The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-03
CoW0oY LIFE.
Tales Of Life In Texas, as Told by a Yale
Man.

Man.
From the Hartford Courant.
Il went down to Texas, fresh from
that college characterized by the New
YORK Voice as being the center of 66
aloons ] was fortunate enough to be
able to gain Immediately the friendship
OF some cowboys. among whom were
as brave and loyal men as / have
known. My first experience with them
was one Sunday afternoon on a horse
ranch. when they told me that they
would give me n of the bronchos IL
l would ride him. They thought they
would v fun with the tenderfoot.
When they had caught the horse,
thrown and saddled him, / straddled
him and they let him up. AS / a been
accustomed to horses since my child
hood. 1 was able to keep my seat. so
they gave me the horse. and l kept him
for four years. The many stories told
of the cowboys do not give a true pic
ture of them. Although they are of
rough exterior, yet i found among them
the truest and warmest of friends.
Since l was in San Antonio there
has been a great reform in the place.
Betting and gambling are now prohibit
ed there. and men are arrested for
these offenses. Formerly the most ia
nous gambling house in the southwest
was in San Antonio, and was never
closed. night or day. from one end of
the week to the other. 1t was a long
adobe building filed with gambling ta-
bles. behind which sat Mexicans each
with a Winchester al his side. and two
s~ix-shooters on a shelf before him Gold
and silver was the only money used.
and nobody would accept paper money.
The San Antonio vaudeville was
the best-known theater in the South
west, and when / reached there L was
interested in finding out what kind of
a place 1t was. 1t was a very remark
Nal n yhA a.
was necessary To go through the saloon
and pass the bar. 1t was owned by
two characters, Jack Har-
ris and Joe Mitchell. Joe was a gentle
man gambler, a very attractive man of
polished manner n fine appearance.
The Vaudeville is well known in Texas
history on account of the sensational
way In which the affairs of the place
were wound up. The man who was re-
~sponsible for this was Ben Thompson
of Austin. at that time the most famous
sheriff of Texas. Jack Harris and
Thompson got into a brawl over a
game OF cards, and though the affair
was smoothed W. at the time, yet the
feeling between them was not very
pleasant. Somebody told Harris that
Thompson had slandered him, and he
said hat If v Thompson came to
town he would not get out alive. One
day as | was riding along / saw Ben
tahh' ~ hhN h't VI -
crowd of cowboys. throwing coins in
the air M shooting at them. 'There1l
be trouble tonight said a cowboy
friend of mine. That night Thompson
went to the theater, and afterward
came out and stood on the sidewalk.
Jack Harris asked his cashier to give
him his Winchester and started out the
door. He came through the screen door
with his gun in position before him. but
before he could shoot Ben Thompson
had fired twice n Harris dropped
dead. After that Thompson was al
ways trying to max friends with Joe
Mitchell. but Joe had been good friends
with Harris, and he would have moth
ing to do with his slayer.
One night Joe was standing in the
rear of the theater looking at the play.
when Thompson stepped up to him and
said: Shake hands and make il up
i will not disgrace myself by taking
your hand, said Mitchell, and the two
men drew off and began to shoot. They
both dropped. The Vaudeville did not
run any more after that"