The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-09-02
IRREGULARITIES OF THE COWBOYS.
They are Good Fellows, Bat They Mete
- - Out Death to Horse thieves.

The, are Good Fellows, 6a. They sre,s
80 - Out Death to Horse Thieves.
Many undertake the business for want OF
something to do in the way of earning liv-
ing, but the majority accept their lives from
choice. A better race of fellows than the
true, genuine cowboy of the Northwest does
not exist on the North American continent.
The average wages of cowboy are not
very good-$40 per month and findings
but-the life is exciting, and the free, open
exercise assures excellent health and perfect
digestion, which is better than all the wages
they could get. accompanied 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 to
me. found that 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 unquestionably the finest horse
men in the world, and are constantly prac-
Using with rifles or revolyers in their en-
deavors to become dead shots, and they
generally succeed. Living in the saddle,
they worship their horses, and are perfectly
happy when on the backs of their animals
flying over the plains. During the herding
season sixty or seventy miles is an ordinary
days ride They are brave, will share their
last ration with stranger, never lie nor
cheat, and hate horse thief like they do
the devil himself. 1t is o mistake to imagine
that cowboys are dangerous set. Any one
is rs safe with them as with any people in
the world, unless he steals horse or is
hunting for fight. In their eyes death is
mild punishment for o horse stealer. H.
deed, it is the highest crime known to the
unwritten law of ranching. Nearly every
horse thief strung up last season in Mon
tana (and there were fifty-nine casualties of
that sort from April to October was sent on
his last journey by cowboys. The numerous
vigilance committees were composed almost
exclusively of cattle herders, who waged
never ending war of determination against
horse-thieying rascals, until all the bands
We're either broken up or driven from the
Territory. Their life, habits, education,
and necessities breed this feeling in them,
and they delight in appearing rougher than
they actually are. To q tender-foot (all
Eastern men or new arrivals are called ten
derfeet) they love to tell blood curdling
stories, and impress him with the dangers
Of the frontier. But no man need get into
aquarrel with them unless he seeks it, and
then he will find the cowboy is always pre-.
pared to shoot quicker than chain light
ming. :
They also have slang peculiar to tho
range, and 1t is astonishing how quickly
Eastern bred and educated people will drop
into using it. Cowboys often have interests
in the herds they are watching, and very
frequently becomesown Of ranches. It is
the ambition of their lives to become herd
owners themselves and employ on as large
scale as possible other cowboys to watch
their cattle. Unless you want to insult him
never offer cowboy pay for any kindness
he has done or for q share of his rude meal.
They pride themselves on their hospitality
and are exceedingly touchy on all matters
rotating to IL. The rougher element of the
class have been in the West nearly all their
lives, and many Of them are married and
cohabit with Indian squaws. Lots of these
fellows, who begun life without cent and
lived in Indian tepees for many years, wan.
dering back and forth over the plains with
the various nomadic tribes, are now rolling
in wealth and control large cattle interests
in the Northwest. I know OF one individual
who has cattle grazing all over the South
Yellowstone ranges who did not own one
single steer five years ago. He can scarcely
writes his own name, yet he is able to buy
and sell some of your Wall street nabobs.
He spends most of his time in the saddle
securing the ranges and watching his vari-
Gus herds. A good many cowboys are exer-
cising much wisdom in taking up land un-
der some one of the Government land acts,
A great deal of Montana soil is chased as
desert land and can be bought for 25 cents
per acre down and the balance OF 81 on each
acre at any time within three years.
Homesteads, notice, are being more
freely entered of late, and in few year.
the whole of the vast buffalo ranges of the
Northwest that were black with bison eight
or ten years ago will be cut up into small
farms or fenced pastures. Nearly avery
,owboy has claim Of some sort. They be-
gin to see that land will soon be worth more
than cattle, and they are right, too. Some
of these wild, daredevil fellows have
acquired a marvellous dexterity in their
profession, and can, with good lariat,
mounted, pursuer and pursued going at full
speed, drop thousand-pound steer at 80,
40, so, and even go feet. as clean and ss
nice as if shot by a bullet. Cleveland
Leader. =
-->~--sss--->--