Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-11-24
TEN MINUTES or TERROR.
Miraculous Escape From 1900
Stamsedsd Cattle.

Eyes, we have an aventure now
and then out In our country" said
Judge Thompson, of Wyoming. IF
you'll come out and see us I'll refer
you to five or six men whose hair.
breadth escapes would fill n book. As
for me, haven't had but one close
call worth relating"
That's the very one I'm after"
said the Detroit Free Press inter.
viewer,
well, 1t didn't amount to much
as an adventure, Pm afraid, though
Pm free to say never was more
frightened for ten minutes. Between
what is called the Granite Ridges
and Bad Water Creek, in central
Wyoming, is u fine cattle range. I
was out with small party last sum
mer prospecting for certain miner
rails, and had to cross this valley ut
about the center. There were four
of us on horseback, with outfit
packed on the three lead mules, and
ut about 2 o'clock in the afternoon
we sighted something to make the
hair lift our hats right of our heads.
Indians or grizzly bears?" queried
the scribe.
"Pish! The Indians were all right,
and grizzly bears don't wander down
into the valleys by daylight. What
we sighted was herd Of about 1000
cattle coming our way, and they were
coming as II every crittcr was carry
ing 100 pounds Of steam. Two or
three herds got mixed, and in trying
to separate them the boys had start
cd u general stampede. In the old
days the buiralos used to be some on
the wild rush, but let me tell you
that the wild cattle OF the West can
run a third faster, and when they
once get started they will charge q
flaming mountain. The front OF the
herd wasn't over q mile away when
we sighted 1t, and 1t was no use to
run before It, turn back or ride ahead.
Our horses were scrub stock and had
no speed"
And there was no convenient
grove or rock to shelter your"
mot tree nor rock for five miles
around, but just where we pulled up
was natural ditch about fifty feet
long, cut out by the rains. 1t wasn't
over two feet wide by twenty inches
deep, but 1t was our only hope. We
slipped of 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 tho front OF the
herd was Mt hand. Let me just tell
you that was never SO scared In all
my born days. Every critter was
believing, horns clnshing. hoois dig.
ging up the soil, and us each one
jumped the ditch he caved the dirt In
on me. ! felt fifty different hoofs
scuir my back, and every instant ex.
pected to DO stepped on. 1t took the
herd only about ten minutes to pass,
but the time seemed hours long To
me. When the last one had come
and gone I was regularly covered In
and had to be dug out. Two Of tho
party were stepped on and badly
hurt"
"And your horses and mules?"
"Picked up on the horns OF the cat
tie and tossed about and stepped on
till they were reduced to pulp. just
cleaned us out US slick us u whistle,
II we'd been In our saddles nobody
would have recognized lis Us having
once been human beings"
Seemed like the hand Of Provi
dence, didn't it,"
''Of course. That's what we lool
for and depend upon out In oul
country. Come out some time an(
see how the old thing works when w
are going to have an avalanche three
miles long by few thousand fee'
wide."