The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1920-10-28
his R / I Nous ]
Remarkable Feat Of Freighter Of
the Early Days.
Traversed Eight Hundred MiIea on
Horseback, In Five Days and Thir-
teen Hours, Record Never
Since Equaled.

Il Alexander Majors. a pioneer freight
er, whose determined foresight estab
. lished Kansas City as the great trad
ing post of the Southwest and t.
whose memory the erection Of monu
ment was suggested at the time of hii
death, Jan. IA. 1900. give the follow
ing description Of F. X. Aubrey's fa.
nous ride:
zone of the most remarkable feata
ever accomplished was made by F.
X. Aubrey, who travelled the distance
of 300 miles. between Santa Fee, 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 change Of horses only once
in every one hundred or two hundred
miles. He kept 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 he 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
to ride 500 miles in the time he did
took his life in his hands. There Is
perhaps not one man in million who
could have lived to finish such a Jour-
ney.
aubrey was Canadian French
man., of low stature. short limbs built
like jackscrew, and was in the very
zenith of his manhood. full of pluck |
and daring.
1T was said he made this ride upon
a bet of $f;008 THAT he could cover
the distance in eight days.
"One year previous to this, in 1852,
he made a bet he could do the same |
in ten days. The result was
he Travelled It in little over eight
days, hence his bet he could make the
ride in 1858 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
ng his years Of freighting. met him
when he was making his famous ride
It point on the Santa Fe road called
Rabbit Ear. He passed my train at a
'ull gallop without asking single
question as to the danger Of Indians
head of him. |!
after his business between st.
4ouis and Santa Fe ceased. his love
or adventure and his daring enter
rise prompted him to make a trip
rom New Mexico to California with
heep. which he disposed OF at good
rices. and returned to New Mexico.
Immediately upon his return he
let friend. Major Weightman Of
Re United States army, who was a
reat admirer Of his pluck and daring. g
'eightman was at that time editor c
small paper called the Santa Fe e
'erald. At their meeting, as was the 4
lstom Of the time, they called for I
Kinks. Their glasses were flied and I
ley were ready to drink. when Au-
rev asked Weightman why he had .
lblished damned lie about his trip t
California. Instead Of taking his
ink. Weightman tossed the contents
his glass In Aubrey's face. Aubrey
AIDE motion to draw his pistol and 0
loot. when WeIghtman. knowing the '
niger, drew his knife and stabbed a
lbrey through the heart. from which a
ow he dropped dead upon the floor. I
'sThe whole affair was enacted in 81
le OR two seconds. From the time le
ey started to take friendly drink 8,
I Aubrey was lying dead on the 81
'or less time elapsed than It takes b.
foil tho story ~ a