, 1884-11-22

band seen ia st. Louis since the collapse
of Haverly's minstreIs. The band came
marching down Olive street with bIare Of
trumpets, cymbals sounding and followed
by a highly excited crowd of boys lost in
admiration, The appearance of the must
clans was sufficiently grotesque to St.
Louis eyes to warrant the unqucnchable
enthusiasm Of the small boy. The first
man bore a CORY, flaming, bully-rag0ing
crimson banner. bearing an inscription
which vouchsafed the information that
the aforesaid standard had been presented
to the cowboy band by a citizen Of Dodge
City worth $50, 900, 900. Next came
Captain J. s. WEIGH. drum major, with
out a staff, but waving his hands in an
imploring manner, thereby melting the
musicians to still greater efforts. But
the costume Of the band was gorgeous.
It was wild; it was ne plus ultra, sui
generis and superb. The inseparable
gray-white slouch hat with a
band, on which was inscribed:
Cowboy Band, of Dodge City, Kansas"
and bearing also the picture of a steer,
branded, each hat bearing a different
brand, thus, X. K, L. X, a hook and
circle, etc, covered the head of each horn
blower. A blue flannel shirt. leather leg
gins Of a conventional type, bandana
handkerchief around the throat, belt, with
a eix-chambered, ivory-handled Colts re-
v%olver, and fierce spurs, completed the
genuine cowboy costume. The band
played good music, too, aud the crowd
kept growing larger and larger at each
step, and accompanied the youths ideals
Of noble manhood to the very doors of the
Southern. Our band is composed of
eighteen men besides myself" said Cap
tain J. S. WEIGH, Drum Major. when APP
preached at the Southern, all of en-
being genuine cowboys. During the Win
ter months they come in from the ranches
and practice in Dodge. They are all good
musicians, and can play the most difficult
music at sight. Here is their note-bo
and you can sec for yourself that the Sc
l~ections PLAYED by the band are Of no
mean order. The book had difficult va
r~iations on themes from Trovatore,"
Faust. " "Mascotse, " and also such Sc
l~ections as the Grand Army 0uickstepp
and Others Of a fair degree Of excellence.
Some of the Delegates are displeased
with the band and a number denounced it
in strong terms. Among that number a
Colorado Delegate said;
We feel that the cowboy band Is ont Of
place at the convention as long as its
members persist in making a parade of
their reyolven and leggings. 1t is pain
fully true people in the East have been
led TO believe that a greater portion of the
cattlemen Of the Southwest and Far West
are, as a rule, desperate characters; and
that We roam about the prairies armed to
the teeth with knives and revolvers. We
want to dispel this idea, as it places us in
a false light before the world. Years ago,
when we were likely to run into a bunch
of Indians at any moment, we were COM
PEELED to take great precautions and go
heavily armed when we followed our cat
tie. Times have changed, however. since
then, and the necessity for revolvers no
longer exists. On many ranches cowboys
are not allowed to carry revolver. To
day the average cowboy is as good an
average American citizen as can be found
in any part of the country. This is the
case owing to the fact that cattle herders
positively refuse to employ a man who has
been discharged by some other cattle
grower. We are, as a rule, gentlemen,
and we object to any kind of a show calcu-
lated to compromise US in the estimation
of the people of ST. Louis.