The Portland daily press., 1895-01-28
'=-ssa-ss=ss- -.sa -..,o
THE LAST OF THE COWBOYS.
Barbed Wire Fences and the Railways
Have Ended His Career.

Ct. Thomas Fortune in New York Sum-
The small boys of the.country who smoke
cigarettes and read dime novels and the
FAMILY story papers were badly cut up few
weeks ago when the secretary OF war issued
an rder dispensing with the further SER
vices OF Indian scouts in connec tIon with
the regular army. While Buffalo Bill and
Cinnamon Jack and all the rest were rated
as heroes of high degree, the good Indian
scout who esehewed his savage ways and
assisted In keeping the pugnaoious members
of his race in some sort of order also had
his niche of fame. But the march of civil
cation has driven the Indian into the hap
ply hunting grounds, where he is kept too
busy trying to keep cool to use his toma-
hawk and scalping knife, and so the Indian
scout has had to walk the plank, however
the small boys of the country may like it.
ebuI there is another shock in store for
Young America. The Texas cowboy is pass
Ing away. The day has gone when he OF
only ruled the plains, stretching in endless
leagues, but ruled and terroIized tho small
towns as often as he descended upon them
and stored away plentiful supply of fire
water. Tbs picturesque figure of Texas
life has run mp against the barbed wire
fence and got the worst of it. Discussing
the recent roundup of cowboys at the
Texas cotton palace at Waco, a gray-haired
man. with an eagle eye and ply steal de-
velopment pugilist might envy, said to
the Sun correspondent. with touching
pathos in his voice.
II AN tn last of tn original Texas cow
boys who is not dead Ut in the peniten-
tiary. TIL cowboy of to-day has good
deal of tn tenderfoot in i'm. You see. he
don't git tn practice what he nsed to git,
and he don't have tn freedom to do as he
please. In most parts of Texas now tn
sheriff is bigger man than cowboy. OF
course, you can't have good cowboys and
plenty of 'em whilst that is tn Ease. You
see. regular cowboy must not only be TIL
biggest thing on ranch and tn range, but
in the towns. when he takes notion to get
into 'em. Texas has growed so fast, it's got
so many people what amt cowboys, that
tn ranger has peted out till now he don't
amount to much"
"But is all this the real cause of the dis
appearance of the cowboy2' asked.
The old man sent stream of tobacco
juice Into the gutter. and said slowly
/ 81 reckon not. mister. To my mind, tn
barbed- wire fence has did it, and the
plaeuey railroads cut through Texas every
where; but the railroads wouldn't have
done it if the barbed-wire fence had been
kept out. You see, it's jest this way. Tex
as is fenced in with barbed wire. It's jest
strung out over the state. Every ranch and
herder has 'em or is going to have 'em. Of
course when you got fence around a herd
of cattle they're bound to keep together,
cause they can't get apart. Then, some
how, a fence tames steer nightly. He
don't seem to want to be ugly. He jest
takes care of himself. When you git a
barbed wire fence round n herd o. cattle
yoC don't need so many cowboys to look at
ter 'em, and that's the cause. cowboy
can't stand up agin' barbed wire fence.
land then. you see. tn pay amt what it
used to be" continued the original cowboy.
1--WE used to get Sla5 month; tn common
cowboy. mean. That was something like.
in a barbed-wire fence range don't get but
$50 month! That's no pay for reg lar
cowboy" said the original. scornfully. 81
wouldn't stand it. saw what was coming
couldn't pin down TO nothing and SO went
to rowing. I've been all over Mexico and
South America several times, but always
git back into Texas after while. l can't
help it. don't do nothing but stand
around and see things going to ruin cause
of barbed-wire fences and railroads and the
like, and when | git sick / pack up and
strike out for Mexico and South America.
1 feel like going now. but am Citing old
and don't think Gan do much more rowing.
Times amt what they used to be. and !
don't much care. The cowboy days are
Overland mine is most So"