New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-22
A WILD STAMPEDE.
r,rrrrN THOUSAND CATTLE WERE IN 1T. AND
TWENTY SEVEN HUNDRED WE'RE KILLED

t,r~rrrN THOUSAND CATTLE WERE IN 1T. AND
TWENTY SEVEN HUNDRED WE'RE KILLED.
From The Waco Independent
one Of the most desperate stampedes OF C".t ~
ever witnessed by Texas cowboy sd iSS2c nn
Rev / b. CranGl, Of Waco. occurred IN Ioio on
Tho marie in the centre Of which now STANDS
the town Of McGreg3r Fttefn umodSG al ,be ex
and twenty-five cowboys participated IN the eh
citing event Mr. Cranfil was not participant
but he tells the story as he got IL rom an ~
witness. Late in the afternoon OF July tnVle
had been a lively thunderstorm that mace tne
cattle nervous At 10 o'clock at night, ho"eNer'
they seemed to be sleeping profoundly. lheh
the narrative proceeds as follows
"rhc stars were all shining, and there was ho
cause AT all for the arOusing Of the herd They
appeared to get up all at once WIN d SNHS's,
purpose. and the roar that was heard seemed
TO come from "A single throat. The wilson
hrothors and their cowboys. who were sleeping
in the camp rushed TO their ponies. when "erg
grazing with their saddles and DrldleS on dIIu
fast as the bits could be plateu ~ eanks
mouths they mounted and gallOped to the HANKS
Of the now disappearing mass, headed Ill '"e III
reclion Of the BraZos River. -.
"The usual course on such occasions is 10 get
in front Of the herd-a risky piece or WORK
and start it to running in circle. THIS ateinpt
was made in this case. Some cattle can OUT un
others, and in this case there was d Dulcn VI
about fifty fully twenty yards in advance ana
toward this leading group the two rcscuers rode.
OF the leading group also some we're raster IMAM
others and this group ran IN DIAMOND shape
" W
Wilson and his companion reached the wv
leading steers they began shooting reviewers
close to them, and in that way the Dunch "ds
made TO oblique and the leading Ounch OF
cattle obqued the main stampede obhqued,
and the first step in milling had been taken
Nv this time the cattle were getting Teu
Nearly five miles had been covered. and the
breath OF the leaders was coming snort ana
DainfuIlv but they were rushing on. because lhe
front cattle at this time knew as matter OIL
fact that their only safety was III keeplhs up
hohip ind
were i'm the majority, and the leaders we're com
PEELED to run. There was real danger for the
forward members Of the stampede.
"In the invoice articles contained in the regu-
alton outfit there is always some KIND OF sum
ulants and but for the stimulants contained IN
MIR Wilson'S outfit it is possible that the siam
ppde would have been halted without disaster.
He had Mexican along. one Of the best coy
bows in the Southwest. This Mexican ana MS
horse always reminded those VINO saw MN rae
Of the tabled Centaur. He rode FAR Forward
and hent over so that he ard his horse ap-
pcarcd to be one animal. No horse, however
rugged wild and woolly.' had ever been able
to unseat him. This Azt'c MAD been TO 'hS
little brandy runlet too often. and had filled ana
emitted his tin cup with surrerluouS intoXi-
cants so that his usual EXCELLENT judgment went
aWrv When ne succeeded i'm getting mounted
after having fumbled with his bride 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 The front on the other
side and rode on the wrong flank When ne
ached the H. adj Of the herd he VAS just in time
to d feat tie man0uYre then under execution OF
bendin., the moving mass from straight line
10 a srmicrcle Revolver in hand. disregardlnG
the other men. he began shooting IN the races
of the wild steers, ard the effect OF TINS was 10
straigEten the run and bring tho advance
straight toward precipic". TINS preciplce was
a wash in the prairie. forming deep raVlne
fully thirty yards wide and IN shorter time
than n takes to tell of his coutretcmpS the head
of the column was pouring oyer. horrible cas-
cadc Of beef plunging to destruction while Nee
ing from an imaginary danger
when Mr. Wilson and his heutenants saw
that il was impossible TO save their cattle they
saved themselves by dexterouSly 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 4 frW seconds decided them.
and all hands began shooting into the herd, the
object now being to build hreastwork or car
cases and save the rear end from the dcstruc-
ton that had ovcrtakon the front. The gully
was nearly full Of cattle by this time. They
were snoring and believing, crashing and tear
ing ard still heapng up; and when the firing
began the wounded ones tumbled over the
others ard i'm a short time the gully. like the
suuken road at Waterloo, was bridgcd by car
casses The herd surged UP in pillows. like an
ocean and bent now. because it could not do
Otherwise The stmicirCie was formed and Will
son and his men crossed the gully below and
rode around the Opposite side and recrossed;
and i'm a short time they had the cattle halted.
forming an incomplete letter O. and there they
stood hlowing believing and shivering. All
hands remained on watch all night, and in the
morning when a count was made it was as
that =. 100 head were missing. There
were aftcrWard >. 700 pairs Of horns taken from
thar gully IT was called stampede Gully for
mary years afterward. and perhaps will always.
with some people be remembered by that
name"