The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-27
A MEMORABLE Stampede.
Herd of $4,000 Cattle Break for a
Gully, and 2,7OO Were Lost.
Waco CTex.) Independent.

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One of the most desperate stampedes OF
cattle ever witnessed by a Texas cowboy,
says Rev. ]. B. Crapfill, of Waco, occurred
now stands the town of McGregor. Fifteen
thousand cattle and twenty-five cowboys
participated in the exciting event. MI
Cranfill was not participant but he tells
the story as he got it from an eyewitness;
Late in the afternoon of July there had
been a lively thunderstorm that made the
cattle nervous At 10 o'clock at night,
however, they seemed to be sleeping. pro-
foundly. Then the narrative proceeds as
follows:
was no cause at all for the arousing or
the herd. They appeared to get UP az at
once, with a single purpose, and the roar
single throat The Wilson brothers and their
cowboys who were sleeping in the camp
rushed to their ponies who were ere grazing FL y
as the bits could be replaced in their mouths
they mounted and galloped to the Hanks
of the now disappearing mass, headed III
the direction of the Brazos river.
The usual course on such occasions is TO
get in front of the herd-a risky piece OF
work-and start 1t to, running in a circle.
This attempt was made in this case. Some
cattle can Outrun others, and in this case
there was bunch of about fifty fully TWEEN
ty yards in advance and toward this lead
ing group the two rescuers rode. or the
leading group also some were faster than
shape with two immense steers leading all
When Mr.. Wilson and his companion
reached the two leading steers they began
shooting their revolvers close to them; ana
in that way the bunch was made TO oblique,
and as the leading bunch of cattle obiqued
the main stampede obliuued and the first
step in milling had been taken. BY this
time the cattle were getting tired. Nearly
five miles had been covered and the breath
fully; but they We're rushing on, because
the front cattle at this time knew as a
matter of fact their only safety was III
keeping up the run. Those behind were
coming. and they were in the majority,
and the leaders We're compelled 70 run;
There was real danger for the forward
I'm the invoice articles contained i'll the
regulation outfit there is always some kind
contained in Mr.. Wilson'S outfit, it is pos
sible that the stampede would have been
halted without disaster. He had a Mexican
along, one Of the best cowboys i'll the South
west. This Mexican and his horse always
reminded those who saw him ride OF the
tabled Centaur. He rode far forward and
peared to be one animal. No horse, how
ever rugged, wild and Woolly had ever
been able to unseat him. This Aztec had
been to the little brandy runlet TOO otten,
and had filled and emptied his tin cup with
SurreptitiouS intoxieants. so that MS usual
excellent Judgment went awry. When ne
succeeded in getting mounted, after having
funbed with his bride a good deal, he
was far in the rear and the stampede had
gone past him, SO that when he overlook
the rear end he passed to the front on the
other side and rode on the wrong flank.
When he reached the head of the herd he
was just in time to defeat the maneuver
then under execution of bending the NOV
ing mass from q straight line to semi
circle Revolver in hand. disregarding the
other men he began shooting in the faces
of the wild steers: and the effect of this
was to straighten the run and bring the adj
vance, straight toward, a. precipice. This
precipice was a wash1An the prairie, form
ing a deep ravine fully thirty yards wide;
and in Il shorter time than II takes to tell
Of this contretemps, the head of the column
was pouring over, horrible cascade of beef
plunging madly into destruction while fee
ing from an imaginary dangSeiE : ,,etenants
saw that it was impossible to save their
cattle they saved themselves by dexter
ously turning at right angles at full speed
turned to the flank ana held a council OF
war A few seconds decided them, and
all hands commenced shooting into the
herd, the object now being to build a breast
from destruction that had overtaken the
front. The gully was nearly full of cattle
by this time. They We're snorting and bel
lowing. crashing and tearing, ana sun
wounded ones tumbled over on the others,
and in a short time the gully, like a sunken
road at Waterloo, was bridgeu by carcaSSeS.
The herd surged up in pillows, like an
ocean and bent now, because it could not
do otherwise, The semi-c1rcle was formed,
and Wilson and his men crossed the gully
below and rode around the opposite side
and recrossed: and in short time they had
the cattle halted, forming incomplete
letter o. and there they stood, blowing, bel
lowing, shivering. All hands remained on
watch all night, and in the morning, when
a count was made X was ascertained that
200 head were missing. There We're art
erWard 200 pairs of horns taken from that
gully. 1t was called Stampede gully Tor
many years afterWard. ana perhaps Will al
ways with Some people, be remembered by
that name