The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-05

once, neither do they all wake up at the
same time. The sleepers and dancers are
pretty evenly divided, which is regarded
as a fortunate thing by the men who run
the bar, otherwise the ball might ter
inmate in the conventional way. On
several occasions Mr.. Roosevelt has been
on hand on the opening night, but as he
Is familiar with the customs prevailing
at such affairs he never fingers more
than couple of hours. Unless a man Is
looking for trouble it is wise to depart
emily, and Mr.. Roosevelt is wise.
Theodore Roosevelt is q unique man.
People who read of the doings of New
York are familiar with that fact, but to
appreciate 1t fully it is necessary to see
him here on his own ranch. Roosevelt is a
millionaire several times over; his
family Is one of the Oldest in the country;
he has been successful in politics and
literature; he is recognized authority
on municipal governments; he is warm
friend of the Astors, the Vanderbilts and
people of that ilk; he can walk along a
tiowery path of roses to the end Of his day
if he so pleases, but just now he Is
spending sixteen hours day in the sad
die, sleeping on the floor of log hut at
night, eating food that Bowery bum
might refuse to recognize and doing the
work generally Of a $50 month COW
boy.
Roosevs 1t has two ranches here in the
Bad Lands of Dakota. One is located
eight miles up the Little Missouri River
from Medora. This ID known as the
Chimney Butte ranch, but the cowboys
call it the Maltese Cross ranch because
all of its cattle are branded with the
eight pointed star. Thirty miles down
the river from Medora is the Elkhorn
ranch, also owned bv Mr.. Roosevelt.
There are fine buildings on the Elkhorn,
but the New Yorker prefers to live In
the Chimney Butte, although the house
is one-story affair of logs with three
rooms, kitchen, living room and a
room for the owner and his ranch man
ager, Sy1vane Ferris.
Medora Is not much Of town now, but
it has a history. Twelve years ago the
late Marquis de Mores, who was recently
killed in the Soudan by the Mahdists,
established the town and named 1t after
his wife, who, before her marriage, was
Msdora Won Hoffman Of New York.
Pretty nearly every one has heard Of the
great schemes of the Marquis. He was
going TO raise his Own cattle. slaughter
them in his own battoirs and sell the
meat iu his own stores in every city in
the land He tried, he failed, and he
left Medora.
Roosevelt came here year before the
Marquis and started in to do some re-
forming. The chad men," who abound
ed hereabouts in those days, were just
ready to kill him when de Mores waited
along and monopolizsd all the attention.
The ranobman at once became more OBJ
noxious than the New Yorker and the
would be killers concentrated upon him.
But de Mores killed two of them and
wounded half dozen more, making
the first active move against the tough
est gang of cattle thieves in the North
west.
After de Mores faded away some of the
former members of the g ang made spas
IN odio efforts to return to the old order
of things, and they were aided secretly
by the thon Sheriff. Roosevelt showed
then that he had good stuff in him. He
called a meeting OF all the ranchers In
the country, the Sheriff was summoned,
and with his hand on his gun, Roosevelt
practically told the official that he was
a liar and horse thief. 1t was swift
language to use In this country, but the
Sheriff saw that he was against bad
man, took his medicine and resigned.
That was feather In Roosevelt's cap.
Prior to that he had been regarded as
New York dude, who was all teeth and
eye glasses.
In other ways he showed that the ways
of the country were not too hard for him.
He made practice to buy the bucklest,
ugliest cow ponies he could find in the