Fergus County argus., 1902-05-07
cowsoWs MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
Fell Over a slxty-five Foot Bluff
While Chasing a Calf.


and enjoy a well-earned relaxation
after days and nights of unremitting
toll on the cattle ranges. He is even
now adapting himself to the altered
conditions OF rapidly advancing civi.
lization, but no matter into what
walk of life he drifts after quitting the
range the memory of the days spent
In the dust and toll OF the corral or
the free life of the circuit rider never
leaves him and he is ever ready to re-
late experiences which to the unini-
tiated seem a little short of the mirac-
ulous.
One day last week Bill Deaton and
Charles Kimball. who helped trail In
some Of the first cattle that were
turned loose on the Montana ranges,
and who had not met for the past If
teen years, were talking over old
times and experiences on the Wy
oming line, and among others was the
following remarkable occurrence of
which they were both eyewitnesses.
Charlie Kimball was working on the
Little Powder river and Cottonwood
roundup at the time, for the Standard
Cattle Co., whose headquarters were
on the 101 ranch, on the Belle
Fouche. Bill Deaton was engaged in
gathering trail cattle belonging to a
couple of outfits that had lately come
north, and was camping with the
roundup, which was at the time on
Little Powder river opposite the 2.
v. ranch. It was in 1884 and BILLY"
Ricketts, was the captain of the out
fit and will doubtless be remembered
by many old-timers as the foreman
of the Half Circle L ranch. 1t was
the calf roundup and large number
of reps were busy cutting out the
various brands preparatory to turn
ih6 thSh uuhCu udCh Ou tuC uOLuc
range; among these was "Mitten"
Brocket, Texas man who had come
over the trail short time previous
ly and was working for the Mitten
outfit.
Brocket had his bunch cut out and
was ready to start back when a year
ling calf made a break for the big
herd, and on Brocket trying to turn
him, headed for a steep cut bank
short distance away. In the excite
ment of the chase neither the pursu-
er or the pursued noticed the close
ness of the danger ahead nor needed
the shouts of the boys until directly
on the brink of the bluff. The calf
threw out his front feet and rough
locked to stop himself, Dut too late.
for Brocket's horse, going at full
speed, struck him from behind, and
horse, rider and calf were precipi-
tated to the bottom of the ravine, a
distance of about sixty-five feet. Sew
eral of the boys reached the spot as
the outfit started over the brink and
could hear the sickening thuds as the
horse struck projecting points of the
bluff in the rapid descent. Brocket
was given up for dead and party,
among whom were Bill Deaton and
Charles Kimball, started down the
lower trail for the purpose of bring
ing back the body of their comrade
to camp. AS the boys reached the
bottom of the ravine expectant eyes
were. turned in the direction of the
spot where 1t was supposed that a
badly mangled corpse would be found
lying underneath dead and mutilat-
ed horse. On coming around sharp
point of rock the boys were consid-
erably surprised to find Brocket calm
ly seated on his defunct steed, en-
gagged in the delicate operation of roll
ing pill" In a few moments he
was the center of an astonished group
Of cow-punchers who piled him with
all manner of queries concerning the
manner of his descent, and as to how
he landed.
kinder shook up fellers, but guess
I'm as good as seven dead men yet"
said Brocket. as he stood up and
staggered around a little. How did
/ come down? Well, we all came
down in bunch, and it seemed that
the birds had time to build nest in
my back hair before we struck the
ground"
Though pretty weak from the ef.
fects of the shock. Brocket was able
to go on the trail with his bunch in
a few days and declared he felt as
good as ever.
After the close of the story the
two old cow-punchers sat watching
the rings of cigar smoke mingle slow
ly with the surrounding atmosphere
until the silence that had settled on
the audience, which had gathered
during the recital, was broken by Bill,
who said: "The horse was laying all
busted up. and say, Charlie. don't you
remember how funny that fool calf
looked with the hair singed of both