Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-02-20
| A CASCADE NFC.A'I'TLE
MEMORABLE STAMPEDE IN A HERD
OF MANY THOUSANDS.

OF MANY THOUSANDS.
The Wild Frenzy orSixtocn Thousand Texas
Steers. OF Which Une-nfth Plunged to
Thci: t;eash in IA Hidden l;avine--.ln Tx
ciiin. Nigh: on the Prairie.
One Of The most desperate STAN
reGas Of cattle ever witnessed by 4
Texas cowboy. says Rev. }. B. Gran
fill OF Waco. Texas, occurred in 1876
OH The prairie in the center of which
now stands the town of McGregor
Fifteen tEOusand cattle and twenty
Eve cowboys participated in the ex-
citing event.
Late III the afternoon of July 4 there
had heen a lively thunder storm, that
made the cattle nervous. At 10 O'Clock
at night, however. they seemed to be
sleeping profoundly. Then the mar
rative proceeds as follows:
The stars were all shining. and
there was no cause at all for the
arousirs Of the herd They appeared
to get up all at once, with single
purpose. and the roar that was heard
seemed 10 come from 4 single throat.
The Wilson brothers and their cow
boys, who were sleeping in their camp,
rushed to their ponies, who were graz
ins with the saddles and brides on,
and, as fast as tie bits could be re-
placed in their mouths. they mounted
and gallorcd 10 the tanks of the now
disappearing mass. headed in the di-
rection of the Bra2Os river
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. OF the leading group.
also, some were faster than others. and
IRIS group ran in diamond 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, and in shat way the bunch WAS
made to obiiGuc. and as the leading
bunch OF cattle obliqued the main
stampede ObliQucd, and the first stem
in milling had been taken BY this
| time the cattle We're 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 cat
| tie at this time knew as a matter of
TACT their only safety was in Keeping
up the run. Those behind were com
ing, and they We're in the majority.
and the leaders were compelled to run.
| There was real danger for the forward
members of the stampede
| In the invoice of articles contained
in the regulation outfit there is al
ways some kind Of stimulants. ana but
for the stimulants contained in Mr.
| Wilson'S outfit, it is possible that the
| stampede would have been halted
Without disaster. He had a Mexican
| along, one OF tho best cowboys in the
southwest. This Mexican and his
horse always reminded those who saw
him ride Of the tabled Ccutaur. He
rode far forward and bent over. so that
he and his horse appeared 80 be one
animal No horse, however rugged,
wild and woOlly,' had ever been able
10 unseat him. This Aztec had been
! to the little brandy rivulct too often
and had Hllcd and cmpted his tin cup
With surIeptit!ous intOXicants, so that
his usual excellent judgment went
uWIy. When he succeeded in getting
mounted, after having fumblcd with
his bride a good deal, he was far in
the rear, ana the stampede had gone
past him, so that when he overlook
the reur end he passed to the front
on the otter side ana rode on the
wrong ilauk When he reached the
head Of the herd he was Just in time
10 defeat the manenvcr then under cy-
ccutlon Of bending the moving mass
from straight line 70 Il scmi-circle.
tevolvcr il hand, diaregarding the
other men, h" began shooting in the
faces Of the Wild steers, and the effect
Of this was to atraighten the run and
bring the advance straight toward q
prcc!pice. This prccipice was a wash
in the prairie, forming a deep ravine
fully thirty yards WIDE and in Il short
er time than it takes to tell Of this
| contretempts, The head of the column
was pouring over horrible cascade
Of beef plunging madiy into dcstluc-
tion, while fleeing from an imaginary
| danger.
When Mr.. Wilson and his lieu
| tenants saw that it was impossible to
| save their cattle they saved themselves
| by deNterously turning at right angles
at iui speed and riding out Of the
| way. They next returned to the flank
and held council OF war a few sec
| ond5 decided them, and all hands com
mcnced shooting into the herd. the OBJ
| lect now hciu2 to build Il breastwork
| If carcasSes and save the rear end
| from the destruction that had over
| aiken the front The guiley was near
y full of cattle by this time They
were snorting and believing. crashing
md tearing, and still heapng up. and
when the iirlrG began The wounded
ones tumbled over Oh the others. and
IN short time the gulley, like the
sunkeM road at Waterloo, was bridged
BY carcaSPoS Tho herd gtirca1 ~, T.,