Evening star., 1898-12-24
FIFTEEN THOUSAND sTAMPEDED.
MemOI able Runaway of Cattle on n
TexaA Prairie.

A MemOI able Runaway of Cattle on n
Texas Prairie.
From the Waco independent.
One of the most desperate stampedes of
cattle ever witnessed by a Texas cowboy,
says the Rev. ]. B. Cranfl of Waco.
CURED in 1876 on the prairie in ths center
of which now stands the town of McGregor.
Fifteen thousand cattle and twenty-five
&C wboys participated in the exciting event.
Mr.. Cranfil was not participant. but he
tells the story as he got it from an eye
witness. Late in the afternoon of July 4
there had been lively thunder storm that
made the cattle nervous. At 10 o'clock at
night. however. they seemed to be sleeping
profoundly. Then the narrative proceeds
as follows:
THE stars we're all shining, and there
was no cause at all for the arousing Of the
herd. They appeared to get up all at once
with single purpose, and the roar that
was heard seemed to come from q single
throat. The Wilson brothers and their cow
Logs, who were sleeping in the camp,
rushed to their ponies. who were grazing
with the saddles and brides on. and as fast
as the bits could be placed in their mouths
they mounted and galloped to the f1anks of
the now disappearing mass, headed in the
direction of the BraZoS river
1.-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 circle.
This attempt was made in this case. Some
cattle can outrun others, and in this case
there was a bunch of about fifty fully
twenty yards in advance, and toward this
leading group the two rescuers rode VI
the leading group also some were faster
than others, and this group ran in dia-
mond shape, with two immense steers lead
ing all When Mr.. Wilson and his COM
panicn reached the two leading steers they
beg gan shooting revolvers close to th9m,
and in that way the bunch was made to
ohlique. and the leading bunch of cat
| tie oblqued the main stampede oblfqued.
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 of the leaders was coming
short and painfully: but they were rushing
| on, because the front cattls at this time
knew as a matter of fact that their only
| safety was in keeping up the run. Those
| behind were coming, and they were in the
| majority, and the leaders were compelled
| to run There was real danger for the for
| W ard members of the stampede.
| "In the invoice articles contained in the
| regulation outfit there is always some kind
| of stimulants, and but for the stimulants
| contained in Mr.. Wilson's outfit 1t is possi-
1 BILE that the stampede would have been
halted without disaster. He had Mexican
along one of the hest cowboys in the south
| west. 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 appear
| ed to be one animal No horse, however
| rugged, wild and woolly." had ever been
| able to unseat him. This Aztec had been
| to the little brandy runlet too often and
/ had filled and smptied his tin cup with
| surreptitious intoxicants SO that his usual
| excellent judgment went awry. When he
| succeeded in getting mounted, after having
| fumbled with his bride a good DEAL he
| was far in the rear, and the stampede had
| gone past him, that when he overlook
the rear end he passed to ths 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 maneuyar