The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-08

circle. This attempt was made in this
and in this case there was bunch OF
about fifty fully twenty yards in ad-
vance, and in the leading group
also some were faster than others, and
this group ran in diamond shape, with
two immense steers leading all. When
Mr.. Wilson and his companion reached
the two leading steers they began shoot
ing their revolvers close to them. and in
that way the bunch was made to oblique,
and as the leading bunch of cattle OBJ
liqued, the main stampede obliqued, and
the first step in milling had been taken.
By this time the cattle were getting
tired. Nearly five miles bad been
covered, and the breath of the leaders
was coming short and palnfuily ,puI
they were rushing on, because the front
cattle at this time knew as a matter of
fact their only safety was in keeping up
the run. Those behind were coming, and
they were in the majority, and the lead
ers were compelled to run. There was
danger for the forward members OF the
stampede.
"In the invoiced articles contained in
the regulation outfit there is always
some kind of stimulants, and but for the
stimulants contained in Mr.. Wilson's
outfit it is possible that the stampede
would have been halted without disaster.
He had Mexican along, one of the best
cowboys in the Southwest. This Mexican
and his horse always reminded those who
saw him ride of the tabled Centaur. He
rode far forward and bent over SO that
he and his horse appeared to be one ami
NAL. No horse, however rugged, wild
and woolly, had ever been able to unseat
him. This Aztec had been to tho little
brandy runlet too often, and had filled
and emptied his tin cup with surreptl-
tious intoxicants, so that his usual ex-
cellent Judgment went awry. When he
succeeded in getting mounted AFTER nav
ing fun bled with his bride good deal,
be was far in the rear, and the stampede
had gone past him, SO that when he over
took 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
manoeuvre then under execution OF bend
ing the moving mass from straight line
to q semi-cricle. Revolver in hand, dis
regading the other men, he began shoot
ing in the faces of the wild steers; and
the effect of this WAS to stra1ghten the
run and bring the advance straight to-
ward precipice. This prec1pice was
wash in the prairie, forming deep ra-
vine fully thirty yards wide. and In a
SnOFUGr tllilo UIdu Lii ttbhSo w W II VI oAiio
contretemps, the head of the column was
pouring over, horrible cascade OF beef,
plunging madly to destruction. while
fieaing from an imaginary danger.
when Mr. Wilson and his lieutenants
saw that it was impossible to save their
cattle, they saved themselves by dexter
ously turning at right angles at full
speed and riding out of the way They
next returned to the flank and held a
council of war. A few seconds decided
them, and all hands commenced firing
into the herd the object now being to
build breastwork of carcasses and save
the rear end from destruction that had
overtaken tho 'front.' The gully was
nearly full of cattle by this time. They
were snorting and believing, crashing
and tearing, and still heapings up, and
when the firing began the wounded ones
tumbled over on the others, and in q
short time the gully, like sunken road
at Waterloo, was bridged by carcasses
The herd surged up in pillows like an
ocean, and bent now because 1t could not
do otherwise. The semi-circle was formed,
and Wilson and his men crossed the
gully below and rode around the opposite
they had the cattle halted, forming an
Incomplete letter o, and there they stood,
blowing, believing, shivering. All
hands remained on watch all night, and
in the morning, when count was made,
it was ascertained that 2, 700 head were
missing. There were afterward 2 700
pairs of horns taken from that gully. 1t
was called Stampede Gully for many
years afterward, and perhaps will always
with some people be remembered by that
name.'