The Washington times., 1906-02-04

When the first OF the eattlemen came
into the San kemos Valley they Ioohd
a drove cf wild horses numbering
thirty The drove was lea bV gray
stallion whose beauty and G-eyucss lad
a., en- the talk of DrOSD -ctors- tt.tppt r.
and Indians for two years Inc INDIANS
had made various lJcmpts 10 capture
the leader, and having failed IN all had
ceased 10 harass him. believing Inn
under fls protection Of Eulrit.
The catI!emen had come TO regard Wild
horses a $ a nuisance 70 T. abitcd IN
heir rOamings by uiGbt they caused
.5tampedes and nc Itla damage. and
with the advent of the third herd o;
cattle in the valley the ediCt wen forth
20 kin The white men and Indians
would have none uf IT. hut FIVE tair
breeds were employed TO stalk the drove
and lessen lis numbers one by one
Even they could not bring themselves
10 shoot the leader. though opportunity
offered many times. one by one the
others were slaughJeded. until. at the
end Of three months. only the king OF
the drove was left
When the gray stallion was left soli-
"a Nd alone il was determined 10
m, -- great effort 10 capture him lie
had a l.nge Of ninety miles one way
and thirty the other There were scrub
and prairie and foothills. There were
rivers and creeks and ravines. II had
been found that he could hide himself
almost as we'll as of. And, to-, as
the herd diminished and he was harass-
ed and annoyed. he grew bad tempered
In broad daylight he charged two COW
bows and tore one form his saddle and
crippled him for life. At midnight he
charged the camp Of some immigrants
and nut their stock To flight and bit and
trampled three persons under mis- hoOfS.
4 squad 0f seven soldiers out from the
fort after fuel we're eating their noon
day meal amidst the pines when the
gray stallion came out of thicket with
ears laid back and mouth open. and
sent them scattering in panic.
\ belated stage coach over on the
San Louis read. where wild horses had
never been seen, was crawling along
one night when out Of the darker
shadows spTang the gay stallion with
IA scream of anger and attacked the
leaders. He bit and tore and struck.
The stage was hurled into the often
and three passengers badly hurt and
one OF the four horses was so badly
used that he did not live aH hour.
Herds OF cattle lying down for the night
and chewing the cud Of contentment
were routed up and sent flying for
miles by the sudden advent Of the gray
horse.
Had men admired him les he would
have been meTcilessly hunted down.
As it was. they made plans 10 take him
captive on certain day and date
sixty liut-i = were SAaAiDllttl aL Ia inca
points in the valley and forty men on
foot guarded certain scrub forests in
which the victim might seek to hide.
A hundred determined men in all. and
how could a lone horse hope TO escape
the net to be drawn around him?
At sunrise the hundred were ready.
For ninety miles east and west. and
for thirty miles north and south, they
waited for the gray horse. Each mount
ed man was 20 pursue the fugitive for
five miles only, going at the top of lis
speed. Then men on foot were TO fire
their rifles and add to the poor beasts
panic.
As II the plans of men had been
whispered in his ear and as if he babe
defiance TO them and was anxious for
the struggle, the gray horse was at the
lower end OF the valley when the sun
rose. BY means Of flags and signal fires
the news was communicated TO all and