The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-26
BEN WISE, TIGER KILLER.
A Renaissance Of Texas in the Ante
BGIlum DAYS.

GERS Among Whom Was the Said
Ben, Who Didn't 60 Out to Fight
Tigers, but Had Tc.
From the Philadelphia Times
A few years prior to the late civil war
was acting as civil engineer for party
of gentlemen, locating land in. the Leon
creek section Of the western portion of
Texas, near the Neuces river. The
party consisted of twelve daring Texans
and three tenderfect or ''greenies from
the states, as they were called at that
day, We were all well equipped for the
camp and the chase, as well as for the
duties of surveying, and had everything
necessary to make most happy combina-
ton of both business and pleasure.
As we intended to put in our time to the
best advantage from November TO Jan
uary, we concluded 10 make the trip an
enJoya BILE one and take things easy, hunt
ing while surveying and surveying while
hunting, and thus the two months were
passed amid exciting scenes, the descrip-
ton of which my feeble pen is totally in
adequate to portray.
The ordinary game, such as deer and
turkey, was SO plentiful that the sight of
three or four hundred together caused no
special remark, and it took wild bull on
desperate charge or a dangerously
aroused spotted Mexican tiger to incite
the spirited action OF the old Texan
IN the most desperate encounter.
Although our firearms were not of the
improved pattern that are now in use,
the Texans were so wen trained in the
use of such as they had, and being well
Injured to the hardships of such a life,
that they entered into the desperate and
dangerous encounters with the most fe-
rocious of the wild beasts with the cool
delight of the eagle lifting a common
hare. The wild horse or Texas mustang
was seen in great numbers, sometimes as
many as hundred in a band, and we
managed to capture some as beautiful
specimens of that branch of the equine
family as l ever beheld.
Our greatest sport consisted in
chasing the wild bull, for
aside from the dangerous ex-
element 1t afforded. the hide was val
liable, some of which brought as high as
$40 by weight, after being dried into the
flint" state. The skin of the spotted
tiger was also a very valuable pelt, but
they were rare and hard to capture.
They were eagerly sought, however, as a
fine pelt generally brought about Sl2 at
home. In this section the timber con-
sists almost wholly of scrub mesquite and
live oak, sparsely covering the beauti-
fully undulating land in clumps-al-
ternating clumps and prairie The
timber forms such slight obstruction
that it is easy to see at long dis
tances, the light atmosphere aiding
the vision in a wonderful degree. 1t was
no easy matter TO approach game near
enough TO reach it even with our long
deer guns, and our main chance in most
ra fO crivn 81 \
tieet-footed ponies. In this mode of cap
ture the lasso was frequently brought
into use, and many lofty tumble was
the consequence Of miscalculation as to
the heft of the bull and the strength of
the pony, the horse and rider being tum-
bled into a lofty somersault, the horse
following the bull while his four feet beat
the air.
Having shifted our camp to new fields
after weeks sport and arduous work
with the compass and chain, one of the
tenderfeet, Johnny Bledsoe, having
proved himself such novice in the use of
the rife that his only capture in every
case was what the boy shot at" had be-
come nervous at the guying of his com
panions at his i'll luck, or rather lack of
ability in the art of NimrOd, and he
determined to try it alone. So one
morning, after an early breakfast
Johnny was missing, and, after wait
ing, a short search revealing the
fact that his hunting accoutrements
were also gone, we surmised what he
was up to, We thereupon detailed our
party for a general days hunt, dividing
up two by two to scour the country in all
directions and keep sharp lookout for
Johnny. Near the middle of the day
couple of the boys came into hearing of
some one hallOolng as though in the most
agonizing distress, as though he was try
ing to call the attention of the whole pop
ulation of Germantown, Pa, to his peril
Gus situation and wished he was back
in old Germantown once more.
The boys soon came in sight of
Johnny perched in the boughs of small
mesquite bush about ten feet from the
ground guarded by a large and furiously-
madden bull Johnny had made a des-
perate attempt to capture the beast, and,
having only stung him to madness, the
animal had turned upon him while his
gun was still empty. His only safety
was in flight and he rapidly proceeded TO
the nearest tree, followed by the desper-
ately Infatuated bull. The tree was so
slender that the bull, in his desperate
against it, would nearly unseat
him, and gave him the horrors in such
enormous doses that the cold perspiration
beaded out on his pallid cheeks as large
as marbles.
The rescuing party were soon on the
ground TO raise the seige, and charged
Jhe enemy with such impetuosity that
the bull was put TO fight for the time
being The shots of the relieving party
having done little more execution than
Johnnys, only arousing the beast TO
greater fury by the singing sensation of
two more bullets in his flesh, he in turn
put his pursuers to fight. This gave
did with the greatest alacrity, and secur-
ing his rite he forced double
charge down his muzzle-loading
heavy rife, and awaited develop
ments. The men were taking a circle
around the seat of the first disturbance
to avoid the monster, and in the rounds
approached within easy gunshot of John
ny's fertilization, and taking deliberate
aim from behind the bush Johnny's rife
belched forth such terrible charge of
powder and ball that the bull landed on
his back as dead as though a thunderbolt
had struck him. The boy was so proud
Of his feat and so overcome with Joy at
the mutual rescue Of the party that he
wept for very gratitude
This act of self-possessed iutrepiditvon
the part of Johnny recommended him to
promotion in the estimation of the whole
and he showed himself worthy
of the confidence ever after placed in him
by the company. The time went smoothly
enough in the ordinary duties of engineer
ing and capture of the ordinary class Of
game until one day one of the party Ben
Wise. who had been foremost in tor