollars.
"Ihe day for the trial came. The miners
in the basin all threw down their tools,
business was suspended In Telluride, and
| everybody turned out 30 see the sport. 1t
was a perfect day away Up there in the
mountains when Bill, mounted on Get
! There and Lauky' Johnson went to the
! post for the big trial. The miners bet furi-
! Ously, at least $4,000 changing hands
| Lanky' was a hot favorite. The miners
/ knew the trail we'll They knew, or be-
! Heyed, a man could move over it as fast as
a horse and that he could take 'cut-offs' n
/ rider would not dare TO attempt But they
/ knew nothing Of the reckleSSneSS in BlPs
/ heart as Get Their bounded a way at a
/ furious pace, goaded by a black snake IN
/ the hands Of one OF Bil's friends.
Halfway down the travelling was good
| for the horse, but 'Lanky'o' hopes were
| based on the Zig-Zag' foOt-wide trail that
| led down the side Of 700-foot pTecipice.
! The hOrss led TO that point, where 'Lanky's'
/ hackers expected to see him move up with a
| squirt. A the side Of the regular trail was
draw leading TO the foot of the precipice.
! The footing was Of slide rock that was dan
| ger0us for man or brute. Another friend Of
! BilPs stood right at the edge of the DreclpiCe
! with a bullwhaCker's whip. AS horse and
! rider neared him Bill turned Get There's
! head to the draw, and thu friend whipped
| the horse, which jumped right on to the
! loose earth and stone Of the draw and
! was carried down with it to the bottom in a
twnkling. The feat was practically moth
| ing more than a drop Of 700 feet, as the
/ draw was almost peri endlcular, Out Of
| the dust at the base Of the precipice horse
and rider came unframed, resumed the
/ trail aud dashed on furiously. Lanky'
! gave up the race, but Bill didn't know 1T
| and kept on his wild ride. AT Hanging
! Lock, where another fOrty-fOOt precipice
was in font of him, he did not turn for
! the trail, but sent his pony flying into the
! timber below. Then he drove through the
/ timler TO tie mill. No trail had ever been
! made there, and how he managed to get
| through no man knows.
when Bill reached the mill he had to be
/ lifted off his pony. He hadn't a bit of
nerve left. He gathered Ia his stake, sold
| out and left the camp"