The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-06-04
10000 MAD STEERS
Frenzied by Fear They Make a
Wild Stampede.
The PERIL OF THE COWBOYS



Every one who has lived in the West
or Southwest IS more or less familiar
with the frcakiSh tendency Of large
body Or herd OF cattle to become
frightened and stampede, often Upon
apparently slight provOcation. 1t is
also well known by Cow punchcrS,
that when herd has once started on
its mad figat it is as irresistible and
dangerous as Il Kansas cyclone. In
this connection Col! William ?. Blount
Of the Indian Territory, now in Wash
ingtOn for the purpose Of promoting
the canse Of single Statehood for that
Territory and Oklahoma, IS authority
for the following description of what
was in all probability the biggest and
most disastrous stampede OF Texas
steers ever recorded.
In the early summer CT 1899,
said Col. Blount, L was employed
with a dozen or more COW puncherS'
from the Territory and Western Kan
Sas by the Wilson Brothers. who were
noted Texas cattlemen. to assist in
driving upward Of $4,000 head OF the
big Texas steers from the rendezvous
in Northern Texas across the Indian
Territory to the vicinity Of Dodge
City, Kan. The pace at which we
were oblige to travel was quite SLOW,
as a matter Of course. for the reason
that we allowed the cattle to Craze
along the entire route. and from eight
to ten miles were fair days journey.
This immense herd was being taken
up to Kansas to pasture and other
wise fatten for the Eastern markets.
We had been on our nOrthWard
Journey for about two and a half or
three weeks, perhaps, and had crossed
into the indian Territory some seven
ty-tive miles, when one evening. just
dark, we encamped near a small stream
of water on a sort Of rolling prairie,
where there was an abundance OF
grass. In the distance to the west
about eight or ten miles could be seen
the Shadowy outline Of a low line OF
hills. and between our camp and these
hills. about three miles distant, was
one of those canonS peculiar TO that
region, and which was not visible IN
til one approached within d half mile
of it, and even then no adequate idea
could be obtained of its width or depth.
All of the members Of our party knew
of it's existence and locality. and Tor
this reason we had given it. as we
thought. sufficiently wide berth.
This canon at the point nearest to our
camp that night was fully 1o0 feet
deep, and from 80 to 90 feet wide, and
its walls were nearly perpendicular.
It's direction in that locality was near
" north and south.
During the entire afternoon the
air had been hot and 'muggy, with
not suspicion CT breeze. The sky
was overcast with lowhaDging, fog
like clouds, which in the distance ap-
peared to touce the earth. AS dark
ness came on the cattle ceased feec-
ing. and all lay down as quietly ana
contentendly as so many mich COWS,
and everything bade fair for a quiet
night. The animals appeared to feel
the oppressive heat quite as much'as
wedid. had staked my horse some dis
tance from the herd, spread my blan-
ket near him and gone to bed SO TO
speak, using my saddle for a pillow.
l couldn't 60 to sleep for some unac-
.countable reason, although it may
have been on account Of the exhaust
ing heat of the days work. l was
awake at 10 o'clock, when one of the
Wilson boys came over where l was
lying and said:
Bill. l don't exactly like this death
" quiet. 1t makes me nervous. 1t
seems as if something out Of the ordl-
nary was going to happen. I've no
ticed a considerable amount OF heat
Tightening and it's beginning to make
the steers restless I woulden't be a
bit surprised if there was big thun-
der storm here before morning, ana II
there is there's going to be trouble
with them critters. I've told ali the
bows to saddle their ponies and be
ready at moments notice. II the
steers get on a rampage, to turn lhem
eastward away from the big hole in
the ground over there, pointing in the
direction of the canon.
The atmospheric electricity. as
haE already observed while Wilson
was talking to me, was becoming more
FREQUENT and lighted up the smooth.
polished horns OF the reclining animals
with sort Of ghostly glow, producing
decidedly weird effect. | could also
see that the steers were becoming
more and more uneasy. and here ana
there l noticed a big steer rise up and
act as is he shifted danger OF some
sort. In the meantime | had saddlcG
nv horSerand was waiting whatever
might turn up. The silence still re-
manned unbroken, except by the low:
intermittent, maulding grumol!ngS
of a Young Mexican half breed. who
had, earlier in the evening, Surreptl-
tiously broken into the stores IN the
,commissary wagon and helped him
self TO an overload Of red liquor, which
the Wilson's had brought along as az
:antidote for snake bites.
1T is fact well known to ali cat
tie men that whenever animals SIAM
pede there are always score or more
of steers known as leaders, which
make the first break. the balance Of
the herd blindly following their lead.
Every man in. our party carried at
least one six-shOoter, ana some had a
pair of them. and they were instruct
ed. in the event OF stampede to ride
alongside these leaders, on the SIDE
opposite t. The direction IN when II
- WV, +bo,O and To fire