, 1886-03-20
LIFE ON THE PLAINS.
AN INTERVIEW WITH 5RoNcHo
AoHn" suELlvAN, THE COWBOY.


Tho 0~nuips Article and the F.lss-A
Terror to EvfI-Doer-wa of the Horse
m, -
" "
|supersatious MeSicAns-
There is MS much difference between the
genuine cowboy and the d~isreputable
bIusterer and bulIdozer. that writers for
the press have made the cowboy out 10 be,
rs there Is between the honest, hard-work-
inn mechanic of this or any other city and
the ~swa1eerinQ rowdy. loafer, or bully
that fostIes him in the street. A wide
trimmed hat fringed leggins, ability to sit
a mustang we'll. a six-shooter, and a car
cass full OF bad rum do not make a cow
boy. A cowboy is not a drunkard. He is
not a horse thief nor a road agent. The
men whose faithful endurance guides and
guards thousands OF herds Of valuable cat
Tie through dangerous passes and lonely
trails, and who place their lives between
their eharges and the many enemies they
encounter from ranch to dead line, are not
selected from the outcast, criminal scum
of the country.
II " not the cowboys favorite pastime to
ride through border towns and empty his
revolver at unoffending and helpless citi-
zens. On the contrary, the true cowboy Is
a terror to evildoers OF all kinds. Horse
thieves hate and fear him. Raiding Indians
hold a manifesto from a body of cowboys
in more regard than they do a PROCLAIM
tion Of the president. Doc Middleton and
his gang of horse thieves would be operat-
ing In the west yet II the COWBOYS hadn't
stepped in. Middleton and his men ran
more horses out OF the west thar any gang
that ever worked the plains. The authorities
either couldn't or wouldn't get their hands
on him. The cowboys got tired OF fiddle
ton, and sent him word that they had con-
Guided to take up his case. Two days later
Doc Middleton gave himself up to the OIL
GERS OF the law. He preferred to spend a
few years In the penitentiary to meeting
the Justice he knew the cowboys would be
sure to give him sooner or later. His gang
gang was scattered 10 the four winds, and
not one OF them turned cowboy.
-Men generally choose a life Of crime be
cause they eau make more money and
make 1t easier than they can by honest la
Dor. Imagine a road agent who, by a
bold Stroke, may secure a fortune in half
an hour, trailing a herd of cattle across
country for rs n MONTH There is moth
ing easier or more. profitable in the
sparsely settled territories han horse
thieying. A stock raiser may have 1000
or 5000 horses on his ranch. His neighbor
may have as many more. A gang Of
horse thieves take three or four head from
each ranch. The chances are that the
horses will never be missed. II they are,
the loss is comparatively so small that the
owner Of the horses does not think it
worth while TO risk the loss OF other
~ .ms eN ne nights
.sAa T. :, aaoah W So
- - - ~-tuIeo a N
30 ~ " spenu mse
~a As 'ea "oiAlns me
asse ~ on corh
~ earning
IN stanp 49,
o.rrn -. aL, anu naru-
~ M ~no are
a..a-n - - 80 VI u vpu
.Ln1 nAd. pong nat
- 49, as.tIis..@n i Gus
: there are
uas mno are NOT
-e-rSI.~e - 20 SoA why
- ~ s~a1 u snese y
~. aass "a enIv"
80 ~. n.y any Il .he
1870 O an5 sson,s naua 4 Den. anu
ua-nnsS an 49,. noroi soon range
Aoo,s sne camp,
$50 - VIZ
r oo's ny yee 10
r.Sss d soeer IN a
ranaradp a..,a ouneh oI
r,n - ~ ever
nv COWBOY you
III. as.a a. a master