Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-05
On the back Of Wild and frenzied desert

In his valuable book Dodge City, Cowboy
Capital" Bob Wright tells this story las an
example Of plains civilization" On the night
of May ~, 1884. . Nebraska ranchman named
Wilson found young EnglishmAn with Will
sons wife. Aided by three cowboys, the
eranchman stripped the Englishman, "mutilated
him" and tied him on the back Of a mustang.
Then they cut the horse across the launches
with COW whip and, without bride or hacka-
more, turned him loose on the unfenced
prairies.
Seven days later the Englishman
cued 200 miles distant During the seven
days he had not had food or water and he
had not been able to loosen limb from the
knotted ropes He lived.
The bad men called themselves long riders"
and many a bold tale they added to the riding
tradition Of the West. In his very readable
autobiography, Hard Knocks" dong out of
PRINT. Harry Young. old time mule skinner.
cowboy and barkeeper tells the boldest and
most desperate long rider" yarn that
know Of
In the Spring of 1872 Tucson" Kessler,
half-breed Sioux rode up to a cabin on the
Laramie called to the door harmless old
Mexican wood chopper who lived within, and
shot him dead. Kessler was captured, taken
to Cheyenne, tried and sentenced to be
hanged. He was kept in jail, his hands man
acled and his feet shackled with only six
inches Of chains between the ankles. At the
rear of the Jail a stable in which the
sheriff kept his coal-hlack saddle horse, con-
sidered the best in wyoming"
About o'clock on the evening previous to
the day which he was to be hanged, Tue
son" KeSsler mysteriously escaped jail. At
o'clock next morning Nick Jennesse, q squaw
man who had o little rancho on the Platte
30 miles from Cheyenne, saw Kessler swim
ming the river. The horse that Kessler rode
was the sherid's coal-black. Nick cut the
chain that bound the outlaw Indians feet
together and filed Of his handouts.
Nick later described Kesslers manner Of rid
ing thus He was spread out on his stomach.
his feet resting on the horses loins and his
hands down on the horses withers, holding the
bride reins. But how any man handcuhed and
shackled as Kessler was could bride and mount
a horse and then ride him 80 miles in IL hours
Is yet q miracle. The man who rides for his
life has a spur that no blacksmith ever forged
q cunning and power that no riding master
ever OWNED.
Still, the Texas Rangers, who roped in hun
dreds Of Tong riders" set q pace on horseback
that has seldom been surpassed Sixty years
ago when Cortina, 1.-The Red Bandit OF the
Border" was making raids across the Rio
Bravo Capt. McNelly's Rangers rode go miles
between noon and darkness over . rough,
brushy, muddy country that it took troop
Of United States Cavalry, that followed them.
two days to cover.
No tale of the spur ever told is more heroic
than that Of the race of Portuguese" Phillips
against torture and death in the killing cold
of Wyoming Territory blizzard.
I ATE December of the terrible Winter of 1866
found a little band of troops-the kind that
Frederic Remington knew and made immortal
-holed up at Fort Phil Kearney. There were
lie men, including all civilian employees, and
there were women and children. A few miles
from the fort, Red Cloud, at the head of 5000
Sioux warriors, had just annihilated Fetter-
mans detachment Of 81 soldiers. The 5000
warriors now encircled the fort. 1t the
night Of December II. The thermometer stood
at 20 degrees below zero. So intense the
cold that the sentries had to be relieved every
Is minutes. The drifting snow was hourly
shoveled back from the walls of the stockade
50 as to prevent the formation of bridge of
entrance for the beleaguering Sioux. No officer
slept
Destruction and worse seemed imminent un-
less help could be secured. The nearest help
was at Fort Laramie, 236 miles down the bleak
and empty Bozeman Trail The commanding
Officer Darlington, asked for a volunteer mes
senger.
Portuguese" Phillips answered the call He
had been a Hudson Bay Co. trapper He knew
the country like q coyote. He had lived for
years among the Sioux, and had married one
Of their squaws. He filled his pockets with
dried meat and bareback, tied a bag OF grain
on his horse, and about midnight began his
perilous journey.
The utmost precaution must be used in get
ting through the Indian lines. Red Cloud
would be looking for q messenger to go out.
Phillips plan was to crawl leading his horse,
until he could get past danger of detection He
had lariat 60 feet long. His horse was pure
white selected on account Of his color as well
as nettle, for a white horse cannot we'll be seen
against white snow A horse carrying an empty
saddle Is likely to shake himself making
siderable noise. So Phillips led his horse forth
without saddle.
For hours he crawled, paused listened felt
his way, led his horse. Then he mounted bare