The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-10-29
WILD RIDE FOR LIFE,
\ RANCHMAN CHASED 81 A
MAD HORSE.
a Horse fBItten, by "a Mad Dog Is Seized
with iIydrorhnose Symptom, and
PlRy%f Havoc With Cattle and sheep
AtAventures or toc<ts. ~.

Ing the Happy JACK cIttie ranca III
Arkan sas was lately tie hero of
most startling advent r.. in which
he barely es-a .,ct with his life.
Thompson was on nj, way TO the
Platte river wiz several hundred
head Of cattie in search OF water. the
smaller streams havin: proved mad
, .uate in Supplying tho vast drovcs
o. the neighbo hcol He was as
sisted by scvcn o.. eight COW boys, u
small number, scarcely su Ii icie1t for
so large L herd. AMI when one flank
of tho mo@iug boil. oi animals wan
dered off III the night from the corral
looking for the wh arcwi.h Il ailay
their thirst it was u &C is2"r for fut-
Is half the herGers 10 go a'tsr thCnls
thus scattering tie part TADnp-
son himself rod east fcioTin: til c
tracks OF cattle whi.h he took f5r his
own. bat whic'i rrogol 10 be, those
OF Il herd lowe. down aiS2~ g5ing g
the Platte.
He had got out Of si.h5 : ''his as
sistant and had ,1ismountc3 20. cx-
amino the trail. which he was be-
ginning 10 suspect wa, It da; or two
old, when re o5scrTed u horse ran
ming toward him at rapid mallop.
SAYS the Philadelphia Times. The
animal was not sadd .cl. bat showed
marks of being in recent u.s.. ana
Mr.. Thompson concluded that he
mad probably broken loose from lis
owner and that the latter would soon
be out looking FOR him. 50 resolved
to catch him. Advancing. the cat
tleman held out his haad to the
stranger, but the animal snapped at
him ana made dar: for thu other
horse. trying to bit. and kicking out
with his heels. Thompson how saw
the Runaway was foamiug N Il man
Ecr that meant more than heal from
his gallop, ana thinking that the
animal WAS mad, hastcaed to his
horses help
ElinGinG himself into the saddle,
he clapped spurs to him aad m lde 2
break for the !: ace where he h;;d left
the still corralcd nerd. The frcnZied
horse gave chase and then began a
break-neck race tor life over the
prairie. Thompson possessed the ad-
vantage OF having the animal he be-
stradc frCsh aai under perfect con
trol, while thc pur9ucr was able to
rGn only by spu IS, with the irregu-
larity OF madness. and half blindly.
bpt in spite OF thi5hs was sufficiently
near to render the chase one OF great
excitement and danger, for, from the
furious creatures bclligerencc dis
p,ayed at first, it was easy to see
what weull be the fate of animal or
l1answ wild,-feil before him
So. without sparing whip or spur.
Thompson few over the ground with
the mad horse only a few dozen yards
Ill his rear. The danger was in
creased by the eXistence OF large
cracks in the earth gaping for water,
which were often quite wide enough
to admit of the horse he rode falling
with one foot in them and breaking
a limb when he would be at the
mercy Gf the painting, raging animal
close behind him. which allowed no
time for picking the way over these
pitfalls But the fiery little Spanish
mustang ridden by Thompson seemed
to realize that his life and that of
his rider depended on his skill in
avoiding these cracks, and flew over
them Ike q bird, rcdoubling his
speed whenever the horse following
gave shrill shrek of warming
Once Thompson saw a rattiesnake
leap out at the mustang as he cleared
eiump of tall prairie grass aud
sprang at his heels, but The blow
failed and fastened itself on the
lower leg of the animal which came
after. but. with the long, greenish
body tstill hanging to it. the mad
horse did not stay for a moment. and
as the mustang paused for Il second
to gather itself for 4 leap across
yielding place in the earth. where
some mole had once eXcayated its
home, gained somewhat on the flying
pair. Looking back. Thompson saw
the beast not more than thirty or
thirty-five yards behind him, and
thinking the beast almost upon him.
lashed the mustang into a run that
made the ground seem to spi. be-
meath his nimble feet and was rapid
" understanding his pursuer when he
felt the girth about his steed give
way and checked him only in time to
save h mself hard fall
The saddle slid of the mustangs
back, and Thompson, with his feet
still in the stirrups. fell easily to the
ground. He picked himself mp and
:aanned the prairie with anxious
eyes for help Of some sort. and to
his reliei he sax horSeman riding
across the plain {. quarter of mile
AVA. and standing up he halloed to
tn s person. But, at FIRST his cries
seemed incapable OF lnaching the
man, who directed his course in an
obiiquc line from whore Tho!n Dson
stood shouting to aim.
AT la t. however. his attention ap-
pelred to oe attracted oy the be-