The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-10-31
HUGGED THE EARTH
Ten Minutes OF Terror Under Stam-
peded Cattle.
The Proyidensial Escape of Four Mea
from rsing Trampied to Death
by . Msdiy Rushing
Herd.


"Yes. we have an adventure now and
then out in our country" said Judge
Thompson. of Wyoming. IF you'll
come out and see us I'll refer yen TO
Eve or six men whose hairbreadth es-
capes would fill book. AS for me /
haven't had but one chose call wort
relating"
That's the very one I'm after, ssi6
the Detroit Free Press interviewer
We'll, II didn't amount TO much ~
an adventure, I'm afraid. though I'm
free TO say was never more frightened
for ten minutes. Between what Is
called the Granite ridges and Bad Wa.
ter creek, in central Wyoming. is Gne
cattle range. | was out with a small
party last summer prospecting for GER
tain minerals, and had 20 cross this vail
lev at about the center. There were
four of us on horseback, with our outfit
packed on the three lead mules, and at
about two o'clock in the afternoon we
sighted something TO make the hair
lift our hats right off our heads.
Indians or grizzly bears eueried
the scribe.
and grizzly bears don't wauJer down
into the valleys by daylight What we
sighted was herd of about four thou
sand cattle com ing our WAY, and
they We're coming as If every crittcr vas
carrying one hundred pounds ~ s,eam-
Two or three herds got mixed, aad in
trying to separate them the boys had
started a general stampede. Ia the
old days the buffaloes used % be some
on the mad rush, but let me tell you
that the wild cattle of the west can ran
a third faster. anG when they once get
started they will charge n flaming
mountain. The front OF the herd
wasn't over mile away when we
sighted il. and il was no use To run be-
fore it, turn back, OF ride ahead. Our
horses were scrub stock and had no
speed"
And there was no convenient grove
or rock To shelter your
mot n tree nor rock for five miles
around, but just where we pulled up
was a natural ditch about fifty feet long
cut out by the rains. II wasn't over
two feet wide by twenty inches deep,
but it was our only hope. We slipped
off our horses. gave them a slap, and
piled into that ditch face down"
And the herd passed over you?"
Exactly. hadn't drawn three
long breaths when the front Of tho
herd was at hand Let me just tell
you that was never so scared in all
my born days Every critter was
believing, horns lashing. hoofs dig
ging up the soil. and rs each one.
jumped the ditch he cavcd the dirt in
on me. I felt hfty different hoofs
scuf my back, and every instant ex-
pected 10 be stepped on II took tho
herd only about ten minutes u pass
but the time seemed hours long 10 me.
When the last one had come and gone
] was regularly covered in and had &c
be dug out Two Of the party were
stepped on and badly hurt"
And your horses and mules7"
picked up on the horns OF the attls
and tossed about aud stepped on till they
were reduced 10 pulp. Just cleaned us
out as slick as whistle. II we'd been
in our saddles nobody wonld have
recognized us as having once been hui
man beings"
Seemed like the hand Of providence,
didn't it?"
"Of course. That's what we look fos
and depend upon out in our country
Come out some time and see how IN.
old thing works when we are going to
have an avalanche three miles long by
q few thousand feet wide"