The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-24
A PEST OF WILD HORSES.
Arizona Overrun With Them-A
Herder's Attempt to Capture
From the New York Post.

From the New York Post.
Flagstaff, Ariz-"We've got a new kind
of game now in Arizona" said man at
Flagstaff, who had just come in from the
mesa. land if you tenderfeet are after
some sport, and want,t TO be chased off the
top of the earth. l can take You to the
place. What is it? Why. horses. Just
plain bronchos, and as ornery a lot Of
kiuses as you ever saw. The fact is that
the whole northern part OF Arizona is
overrun with them. and I'm taking petit
ton 20 Attorney General Fraser signed
by every one up in our country, asking
that the territory either pay so much for
their scalps or give the boys the legal
right TO clean them out.
It's my private opinion" added the
herder, that the wild horses have got
the start, and nothing is going to stop
them but a company of cavalry They are
just like deer and as vicious as possible,
and the man that corners them has to
look out for himself They are ordinary
horses that have escaped from bands from
time 70 time, and formed In a herd Under
the lead of a stallion AS they have in
creased they have broken UP, so that hun
drdos Of herds have formed, and several
thousand wild horses are on the ranges,
eating good fodder, stampeding cattle and
sheep, and making a nuisance of them
selves.
Last month ] went out on Irregular
horse hunt with a party, and the animals
gave us all we wanted. In the band near
our place there were four or five splendid
mares, led by a stallion known as Black
Hawk, as black as night. We thought we
would take them in and break them: so
a dozen Of US started off with lariats, We
were all mounted on the best of stock
known in this section and we thought 1t
would be a mere lark to run them in. The
band had been stampeding our stock. and
finally got so bold that they would come
up near the camp on the run, then stop
short and look at us, giving a sort Of chal-
lenge, as it were, and then wheel off like
the wind.
I'VE started in the morning early and
rode across the mesa for about ten miles
without seeing a thing; then one of our
party thought he saw some antelopes over
by big butte. They were coming our way
SO we stopped, and in a few minutes II
dawned upon us that they were band OF
wild bronChos. They were moving along
in a bunch and the wind had drifted a
column of dust so that they looked like a
big comet flying along the ground with the
tail in the air. They had evidently sighted
us, and were going to stampede our horses
out of sight on their horses? Well, we
played the same game, and rode slowly
along, looking at the flying bronchos, just
under the necks of our animals. On they
came-nearly fifty of ,them-lilSe a Whtrl-
wind, and presently I'VE saw that they
were led by the big black stallion that
so many persons have tried to capture II
was with the greatest difficulty that we
kept our horses quiet, and IL was easy TO
.-a1 hor will bprGpg cOtil1 Etgmnpdg
other animals. When the drove were with
in twenty yards of us they separated, as
though to surround us. Then we could
hold our animals no longer, and at the
word from the boss we dashed at the
drove
1T was the sight of my life, and I've
been on the plains for years In all KINDS
of places. The wild horses stopped m
stantly, all except the black stallion. He
came on until he reached US. then threw
himself ON his launches, paving the air
For a moment his head seemed to be sur
Founded with lariats, and L would have
sworn that two went over; but he lodged
them all and ran at US, striking ou
horses, and, after beating his way direct
Iy through he turned and ran. The OH
ers had deserted him, and it was now a
race to the finish. I've seen some riding,
but this beat anything in my experience.
1t was a fairly good country, but cut by
washouts, so that one moment we were
in the bed of wash and the next flying
along the mesa, or leapng some creek
over the boulders, or circing around
buttes. Finally we ran down into the
level country, where big buttes rise up
like ruins Of houses-a place called the
Enchanted City. Here the herd gained on
us. and, after four hours of the hardest
riding. we saw them climb out of big
arroyo going right up the slope that our
horses half an hour later absolutely re-
fused; and so they disappeared. We were
dead beat, and all ready to acknowledge 1t.
| don't believe there is horse in Arizona
that can catch that Stallion"
The governor of the state has been re-
duested to take some action, and undoubt-
edly the curious exhibition Of men trying
TO exterminate horses will be seen. Arizona
is moi the only state where such horses
are found. Large herds are to be seen IN
California. and on the San Joaquin plains
a noted stallion has led the forces for
years-a magnificent creature that has
aroused the cupidity of many lover of
horsehesh. One man offered $1,000 for him,
and over fifty men have laid traps to cap
ture him. After various methods had
failed, they formed stations and ran him
at fur speed to one, or near 1t, where a
new man would start in. In this way he
was chased by fresh horses for over 100
miles at what was supposed to be fun
speed, but the pursuers never got nearer
than 800 yards to him.
--p-<e-s