The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-06
BUCK PATTERSON'S RIDE.
AsTRIDE THE WHITE PACING Stall
LION OF THE PLAINS.


Way of Fast Horses Could Make
Him Open His Eyes-A Guarantee
Goes With This Yarn.
From the Philadelphia Times.
San Antonio. Tex, Jan. 9O.-The regular
fall meetings Of the San Antonio Jockey
Club sees the coming in of the cattlemen
in droves even as the latter's own horned
beasts seek the water holes in dry sea-
son. for the cattleman loves a good horse
and a square race with love that dehes
both time and misfortune
Now. according to the stockman's
standard, which estimates a man by his
good fellowship, his acres and the num-
Der Of his cows. Buck Patterson is a very
big man, indeed, and Buck never fails to
attend the races. A season or two ago
the great attraction Of the jockey club
meet was the black PAGER, Joe Patchen,
a quiet level-headed horse. who could get
over more ground at one straddle in
quicker time, than has ever been seen in
the southwest Hence when this horse
covered a full mile, twice around san
Antonio's half-mile track, in 2:OS. there
was wild enthusiasm, and the northern
visitors ears rang again with the high
keyed treble of the rebel yell.
But amid all this, lover Of a good horse
as he was, and sanguine in disposition
also, Buck Patterson was singularly in
different. Neither before, during or after
this marvellous two minutes and eight
seconds did he evince the slightest emo
ton or even remove his half smoked
cigar from his stolid cOuntenance.
OF course, this thing occasioned COM
ment; comment preceded inquiry and
Buck told, in his own way, why IL was
that he had no reason for boiling over
Following his lead ] give his story as he
There amt no call for PAWN the
earth over good thing when you've seen
heap better. amt tearin' my shirt
over ANYTHING that's only next to the, best.
consequently l amt hurtin' my throat
and lungs over this here black boss, be-
cause I've seen a heap faster one, and
what's more, I've rid him. / reckon I'm
the only man what ever did ii. too. Ii
was more'n twenty-five years ago. and I
was common cow-puncher workin for
all around where Schulenburg is right
now. There wasn't no town then, nor no
| railroad, nor nothing but open grass coun-
| try. II was before the Dutch grangers
come in an took 1t all UP. The old man
| had line riders all around the edge of his
| range TO keep his cows from drifting All
| over the world, for 1t was before these
| here cussed wire fences drove many a
| good cow-man to Robin trains for liv-
Il was a stout, thick-necked bull of n
| boy then, and, like all d-n fools, had
an idea that there wasn't nothin' in the
| critter line what had hoofs or hair that
| / couldn't ride, and with a slug or two of
| bust head whisky in me, / wouldn't a bar
red them who had claws, nelther.
| All through that country there was
/ lots of wild mustangs running loose in
| droves and they was a mighty big nut
sance, too, for they would call our ponies
| on with them. and a tame pony what
| joins wild bunch, as a heap wilder than
| any of 'em, bein a sure loss to his owner
/ forever. There was one special bunch of
Il mi nd 1anf LII
/ white stallion. He was the whitest thing
/ l ever saw, and I've seen snow on a
mountain in June, too. But there was
something about him that beat his white
| color for queerness He was a PAGER. He
! never done nothing but pace. Yet he
was always ahead of his bunch, no differ
| how bad they was skeered, or how fast
they was runnin'-him a-pacin all the
| time, too.
Course he was chased and chased by
all kinds OF people, but there wasn't no
| mans pony what could run him down
| FellerS come from everywhere's tryin'
| to git chance e rope him, but they
| never got moren sight of him no time
Just before brandin' time one season
| old Ferguson built a big corral to do his
brandin' in out of upright posts about
nine foot high. There wasn't no gate
only openin'. and over the top from
! post to post was a heavy pole nailed down
We staked a bunch Of ponies in there
one night TO have 'em handy next mornin'
Before sun up, just about good light,
come a niger puncher a runnin' from
the corral. his eyes a Dustin nearly out
! of his hea2.
HE had gumption enough to boiler:
. Dat ar white pacin stud am up in de
pen playin' an a teasin' wild de ponies
There was a heap of uneat grub and a
! lot of undrunk coffee left right there. 1
| run the fastest and got in the corral first
The minute got in, that white devil
saw me, and he come right at me, ears
back, teeth shown, eyes a blazn' I
turned. made a break for the openin
| got there, jumped, caught the overhead
bar and tried to pull pull myself So,d, up r.; my long
| of stretched out tongs. By gingerl He
| come a flynn and run right atWixt my
legs. l never knowed til then the quick
streak went so fast under me there amt
no split second timer in the world fine
enough to catch IL. Yet endurin that lit
makes up my mind, and acts. Thinks l.
| I'm ride you now, DIN you dropped
| and lit right straddle of him Just where
the saddle fits every day boss.
| Il twined my fingers in his name
| socked my feet under his belly and braced
| myself, for / expected to feel the most
topliftical pitchin' and carryin' on there
| ever was But nary a pitch he pitched
nary jump he jumped. He sorter squat
| ted a little, and he lit out straight as a
section line just a pacin' smooth as a
| rocking-chair, but fast! Myi There amt
been no such fast goin' since the day old
fellows by hard driving. 1t was so fast
| it would have took two men quarter of
a mile apart to tell about it. One to saw:
Here he comes. T'other to say: There
/ he goes l heard a yell back of me, and
kind of walled my eyes around Here
! come all the boys on their ponies a eiyin'
them the quirt at every jump. Them
! ponies could run some too, but it was
| like a lame terrapin chasin' skeerd rab-
| bit. We gained every jump. The yellin'
crowd fainter and fainter and then heard
! nothin' but the wind a zooin' in nv ears
! had long, curly halr in them days. and
| it was blowed out so straight there's
! been nary a kink in il down to this dav
! Been straight a mules reached name
ever since. 1t was the easiest, smoothest
| ridin mortal man ever rid, and a burned
/ sight the fastest.
! I'VE passed punches of cattle grain
and they looked like long red and white
! streaks. Past buzzards and birds fivin'
4 the way we was aOin' and never xvas a.,