Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1920-11-10
HIS RIDE FAMOUS
Remarkable Feat of Freighter of
the Early Days.
Traversed Eight Hundred Miles, on
Horseback. in Five Days and Thir-
teen Hours, a Record Never
Since EquaIed.


Alexander Majors. a pioneer freight
er. whose determined foresight estab-
listed Kansas City as the great trad
ing post of the Southwest. and TO
whose memory the erection Of monu-
ment was suggested at the time of his
death. Jan. IA, 1900, gave the follow
ing description of f. Y Aubrey's IA
nous ride:
Zone of the most remarkable feats
ever accomplished was made by f.
Y. Aubrey, who travelled the distance
of 500 miles, between Santa Fe, n.
NJ. and independence, Mo, In five
days and thirteen hours. This ride,
in my opinion, in one respect was the
most remarkable one ever made by
any man. The entire distance was
ridden without stopping to rest, and
having a change of horses only once
in every one hundred or two hundred
miles. He kept a led horse by his
side most of the time, so that when the
one he was riding gave out entirely
he changed the saddle to the extra
horse. left the horse he had been rid
ing and went on again at full speed
AT the time he made this ride, in
much of the territory lie passed
through he was liable to meet hostile
Indians. so that his adventure was
daring in more ways than one. In the
first place. the man who attempted
10 ride 500 miles in the time he did
took his life in his hands. There is
perhaps not one man in a million who
could have lived to finish such a jour
ney.
Aubrey was a Canadian French
man. of low stature, short limbs, built
like a jackscrew, and was in the very
zenith of his manhood. full of pluck
and daring.
sit was said he made this ride upon
bet of $1,000 that he could cover
the distance in eight days.
zone year previous to this, in 1852.
he made a bet he could do the same
distance In ten days. The result was
he travelled it in a little over eight
days. hence his bet he could make the
ride in 1853 in eight days, the result
of that trip showing he consumed lit
tie more than half that time
II was well acquainted and did con-
siderable business with Aubrey dur
ing his years of freighting. met him
when he was making his famous ride
at a point on the Santa Fe road called
Rabbit Ear. He passed my train at a
full gaIlop without asking a single
question as to the danger of Indians
ahead of him.
"After his business between st.
Louis and Santa Fe ceased. his love
for adventure and his daring enter
prise prompted him to make trip
from New Mexico to California with
sheep. which he disposed of at good
prices. and returned to New Mexico.
Immediately upon his return he
met a friend. Major Weightman of
the United States army, who was a
great admirer of his pluck and daring.
Weightman was at that time editor
of small paper called the Santa Fe
Herald. At their meeting. as was the
custom of the time. they called for
drinks. Their glasses were filed and
they were ready to drink. when Au-
brey asked Weightman why he had
published a damned lie about his trip
to California. Instead of taking his
drink, Weightman tossed the contents
IF his glass in Aubrey's face. AUBREY
made a motion TO draw his pistol and
shoot. when Weightman, knowing the
danger, drew his knife and stabbed
Aubrey through the heart. from which
blow he dropped dead upon the floor.
1.-The whole affair was enacted in
one or two seconds. From the time
they started to take a friendly drink
TIL Aubrey was lying dead on the
floor less time elapsed than it takes
TO tell the story"