The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-09-18
Mad no Terrors For Roosevelt.

hiHNrsftt'tf WIZ = iit-t itbN ftiA-iit- -
much enunolion ~ New York, max
ing s.lo0nkeepers obey the sunday
closing laH. ani ty playing Haroua-
al-Raschid among sleepy or negligent
policemen, il we'll and f;tvorably known
on maay cattle ranges in the West
Three qualities which he displayed out
there endeared him to the heart Of the
plainsman: his pluek, his ho1semml-
ship and liis ability 20 shoot straight
and quick. Ask the first Montana
cattleman you meet out at the stock
yards for his opinion Of Mr.. Roosevelt
and the chances are he will reel you of
half a dozen stories Of the young New
Workers nerve and proves. One of
these visitors from Montana was sitting
i'm the Transit House the other evening
when someone happened to mention
the big figure Roosevelt was cutting
just at present i'm New York municipal
affairs. The Montana man said:
''Some Of the newspapers, see, are
having fun with Theodore Roosevelt,
especially in the East. They don't
know him down there a. well a. we Of
the West, or they would change their
tune. You can hear Of him all through
the cattle ranges west Of the Dtkotas.
He has fame there for absolute fear
lessness. iie has faced and killed more
grizzly bears, for one thing, than most
men, and a man who enters into a per-
sOnal controversy with a grizzly, how
ever well organized he may be for the
interview, must have his nerve with
him. Then the ranches out where
Roosevelt circuiates have never been
able to produce bronco which he
dared not ride The wilder and more
furious the animal the more smilingly
and ingenuously ready was Roosevelt 20
mount him. And on these brOncos, "a
well as on the bear occasions, il was
noticed that he showed those white
teeth Of his just a. he does on police
occasions and about which the New
York papers feel such wondrous glee.
aside from combats with bears and
contests with broncOs, Roosevelt has
unhesitatingly made valorous battle
with three or four hard characters,
whose trails he crossed in his Western
rambles. One character who was
regarded ~ desperate and who did
business under the nom de gGerre 0f
Long Ike, once helped himself to a
glass Of whisky which Roosevelt had
poured out. Ike evidently relied on his
strength, his six-shooters and his evil
fame to make good his insOlence. He
expected Roosevelt would submit
tamely or pass il Off as a joke. He was
mistaken. Roosevelt in an instant had
hold Of him like a tiger, and before Ike
had gotten the whisky or anything
else that he might boast of he was
thrown into the middle of the street.
Even then hc did no; have peace,
for Roosevelt was after him like a
landslide and had thrashed him lame
and black and blue before he was five
minutes older. The stranger then re-
turned To the saloon, perfectly calm,
his white teeth making their usual
exhibition. Nor was Long Ike's scalp
his only trophy. The annals Of the
Northwest show others. To-day Ee is
famous through the whole upper Mis-
souri, and Yellowstone country as a
man utterly game, and you would not
be able TO find character 80 reckless
of his own safety in that region that
would for slight cause pull on trouble
with Theodore Roosevelt"
When Roosevelt first made his ap-
pearance out West his get-up provoked
good deal Of sarcastic comment
among men who had lived there for
any length of time. The New Yorker
costumcd himself coed deal according
10 the school-boy's notion of the
Indian fighter The hardened frontiers
man was inclined to resent this some
what theatrical importation, and was
not slow 10 express dissatisfaction.
Roosevelt was regarded a. 'a-foOl
tenderfOot, whose notions of Western
mqkc-Up were based Oh close study of
Beadle's Library. The real cow-Punch-
er knew no such saudiness, seldom
owned an ivory-handled siX-shooter
and probably never sat for his picture
with a Winchester lat the make
ready" Before the newcomer had
been long among them, however, the
frontiersman learned 20 respect HIM,
and overlooked his fouGnc>s for dress
ing himself in such fancy style. Thi
change OF opinion was precipitated
when Roosevelt killed his first of many
grizzlies, and was rockrOOted on one
occasion when ru>tler sent the New
Yorker word that ne meant 70 shOoS
him on sight.
The Eastern man at once rode to the
ruStler's camp To find out why he was
to be shot. The rustler did not like
the look of his visitor, and, Instead OF
making the expected gun play, asked
him what he would have 10 drink.
Roosevelt took ''the same" and took
it straight, and from that time on was
one of the few men in the West who
could dress like a tenderfoOt and b.
taken for ''sure good boy" He could
shoot little better than cowboy, he
had better muscles ana fewer vices than
most OF them. lie had better teeth,
above all. lie could live on SOW belly
without complaining, ami get along
without riding fifty miles for liquor.
He was a pretty good eow-puncher,
even if ne did own the cows he punch
eel, and even if he did lose money at
the Chicago I,-ibHBc.
The Spiketown Blizzard
James" said Editor ClugstOn, of
the Spiketown Blizzard, ''go and see
what makes that abominable smell"