Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-08-08
cATTLE M q sTAMPEpE.
The Reckless Daring OF the Cowboy
with n Big Contract on Hand.


with n big Contract on Hand.
[From the Kansas City Star.l
The marketing of its beef is the soul
source from which flows revenue to a
ranch, and the collection and gathering
| thereof-selecting beeves is the most sci
| entific part of ranch work-engages Sep
tember, October, November and part OF
December of each year. The beef herds,
aggregating four to five thousand head Oi
cattle each, in charge of an outfit of about
| ten men, Including the "boss" and cook,
betake themselves TO a convenient ship
| ping point, some times two to three hun.
| dred miles distant This excursion IL
slow, and by virtue of the strength and
| spirit of the cattle as well as the stormy
season of the year not unfraught with
| danger. Stampedes are the rule rather
| than the reverse, and sometimes are very
| expensive in their cost from lost and in.
jured cattle. To this trip are usually as
| signed the most skilled and competent oi
| the men, and albeit the work is artluous
| on account of the dignity il invests one
with to have '1gone with beef to Dodge,
as well as the joy-fraught spree incidental
l to the close of n successful expedition of
| this sort, all the boys are willing and anx-
| lous TO be counted in.
In that former day the drive from Texas
north through the Indian territory had a
| special hazard. The Indian was there,
| abundant and full of thrift. Nor was il
the aboriginal intent to permit a herd tc
wind its valuable length across this do
main without tribute. The method of Ia,
| collection in vogue with these officers oi
savage revenue was simple and complete
Some dark and quiet night the sleep,
riders out on herd would be astounded by
| the spectacle of every one of their hornee
| wards springing to his feet; and pausin,
but one brief second to get the general di
rection, 60 scampering into the gloon
with great fervor The cause was easil,
found. An Indian had crawled up on al
unguarded flank and tapped blanket.
most effective flap, indeed, that puffeC
into sudden motion one hundred and fift,
thousand dollars worth of beef by ats on
small breath
/ The sequel of a stampede is the recol
lection of the herd. From the first jumJ
of the first steer the cowboy, as dauntles
as Cossack and blindly true to his trust
| goes with the herd. No man ever takes .
as Egypt; the country new and unknown
| perhaps at any second to go leaping from
a precipice or crashing up against a wal
of rock; cattle, terror-mad, charging on
/ all sides; the certain result of fall being
a crushing by the galloping hoofs of the
herd; still this American Arab never halts
nor wavers, but with rein held high and
loose, and spurs bloody to the boot, whirls
his half-broken broncho through at thirty
miles an hour.
| How cattle or men end stampede aliv,
is one of the mysteries of the craft: but
they do. AS showing these trips not alto
| gether lacked in safety, i might add
| never knew a cowboy to achieve ten year,
of service without recalling one broker
| limb at least, and some times two or three
The purpose of the riders in a stamped,
| is, by lying well up and forward ON one OIL
| the other side of the herd, to turn or stoI
| the cattle. This, even if successful, i
slow, and is bound to involve ten-mil
run at least. BY that time one cause %
another has more or less split the her
into punches and many of the cattle an
lost. The next few days and some time
weeks are devoted to securing the countr,
and rounding up the herd again. Here i
where the recreant native who caused tn
| whole trouble gets iIs his tiTsky work. HI
presents himself at your camp and pleas
aptly proffers his services TO help collec
| the renegades at dollar head As yol
| are almost sure he has hidden a bunch of ,
hundred or so up some canyon where N,
/ white man can find them, you subdue youl
| six-shooter, which leaps and throbs in IL
scabbard to kill him off, and hire him
| The poor Indian. with his fellows. fire
| quently makes several hundred dollars on
| of a stampede and saves four or FIVE o
your best steers for personal beef besides