Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1890-10-23
The Texas steer.

One Of the most entertaining as well
as instructive papers in the magazines
of the month is that ON The Humors
Of the Texas Steer" in Beiford. by
James Steele, Of Topeka. 1t will shed
new light on a subject of which the
American public generally does not
know half as much as il thinks it does.
The wild cattle Of Texas are descended
undoubtedly from the bull fighting stock
brought over by the Spaniards ON the
conquest of Mexico Thus there are
death and murder in the animals by
blood. For hundreds of years they for
aged for themselves. increased till they
Were like herds of buffalo for numbers.
and became wilder and fiercer with each
generation. Till they were no more like
the domestic cow Of the eastern states
than wolf is like lapdog.
The unadulterated Texas steer ON his
native heath stood often six feet high at
the shoulder His horns were SO huge
and branching that a man with arms
extended could not reach them from tip
10 tip. His body was not heavy in pro-
portion to his weight, however. He was
built for speed and fight. He could run
a three minute gait without much
trouble In case of the stampede Of .
herd the mad creatures frequently went
seventy or hundred miles without
stopping. and s. neti,nes. Mr., Steele says,
they never stopped. AZ least they Were
never got together again.
II seems as t.ongh bullets will not
kill them when they are infuriated.
Ball after ball will pass entirely through
the body of one of them without check.
ing his career in the lelst. Only the
cowboy, specimen rs unique as the
steer itself and almost as untamed, can
manage him. The Texas bovine in its
original wildness was what Steele calls
it-"a cow brute" In this evolution
backward not many centuries would
have elapsed till the Texas cattle would
have become all one color IL let entirely
alone. and would have assumed the
shape and characteristics Of the prehis-
toric bos
OF the female Of this strange creature
Mr.. Steele writes:
And speaking Of this COW. anybody who imag-
ines her 10 be gentle aud timid creature after
the fashion " females 10 general. Is In imminest
risk Of discontinue when he meets her. Hhs
may not often reach Chicago or Kansas City with
her pranks, for she Is perpetualy lean and hun
CRY booking with her well meant endeavors 70
ward the multiplication OF her species She b
never fed bran and curried In the capacity Il .
friend Of the family. OF all the Wild Apimah
found on this favori continent her wildness y
probably the most ineradicable and the mos -
tsntioual Lean wild eyed. hungry hooking. y
youth starveling and in age has she 4 Con
monty regarded as Of Importance only - -
necessary mother Of all the xtcerk whesever -
| experiment Of domesication has been tFted ~
her IL has proved pcrilous one
When the mule and tie bay seer" have -
aed up W mankind as prominsnt exAmpls =
skill And continuity 10 the ~ Of kicking. ~
has been p comuion mlstaka Only he YXD
COW can kick somsshIpg on her "a aide VII ~
nex foot and do Z Viii rApldity that 60
elsciHc action Of some kipd An4 Nh
| In lsolatsd cases the dols kss - c6kak1s1 M
her scaEty pddsr, II y 90 vossh ~ - =
quart 81 am0klne would sssfsa thst -
- ~ 4 RIxE|1EIs EIs tS "a. -
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n~ef53 ~ hsl ~ syaen ~ g.
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