The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-01-01

Ms <SSS$&>"
Seymour, Texas, Lottery
1T is agreed that the cowboy is pass
1mg. He is suecumbing to barbed wire
fences and railroads. But of this there
was no sign at the reunion of Texas
cowboys few days ago.
- was picnic on a large scale-a
picturesque, fantastic spectacle. There
was wild, barbaric dash about it,
vividness and enthusiasm such as this
country never saw before. There was
nothing ever like it except the first re-
union last year, and that was only half
as big as the present one.
More than $4,000 visitors came to the
little prairie town where the Wichita
Valley railroad ends. 1t is the nearest
railroad town to the heart of the cat
tie country. il.
OF course there was not room to
house so many, but this made not the
slightest trouble. The visitors didn't
expect to live in hotels. They camped
along Seymour creek and the Brazos>
river Tor ToNf miles.
Many came on the railroad. more ON
horseback, few hundred in wagons,
! and some on foot. And it was worth
every sacrifice that was made.
Texas has had prosperous year.
The rains came at the right time. The
| cattle are fat and bringing good price
There has been plenty of work for the
| cowboys.
Men who have lived all their lives
! in cities or on small and peaceful
farms can have no idea Of what this
! cowboy gathering was like. To begin
! with, they may think that there Was NO
end of trouble. During the three days
celebration there were only two cases
| of disorder. One man was arrested for
! cutting rope to keep the crowd back,
| and another for carelessly breaking the
wheel of a wagon.
| The cowboys came in all tine glory OF
their adornment. They arrayed them
selves in new sheepskin leggins or cor
duroy trousers, which are matters Of
no particular moment. They had their
brightest kerchiefs krrotted around
! their necks, and these are important.
They wore the finest of som breros,
| heavy with gold and silver trimmings.
| Their saddles were truly magnificent,
and moro than one wore silver spurs.
And never, perhaps, was so many
gorgeous revolvers to be seen in one
place. A cowboy never calls the weap-
on revolver. 1t is a pistol, gun, or
a pop. The initial cost of the revol-
vers-and they are the finest that
money can buy-doesn't compare with
the amount spent on their adornment.
They are inlaid with gold, and many
are studded with diamonds. The
cowboys pride in his pistol exceeds
that in anything else that he possesses.
There were little cowboys and big
cowboys; men with soft, apologize
voices and terrible records and others
with staggering gait and braWling
keys.
The features of the reunion were the
cowboy games and the "broncho bust
in'' - and steer roping contests. The
ablest cowboys on the panhandle took
part in these, and it was an exhibition
that was worth going hundreds of
miles to see. There was a grand stand
erected that seated $500 people, and
it was crowded. Seymour is proud
of it's enterprise in building that stand.
The meanest, strongest, most evil
inspired horses that live were selected
for the contests. Those who know
something Of this dangerous and excit-
ing sport. from the Wild West show
can have only an approximate idea of
what this contest was like. It took
place on the prairie and the foremost
men among the most wonderful horse
men of the world had part in it. They
were not giving an exhibition for the
benefit of a lot of people who knew
nothing about it. They had to please
the most captious of critics who knew
every point of the game. And the cow
boys are not afraid to criticise. +
Emeline Gardenhine, last years
| champion, a slender, active man, first
came forth, swinging his lariat as a
| small boy waves flag. From the pen
| rushed bay horse with white spots on
his side, a powerful and wonderfully
| swift animal. He went by at top
| speed. asz7.@ ss .@ES !. ..5 81 :
The lariat curled gracefully through
the air and settled over the wild horse.
Gard mount stretched out his
feet and waited for the shock. It came
with such; force that the horse was
jerked from under its rider. 81 III
Gardenhine led the fractions broncho
| in front Of the grand stand. He walked
along peacefully and meekly. It
seemed that any ordinary rider could
manage him. 5.ss=..55
But when a saddle was thrown over
him there was trouble. and no end ct
It. It seemed that the broncho had
at least tWenty-t three feet and that they
| shot out forwards, backwards and side
ways, 50 that his legs looked like the
Ispokes IN 4 rapidly moving carriage
hen he WASH I kicking he was dane
Ing. Really that horse would have
made q striking success in "a ballet.
~ tier time q couple of cowboys