The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1906-02-03
GALLOPED TO FREEDOM.
Speed Saved Life of Former Slave
Who Fled to Mexico.

Monterey, Mexico. February s.
Charles Hunt, colored, who runs a
large business establishment in Mon |
terey, has had many exciting adven- |
/ lures He was in Mexico during |
| Maximillian' brief reign. He was |
/ born a slave in Mississippi, where he |
! belonged to a young doctor. AS a |
boy Hunt was permitted to learn to |
read, and Jared as one of the family. |
With a younger brother and two |
neighboring negro boys he planned |
to run away to freedom. Securing
good riding horses, one evening a J
short time before bedtime they de- {
termined to head for Texas and cross |
the Rio Grande. Ordinarily little |
suspicion would be aroused by negroes |
riding along the country road singly, i
since they We're often sent in this !
way on pyramids. The boys were
| aware of this, and scattered as soon
as the sun came out. They rode that
day until the horses were almost ex-
hausted and the riders weary and
blistered, when they halted After
a few hours of rest they got into mo-
ton again and travelled until mid
4 night, when another halt was neces-
sary. The next morning Hunt, the
{ only one in the party who could read,
encountered a poster in the village
through which they passed which
gave a description of the fleeing ne
groes and offered $1,000 for their
capture From this time on the par
] ty travelled exclusively by night until
nearly across Texas, when they heard |
horsemen accommodating, and con-
q Guided it was searching party. The
only chance of safety was flight They
were just out of the woods when the
chase 1t was a struggle of horse
flesh against horseflesh, The pur-
suers, although not so we'll mounted,
had the advantage of fresh horses.
After awhile the negroes became a
ware that their mounts were slowing
down, while those of their pursuers
were gradually gaining The Rio
n Grande was some ten miles ahead
4 Suddenly one of the pursuers raised
his gun and fired. The shot threw
Is dust behind the fleeing boys. The
pursuers yelled for the boys to stop,
y, but they only urged the horses the
d, more. and separated suddenly, each
n riding in a different direction
es At this point Hunts story is nc
others OF the party He heard nC
!. more OF them until years afterward
r. Two OF the party continued To follow
.r him. while the rest. eight or ten IL
number, went in pursuit OF the 9th
ne ers Hunt was fired al repeatedly
Ia hut the rapid speed saved his life
=" once. when they were pressing hin
'' very closely. hv turned and fired a
,. thy nearest man The man reelcd II
-, his saddle bur finally stcadtcd him
an self ~, dropped out OF the rae
re auNtyyT
'E. Of $3.50 los growing duas, and st
F river was rot over Two miles distant
Ihis dlHar,y ASS soon covered AZ
II. iluri .sd from hts s'sNgrun
~. hurss. thrvp thy san iuio the uYel
r. aftrr nrar tt- other barrel az hi
.pusa~f. and u4eted his @aY aefos
ths fNsT awtmmtnE tea places sss
wadiur ~trre fhv fssvF waA shalloS
ga tie reached thr Mexican back 81,
AK hAaalrd ba. aulnlurvd
"a PEE Omitted to thr capital. ~hef
.4r As aaw MAMMALIAN te@ rnaHFtu ID
II fufr Do tatfsFa vxseufian