Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-23
WILD HORSES A PEST.
a HsRcER's STORY OF AN ATTEMPT
TO CAPTURE A BAND.

TO CAPTURE a BAND.
Tho Plains of Arizona nre Quorum with
Them and the RRnclers Hunt Thorn "a
Game-A stations Courage While Evad-
ting Attempts to Capture lin.
We've got new kind Of game now
in Arizona" said a man at Flagstaff
who had just come in from the mesa,
"ard If you tenderfeet are after some
eporr, and want 70 be chased of the top
of the earth, l can take you to tho
place. What is it? Why, horses. Just
plain hronchos, and as crnery lot OF
kiuses as you ever saw. The fact 10
that the whole northern part Of Ariz-
ona is overrun with them, and I'm
taking a petition to 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.
tits my private opinion" added the
herder, that the wild horses have gos
the start. and nothing Is going to stop
them but a company Of cavalry. They
are just like deer. and as vicious 60
possible. and the man that corners
them has to look out for himself. They
are ordinary horses that have escaped
from bands from time to time, and
formed in herd under the lead Of
a stallion. As they have increased they
have broken up, 80 that hundreds of
HERDS have formed, and several thous-
and wild horses are on the ranges, eat.
ing good fodder, stamped;ng cattle and
sne@p, and making nuisance Of them
selves.
Last month l went out on q regu-
lar horee hunt with 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 Blsck Hawk, as black as
night We thought we would take
them in and break them; 80 dozen Of
us started OF with lariats. We were
all mounted on the best of stock
known In this section, and we thought
1t would be 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 sort Of challenge, as 1t were.
and then wheel off like the wind.
We started early in the morning
and rode across the mesa for about tea
miles without seeing thing; then one
OF our party thought he saw some an
telopes over by big butte. They were
coming our way, SO we stopped, and In
few minutes it dawned upon US that
they were band OF wild bronchoa~
They were moving along in bunch,
and the wind had lifted q column OF
dust SO that they 10 oked like q big
comet flying along the ground with the
tall In the air. They had evidently
q " cd
pede our horses. You know how In
dams throw themselv es out OF sight on
their horses7 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-like a whirlwind.
and presently we saw that they were
led by the big black stallion that 80
many persons have tried to capture. II
was with the greatest difficulty that wo
kept our horses quiet, and 1t was easy
to see hops the Wild horses could staua-
psde other animals. When the drove
were within twenty yards of us they
separated, as though to surround va.
Then we could hold our animals ma
longer, and at the word from the bona
we dashed at the drove.
1t was the sight Of my life. and iva
oeen on the plains for years in all
kinds OF places. The wild horses ston.
PEG instantly, all except the black
staliion. He came on until he reached
US, then threw himself on hia
launches. paving, the air. For a mo-
ment his head seemed to be surround.
ed with lariats, and l would have
sworn that two went over; but he
lodged them all and ran at us. striking
our horses, and~after beating his way
directly through he turned and ran.
The others had deserted him, and II
was now 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 tha
mesa or leap!ng some creek over the
oouldsrs or circling around buttes.
FINALLY we ran down into the level
country, where big buttes rise I'D like
ruins OF houses-a place the men 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 refused, and SO thev disan-
peared. We were dead beat and all
ready to acknowledge it. l don't be-
lieve there Is horse in Arizona thar
can catch that stallion"
The governor Of the STATE has been
requested to take some action, and IN.
doubleday the curious exhibition OF
men trying to extermlnate hol ses villa
De seen. Arizona Is not the only stata
Wnere such horses are found. !arsa
herds are to be seen in California, and
on the San Joaquin plains noted stall
hon has led the forces for years.
magnificent creature that has aroused
the cupidity OF many lover of horse
flesh. One man offered 1000 for him
and over fifty men have laid trans tn
capture him. After various methods
had failed they formed stations and
ran him at full speed to one or near II
when q new man would start in. mi
this way he was chased by fresh horses
1or over loo miles at what was sup
posed to be flu speed, but the mr.
SuerS never got nearer than 400 vard,