Milford chronicle., 1895-10-18
THE RIDING RECORD.
a TRADITION OF THE DAYS OF THE
SANTA re TRAIL

Previous Ride. and Won $4,000 on the
Two Trips--KilIed In Brawl.
Not long ago the writer had occasion
to visit western Missouri Among one
Of the traditions of the little city of In
dependence, which until the days Of the
railroad was the eastern terminus Of
the Santa Fe trail, the following story
was told
In the old days Of the Santa Fe trail
the freighters made one round trip
season The Americans very generally
wintered at Independence, while the
Mexican traders naturally put in the
same season at the town Of Santa Fe
In the spring the teams were made mp,
the wagons loaded, and the long cara
vans Of prairie sohooners, with their
white tits and from to 10 yoke Of
oxen, began moving out ON their long
voyage across the plains.
AS was stated, these outfits made only
one round trip per season, the Mexicans
getting rid Of their freight at Independ-
ence some time along III midsummer
and loading up again for Santa Fe,
while the Americans threw off their
first load at Santa Fe and reloaded again
for Independence.
Along in the late forties an energetic
character named Frank X. Aubrey came
from New York to Independence,
bought a lot of teams and started into
business as a freighter. Such was his
push and vim that he made two trips a
season, starting out from Independence
in the early spring and winding up his
second round trip at that point rather
late in the fall Aubrey piled up great
deal of money at the business and set
such an energetic example that he was
soon recognized as a leader.
With all his business thrift and vigor
Aubrey was also what one might call
"a sporting character. The distance
from Santa Fe to Independence was
about 500 miles One day while dis
cussing freighting and the length Of
time it ought to take to cover the dis
tance between Independence and Santa
Fe Aubrey made the rather bold asser-
tion that he could start alone on a sin
gle horse and push through to lndepend- |
ence in eight days himself
A dispute arose, and the result was /
that Aubrey offered to wager $4,000 |
that he could start on a thoroughbred /
horse he had, of unusual speed and bot
tom, and with the liberty to buy such
horses as he might need on the way, and
80 remount himself as often as he had
chance, and be in Independence at the
stage station in less than eight days Of
"a hours each from the time he left
Santa Fe. The money was covered and
the wager made.
Aubrey started and was in Independ-
ence, Mo-, in just days and 10 hours
from the time he said goodby to Santa
Fe. He had remounted himself twice.
Then q second wager was made. The
parties who had lost the 81, 600 with the
bold New Yorker, after considerable
dickering, managed to make wager Of
$40, 900 a side with Aubrey. This time
he was to go from Santa Fe to Independ-
ence, a run of 500 miles, in six days.
It was at the best season of the year.
There were no rains, while the grass
was good and the trail as hard as
pavement. Aubrey had the same liberty
to remount himself as often as he came
upon a horse that he preferred to his
own. But he was not permitted to ar
range relays or post horses in advance
along the trail Indeed he had no time
wherein to make these arrangements
even if he had desired to and they had
been allowed
He started out Of Santa Fe the even
ing Of a June day It was Sunday. The
Mexieans looking on argued success to
the daring rider from the holy character
Of the day. All he had with him as
provender was little dried beef. He ex-
pected to get food at the stage stations
along the trail Saturday afternoon of
the same week he rode into the public
square at Independence, winning the
race by five hours. He was just days
and 9 hours riding the 500 miles, and
had used II horses. He had had two
brushes with Indians, and had been
chased by them at the Cimmaron cross
ing Of the Arkansas, and again at Paw
nee Rock He escaped, however, with
nothing worse than an arrow through
his arm.
It is related that when he slipped
from the saddle at Independence he
hadn't slept wink for sc hours. By
ISLANDERS asserted that he was sound
asleep the instant he touched the ground.
Aubrey was carried into the hotel and
put to bed, and never opened his eyes
again until Monday morning about 2
o'clock. He then came around as fresh
as a daisy and as hungry as a wolf He
routed out the cook of the hotel, made
him come down to the kitchen and cook ,
him something to eat He won S15, 900 !
On these two races, and in the last one
made a record for long distance riding
never surpassed.
Just to show how such a man of steel Z
md zeal may end, it might be added
hat Frank X. Aubrey was stabbed to ,
leath in a brawl in a Santa Fe dance
ialI This was some five years after his
yreat ride. Old plainsmen will tell you, I
however, of the exploits of Aubrey, and /
10 is reverently mentioned with such |
worthless as Sublette, Kit Carson, Ben !
Holiday and old Jim Bridger. Wash I
nOfou Gfar