White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-05-20

~ 1i& 80
the article written by viii James,
which appeared in the last issue o!
the Saturday Evening Post, entitled
'Pinon and the Wild Ones" it in
reality refers to this county and the
author spent considerable time here,
his experiences Of their nature being
unfortunate.
District Attorney II. w. Edwards
says James was a nice kid and that
one could not help hut like him,
but that he got into trouble, for
which he was more the victim of as
sociations than being the one to
blame. At that time Mr.. Edwards
was justice of the peace in Ely and
Anthony ZURICH was district attorney
The story is a most fascinating one
about roping and trapping wild
horses on the Nevada deserts and Is
handsomely illustrated by pen draw
ings by the author. These are some
of the most real of any horse pictures
ever drawn and will compare not UNI
f%avorably With those OF Remington,
whose request, made years before his
death, was faithfully carried out,
that the words "He Knew a Horye"
be ehiseled at the base of the mon
ument oyer his grave.
These horse sketches of James
have attracted national attention for
several years, but the analogy of his
life tc that of o. Henry. who served
\ prison term in Texas for the crime
of another while he was working as
this, together with his marvellous
skill AS an artist and hardly less
ability as a story writer. seem to at
tract further attention to him, with
a possible fame that at this time can
hardly be estimated or appraised.
This story tells of the various
schemes for roping and trapping wild
horses on the northern Arizona and
Nevada desert. from the Buckskin
mountains north. While lot giving
the name of White Pine county, the
fact Of james having been here SO
much makes the location unm.s-
taxable.
In the first half of the story he re-
flutes or attempts to refute many of
the old theories about wild horses
and the manners of their catching.
He gives them credit for a great deaf.
more wisdom than most horsemen Of
the desert country have eve credited
them with. He tells of he blind
traps with wings which are familiar
TO every person who yer rode the
range or chased these animals. Some
Of them he says had wings a mile
long and as James puts it, with eight
foot height and strong wire netting
they would be "a humbinger of a
place 10 run a horsethief into; he'd
sure have to hoof it from there on,
cause no horse could 20 through IL"
he declares the horses soon get
wise to human wiles ard to the loca-
ticu OF these traps. so thai they viii
them. This is contrary to the gen.
era belief among wild horse sharrs,
who claim that a horse Will never
leave its range. possibly WITH the one
exceptional situation OF all water
up or being denied IL
Mr.. James says. too, that when
traps are concealed in n horse
on its way to water the horses
will get onto them and MOI use the
trail, and tina. they win even drive
ahead of them. forcing them to
the traps OF get caught Ia
them. Kidding the trail of their pres
That is another new one, and
while it has not been heard of be-
fore and appears Incredible IL is yet
possible.
Another phase of the story he tells
is that, contrary to the general be-
lief, mares are the leaders ~ these
mustang punches and not staliicns.
He says the stations generally run
as much as half a mile behind the
bunch when they are being chased
and the mares take the role of lead
ers. The accepted opirior is that
the stations are the real Leaders and
do all the head work What the
mares do is believed to- be uLder dt-
rect compassion. as the stations will
fight them end half kin them If they
do not obey orders.
His accounts of the fighting of
stations and the winner taking over
the band of mares II only n rs at
issue or both OF them il two stall
lions meet, each commanding a band.
are in harmony with the accepted
theories based on much experience
and observation.
Anecdotes of horses. stations es-
pecially, breaking their necks by
running into the wire OF the fences
holding them when corraled have
been of frequent occurrence in all
mustang country. and a thrilling one
OF these he relates. But n he tells
of a black stallion which had been
corraled once before clearing a nine
foot fence on the second occasion
and leaving the country In a canter
taxes credulity.
The main faatura and n GSt faS-