Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-05
HUNTING THE WILD HORSE
METHOD PURSUED BY MAN LONG
FAMOUS IN OKLAHOMA.
Only Eighty Mustangs Left in Beaver
County-They Lure Domestic
Horses Astray.
From the Kansas City Star,

From the Kansas City Star.
In Beaver county. Oklahoma, once calle,
NO Mans Land Is band Of wild horses
| ABOUT eighty in number, which are believed
| to be the only mustangs now running a
| large In the southwest. They range mostly
In the big pastures of the c. c.. c. ranch
| which contains many thousands of acres
| Ihese horses are easily frightened. They
| do not recognize the danger of barbed wire
| fences and when pursued will often rur
| into a fence, sometimes tearing down q
quarter Of mile of wire. The herd is
| gradually being killed by cowboys to pre-.
vent their Turing the domestic horses away
| from the ranch.
Fifteen years ago wild horses were pur-
| sued and captured in western Oklahoma for
profit. j. c. Williamson, now living at Bea-
yer City, followed the business so success
fully that he Is still called wild Horse
Jim by his acQuatntances. Williamson sat
in the last Oklahoma legislature as the
member from the Beaver county district.
He is typical cowboy. slow of speech and
not given to recounting his adventures. A
newspaper story to the effect that the last
wild horses in the southwest were captured
IN Dimmftt county, Tex. last spring, caused
Williamson to- deny 1t, and tell of the band
IN Beaver county. This led to his relating
his own experiences.
His last and most successful trips were
made in 1887 and 1880. He captured mus
tangs and took them to Kansas and Colo
RADIO. where he sold them to ranchmen ami
farmers. In these rOundups he caught a
total of nearly $50 horses and sold them
for about 5000. Nearly all of his captures
were made in the Panhandle of Texas and
on the. headwaters Of Red river. A few
were caught in Oklahoma. His trip each
year required about five months time.
Williamson followed a different plan from
that OF the ranchmen in Dimmitt county
last spring: The latter pursued the horses
hausted. after which they were driven into
a corral. Williamson always. started early
in the spring in time to reach the wild
horse country Just as the first grass was
banketing the plains with green The
horses were then gaunt and thin from the
hardships of winter and the new grass was
not nutritious enough to strengthen them
quickly. He usually took two helpers with
sist him in following the horses. A spring
wagon, under which they could sleep at
night. was filled with provisions and grain.
A dozen of the best saddle horses that
were selected for fieetness and endurance.
Two or three weeks travelling were re-
quired to reach the country where the wild
horses ranged in large numbers.
First Sight of the Horses.
There was no hurrah and Wild pursuit
when the horses first came in sight. Will
hanson rode toward them leisurely and
took precaution to alarm them as little as
possible. At first it was difficult to ap-
proach closer than three or four miles.
Each band was led by stallion that cir
cled round and round the band. Sometimes
there were three or four stations with q
band of twenty-five or thirty mares and
their foals Generally, however, each band
consisted of from five to dozen mares
and stallion. The moment Williamson
the horses would begin to move,
II they were followed closely they would
break into a gallop, keeping on the ridges.
from which they could view the surround
ing country.
II know of nothing more fascinating
than band OF moving wild horses" said
Their names and tails are
long and add grace to their movements as
the horses sweep along in the wind. At
distance tenderfoot imagines a wild horse
to be majestic animal. large in size. beau
tifu In color. clean Of limb and fleet Of
foot. At close range, however, they are a
especially in the spring
when their coats are rough The native |
every point to the average well-kept do
nestle horse. They have great endurance,
some Of them being able to carry a man
seventy miles between suns in an emer- |
sency and their recuperative power Is |
wonderful. The best horses 1 captured |
we're domestic horses that had run wild, or |
horses that had been foaled by runaway
domestic mares Bays, sorrels and duns
we're the usual colors; mixed color was
are"
Williamson pursued the largest band he |
could find Notwithstanding great precau-
ion, the horses would take fright at first |
Ind run for ten or twelve miles before |
topping Williamson tried to keep in
light of them If possible, and always made |
t point to be close to them at shutdown,
s they sought water at that time. and if
III night. If startled. however. they would
move. and before morning would be miles
way from the spot. They were going at
he first streak of dawn. After being fol-
esq wary, and Williamson would begin
eaching them to drive. A remarkable
Of wild horses is that if an
tempt Is made to ride to the right of
hem. for instance. for the purpose Of turn
lg them to the left, they will Invariably
olt to the right and run directly across
he path Of their pursuers. 1t requires
luch time and patience to teach them to
ad won his first point when he had taught
Is horses to be driven. He then began
irving them In a circle, which at first had n
large circumference. As the horses grew
e grew smaller. until It's diameter did
OF exceed quarter Of a mile. Then they
ere taught another lesson. A long lariat
as stretched on the ground. and in the
lgacious and quick to suspect trap. The | I
,pe always frightened them greatly at
rst. but in time they grew accustomed to
, and could be driven across it.
Shared.
Williamson was now ready for business I
he lariat was strongly anchored in the s
round by tying 1t to a buried log. The
est horses Of the outfit were brought out
nd saddled. Riding as swiftly as possible. !
g now started the wild horses moving in +
circle and kept after them until hts own l
orse was exhausted. An assistant took S
Is place and maintained the swift pace. c
efore a great while colt would give out s
nd drift toward the center of the circle, t
here 1T would be Joined by it's mother. A
Ind of wild horses will not desert one an n
her, and there was no longer any fear C
lat the running horses would bolt from o
e circle in which they were moving. In s
Ie free end of the lariat a big running II
bose had been tied. As the circle grew b
Mailer the horses would begin running n
,er the moose. One of Williamson's help 81
8 kept close watch and gave a strong pull c.
the lariat when he saw that horse had
epped into the moose. The horse would
II, shared by the foot. A heavy log chain q
out three feet long was then fastened to
70 of it's forelegs with a leather strap and Il
e horse turned loose. The animal would
ring to it's feet and start away at break C.
ok speed. only to turn a somersault