Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-06-28

ghost may find his way upon his long dark jour
ney. After that they light no more fires. az they
consider that the dead man has had time to finish
his journey.
Whether Ascensio grew deranged suddenly or
whether It vas q slow And gradual process, no
one can ever know. yet the fact remains that he
came to believe in the religion Of the Indians
with some variations and startling effects OF his
own. believing, as he did, that death was only
road by which man passed into longer and moro
enduring. though not necessarily an eternal life,
he conceived the idea of building up fortune
for himself Ia that future life.
In AscensioS diseased brain there arose the
idea that whatever he slew in this world would
be his property IN the next On that point he
was maniac; on all others. perfectly sane. Now
began the series Of thefts which made Brunel's
name known from the Rio Negro to the Magellan
straits. One after another he raided the horse
farms near the coast, drove away much of the
stock as he could. and, shaking on his pursuers
in every instance. escaped into the widest parts
Of the pampas
So for long time for years indeed. Ascensio
Brunei the Wild Man of Santa Cruz. lived his
life beyond the reach OF the short arm of the Ar
gentine law. Comasarios hunted him, various
Jueces de Paz detained about him. and the garri-
son OF cavalry in Chubut "bolted their beef. and
started again on the track OF the thief" And
then suddenly. one morning, the news flew across
the countryside that the Wild Man had been cap
tured. 1t was true. The way of 1t was a. fol-
lows:
In the very heart Of Patagonia, upon the banks
of river called the Mayo lived, and indeed still
live. tribe Of Tehueche Indians, the tallest and
perhaps the strongest people on EARTH They are
hunters and horse breeders, wonderful riders and
good men. They worship horsemansbip and have
a number Of strange rites which they practice at
the birth of pan child in order to insure that
he shall turn out good rider.
into the natule Of those rites we need not go.
They very cruel. I merely mention them
that you may understand what task the WILD
Man set himself when he decided to steal hun
dred mares from men such as these peerless rid
ers, trained in evsry phase Of horsemanship, much
of whose lives H. spent in searching for strayed
horses and who ride hundred miles a day
without fatigue.
1t appears that the herd Of mares that Ascensic
stole were feeding in vega or marsh that
stretches on the southern banks OF the Mayo. No
one was watching them, and, as they were well
used to their pasturage it seemed unlikely that
they would stray. Therefore, when shortly after
dawn an Indian lad came galloping to the toldos
with the news that yfe mares had disappeared. the
men OF the tribe soon on horseback and rid
ing upon their trail.
Hard on the trail the Indians rode all day, and
before sunset they were aware OF a man clad in
skins driving the mares before him. Swiftly some
OF the pursuers closed in on him, while others rode
to cut him of by canadon or rift In the pampas
winch lay ACROSS his PATH Had 1t not been for
this canadon the Wild Man would never. in all
probability, have beea taken
AS 1t was, he gallopei down the sheer wall or 1t.
out only to find himself cut OF by the Indians who
mad been detached from the main body by the
cacique for the purpose. Riding in upon him the
lno'ans flung their heavy boleandor~s-the
Tehuelche weapon of three rawhide thongs each
weighted at the end with ball of stone--which
cntaneiea the legs OF the Wild Mans horse and
Drousnt II crashing to the ground. On the ground
the Indians captured tho Wild Man, snarlh1g and
hiAng.
They did not slay the Wild Man, but bosnd him