Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1920-10-29
HIS RIDE FAMOUS
Remarkable Feat OF Freighter oi
the Early Days.
Traversed Eight Hundred Miles, on
Horseback, in Five Days and Thir-
teen Hours, a Record Never
Since Equaled.

Alexander Majors. a pioneer freight
er. whose determined foresight estab-
lished Kansas City as the great trad
ing post of the Southwest. and 10
whose memory the erection OF a monu-
ment was suggested at the time Of nis
death. Jan. IA. 1900, gave the follow
ing description of f. X. Aubrey's IA
nous ride
zone of the most remarkable feats
ever accomplished was made by r.
X. Aubrey who travelled the distance
of 800 miles between Santa Fe, ~.
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 q 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
III 10 In, Thnra a
perhaps not one man in million who
could have lived to finish such jour
ney.
"Auhrev was n 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.
"It was said he made this ride upon
bet Of $1,000 that he could cover
the dIstaLce In eight days.
Zone year previous to this. In 1892.
he made bet he could do the same
distance IN ten days. The result was
he Travelled " In n fiffie over eight
DAYS. hence his bet he conid make the
ride in 1879 In eight davs
II was well acquainted and did con
siderable business with Aubrey dur
ing his years of freighting. I met him
when he was making his famous ride
at a roint on the Santa Fe road called
Rabbit Ear. He passed my train at a
| fun gallop without asking 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
sheen. which he disposed Of at good
prices. and returned to New Mexico.
"Immediately upon his return he
met friend Major Weightman of
| the rnited 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 flied and
thev were ready 70 drink. when An.
hrev asked Weightnan why he had
published dnmned lie about his trip
to California. Instead Of taking his
drink We'ghtman tossed the contents
nj his glass in Auhrey's face. Auhrev
made q motion 70 draw his pistol and
shoot when Weightman, krowirc the
| dancer. drew his knife ard stabbed
Aubrey through the heart from which
blow he dropped dead upon the floor
"The whole affnir was enacted In
| one or two seconds. From the rime
they started to take friendly drink
| tiIl Aubrey was lying dead on the
floor less time elapsed than II takes
| to tell the story"