Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-11
cHlcAGo's COWBOYS.
Their Dangerous and Difficult Work Of Sort
ing Branded Cattle.

broad as the western plains, reading q
language burned upon the skins of liv-
ing animals, fearless In danger as a
troop of warriors, a band of gentlemen
cowboys. otherwise known as brand
inspectors, may be found daily riding
and roping in the true fashion of the
plains, within Chicago's city limits.
says the Chicago Times Herald. Not
much has been heard OF them or
OF their peculiarly interesting work,
although acres of paper have been
covered with story and history of our
stockyards, the field of their active OPP
erations.
Just now as the winds are bowling
and raking across the great cattle
ranges of the northwest, rendering i'm
possible the gathering of many range
cattle for the market, this band of
v;gilant guardians of right and prop
erty is relaxing little after four
months eXhausting labor, the purpose
Of which has been to see that the pro-
ceeds of the sale of each and every
one of more than 100000 cattle mar
lieted from the western range country
has found it's way to the rightful own
er.
The only means of determining own
ership is the latest brand. When it
is known that these cattle come from
an almost boundless region, through
which roam in common cattle bearing
more than 5000 different brands. some
thing of the difficulties and intricacies
of this inspection work becomes evil
dent.
al ,o1 Il
rect from the owner to his commission
salesman, then would the brand in
spector's job be easy. But such is
not the case. On big market days 49,
600 to $4,000 of these western cattle are
dumped at the unloading chutes of the
big stock yards. Some of the big
ranchers send in 500 to 1000 head a day
during a great part of the season. and
other consignments from smaller
ranches range all the way from few
scattering head to ten and twelve car
loads.
These cattle have all been cut OUT
at the general beef roundup and as
nearly as possible, in the rapid work
on the plains, turned over to the prop
er owner, according to the latest brand
on their badly scared sides. But
many good fat steer slips by mistake
or otherwise into the herd of other
than his owner, and he must be caught
and his sale credited TO that ranch
man who is shown to he his owner by
tracing his history in the chain of
hieroglyphics burned into his tawny
skin. more unintelligble to the aver
age man than the rotations on Chi
rese laundry bill.
OF the thousand or more sturdy
horsemen who daily rend the smoky
atmosphere OF the yards region with
whoop and yell and hustle The snort
ing, stamping herds of wild beef cat
tie 10 pens that swallow up a whole
train load, with room to spare. only
this band of about one dozen expert
cowboys can interpret and read the
abstract of title which each animal
bears.
This troop of horsemen, all plains
men of some years experience, are the
chief band of brand inspectors in
America. They are all sturdy, active
men of middle age, keen of eye, strong
of limb and brave enough to hourly
face peril of death or great bodily
injury amid surging sea of clashing
horns and tramping hoofs. Their
mounts are of the same mettle. Not
the scurrying, nimble little cow ponies
of the plains, but rugged, strong
limbed. active horses, with weight and
endurance enough to carry the rider
from daylight until dark in a constant
series of quick turns, tackles and rush
es, that make the fierce struggles of
| the gridiron seem but tame play. He
| is as fearless as his rider and plunges
without an instant's pause or swerve
| into a pen of 400 wild-eyed, restless
rangers and conquers them all with
| his first rush.
To this band of inspectors the cat
| tlemen of the great west, from south
ern Texas to the Canadian border, are
indebted for the proper distribution of
more than $750,00O worth of estray
| rangers every season.
The cattle are shipped direct from
| the range in full train lots of fifteen
| to twenty car loads. After three
days trip in crowded cars these cat
tie of the plains, which have known
little confinement and have felt the
touch of human hand only as the
| agent to apply a roasting, torturing
branding iron, have grown desperate
for freedom of hoof and horn. As
STRIPPING mavericks they were cast to
| earth and not allowed to rise until the
| sleek young hair had been burned
away and the red hot iron pressed
deep into a tender calfskin. Confine-
ment to them has ever meant an ear
cropped or slit into jingle-bob the
| briSket sliced into a dangling dulap