St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-05
AMONG THE COWBOYS.
Life and Characteristics of This Sup
posed Lawless Glass.
Throwing the Lasso--Tales Around
the Campfire

TO the country, are totally different from
their brethren a few miles further south.
for there is as much difference between the
cowboys OF Montana and the cowboys of
Texas as there is between our New Eng
land Yankees and our New Orleans CTeOles.
In short, there has grown UP with the mar
velOus increase of the cattle industry an
other set of beings that are very much I'M
Ike the herderS of a few years ago. y
decade or 50 back cow-herders on the plains
were regarded rs the very worst class of
men in our country: n class who We're al
ways ready 10 make a gum fight, had
marked to each ones credit the ''killing of
his man, and who invariably died with his
boots on. In the vernaculaT of the frontier
he was bad man altogether and cutter
and
SHOOTER FROM AWAY BACK.
They looked upon a tenderfoOt with be-
coming ScOrn, bore the appearance of con-
tinually thirstmg for gore, and had no hopes
of heaven or fear of hell. The typical cow
boy of by-gone days should wear IL. re
white sombrerO. bound with ilaShy gold
cord and tassel, high top boots, leather pants,
fringed buckskin shirt. no vest, and pair
of Mexican spurs as big as sauceTs. He
should also be armed to the teeth, be well
--ANNAANNh va ~ IVY 1ANhAA7 hAhiiNhbs nav
a long Sinewy lariat trailing behind his
steed. Indian fashion, and habitually be
half full of his fayOrite beverage. Now as
a matter Of fact the real cowboy of the
Northwest Is a very different person from
what he is supposed To be. Many of them
are college graduates who stood high
/ with the faculty of Eastern universities,
and not a few are able to solve mathemat-
/ ical problem or parse Latin sentence with
as much ease as they can throw steer or
| punch a brand.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF COWBOYS.
have observed in Miles City, one of the
| headquarters of cattlemen i'm the North
west, all classes of individuals, from the
beardleSs youth TO the gray-haired man,
dressed in the style of and engaged in the
occupation of cowboys.
Many undertake the business for want of
something to do in the way of earning a
living, but the majority accept their lives
from choice. A better race of fellows than
the true, genuine cowboy of the North
west does not exist on the North American
continent.
The average wages for n cowboy is not
very gOOd-S40 per month and findngs-but
the life is exciting and the free, open exer-
else assures excellent health and perfect di-
| gestiOn, which is better than all the wages
they could get. l accompanied a roundup
party last fall that secured the ranges north
of Miles City. and on that trip learned
many new points regarding their life. habits
and manner of living. heretofore unknown
10 me. found they endured hardships
that would have cost many men their lives,
and therefore became by continual expos
ure perfect types OF physical manhood.
They are unqueStionaOly the finest horse
men in the world and are constantly pTac-
ticing with rifles or revOlyeTs in their en-
deavors 20 become dead shots and they gen
orally succeed. Living i'm the saddle. they
| worship their horses and are perfectly
happy when on the backs of their animals
FLYING OVER THE PLAINS.
During the hepiing season sixty or seventy
miles i an ordinary days ride. They are
brave, will share their last ration with a
stranger. never lie nor cheat and hate a
horse-thief like they do the devil himself
1t is a mistake To imagine that COWBOYS
are dangerous set. Anyone is as safe
with them as with any people in the world.
unless he steals horse or Is hunting for q
fight In their eyes death Is mild punish
ment for a hOTsC-Stealer. Indeed il is the
highest crime known 10 the unWritten law
of ranching. Nearly every hoIse-thiei
strung up last season in Montana land there
were iifty-nine casualties of that sort from
April to October, was sent on his last jour
ney by cow boys. The numerous vigilance
committees were composed almost eXclu-
sively of cattle herleTs. who waged never
ending war Of determination against horse
thieving TaScalS, until all the bands were
either broken up or driven out of the terri
tory. Their life. habits, education and
necessities breed this feeling in them and
they delight in appearing rOugher than they
actually are. TOa tenderfOOt lall Eastern
men or new arrivals are called tenderfeet)
they love 10 tell blOOd-curdling stories and
impress him with the dangers OF the from
tier. But no man need get into a Quarre
with them unless he seeks it and then he
will find the cowboy is always prepared tC
shoot quicker than chain lightning.
THE SLANG THEY USE.
They also have a slang peculiar to the
range and il is astonishing how quickly
Eastern bred and educated people will droI
into using il. Cowboys often have inter
eStS in the herds they are watching anC
very frequently become owners of ranches.
II is the ambition of their lives 10 become
herd-Owners themselves and employ on a
large a scale as possible other cowboys {,
watch their cattle. Unless YOU want 4
insult him never offer a cowboy pay fOl
any kindness he has done or for a share OF
his rude meal. They pride themselves OF
their hospitality andare exceedingly tOuchy
on. all matters relating TO it.ET roughe
element of the class have been i'm the Yves
nearly all their lives and many Of them ar,
married TO or cOhabit with Indian Squaws
Lots OF these fellows, who began life with
out a centand lived in Indian tepeeS TO
MANY years wandering back and fOrtl
over the plains. with the various nomadi
tribes are now rolling in wealth.
and control large cattle interests in tn
Northwest. know of one individual VIII,
has cattle grazing all over the South Yellow
stone ranges who did not own one singh
steer FIVE years ago. he can scarcely writ
his own name. Yet is able TO buy and sci
some of Your Wall street nabObS. He spend
most of his time in the saddle securing III
ranges and watching his various herds. !
| good many cowboys are exercising mucl
wisdom in taking up land under some on
OF the government land acts. A great dea
of Montana soil is clasSed as desert land an
can be bought for twenty-five cents per acr
down and the balance of 81 ON each acre a
{ any time within three years.
/ Homesteads notice are being more freel
entered of late, and in a few years tn
/ whole of the vast buffalo ranges of tn
Northwest that were black with bison eigh
or ten years ago will be cut up into sma
. farms or fenced pastures. Nearly ever
cowboy has claim OF some sort. The
: begin to see that land will soon be wort
more than cattle, and, they are right, too