Evening star., 1898-02-25
COWBOY LIFE IN THE SOUTHWEST.
Interesting Tales Of Texas and Ari-
xOnn Life Told by a Yale Man.

From the Hartford Courant.
II went down to Texas fresh from that
college characterized by The New York
Voice as being the center of sixty-six
looms l was fortunate enough to be able
to gain Immediately the friendship of some
cowboys, among whom were as brave and
loyal men / have known. My first ex
perience with them was one Sunday after
noon on a horse ranch, when they told me
that they would give me one of the bron-
ckos If l would ride him. They thought
they would have fun with the tenderfoot.
When they had caught the horse, thrown
and saddled him, L straddled him and they
let him up. AS l had been accustomed to
horses since my childhood, i was able to
keep my seat, so they gave me the horse
and kept him for four years. The many
stories told of the cowboys do not give
true picture of them. Although they are
of rough exterior, yet / found among them
the truest and firmest of friends.
Since l was in San Antonio there has
been great reform in The place. Betting
and gambling are now prohibited there
and men are arrested for these offenses.
Formerly the most famous 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 filled with gambling
tables, behind which sat Mexicans, each
with Wine hester at his side and two six
shooters on a shelf before him. Geld and
SILVER was the only money USED, ana no
body would accept paper money.
Il went one Sunday with some cowboys
into the old cathedral of San Fernando.
built in 1870, one of the oldest churches in
our country: Standing at the entrance
were lot of Mexicans, clad in their pic
trresque costume, each with bundle under
his cloak. 1 afterward ascartained that
these bundles contained fighting cocks to
be used in the popular sport after church.
The San Antonio Vaudeville was the
best-known theater in the southwest, and
VIXEN 1 reached there 1 was interested III
finding out what kind of a place it was.
1t was a very remarkable theater To
enter the theater 1t was necessary to go
through the saloon and pass the bar. 1t
was owned by two well-known characters,
Jack Harris and Joe Mitchell Joe was
gentleman gambler, very attrac tive man
of polished manners and fine appearance.
The Vaudeville is we'll known in Texan
history on account of the sensational way
in which the affairs of the place were
wound up. The man who was responsible
for this was Ben Thompson of Austin at
that time the most famous sheriff of Texas.
Jack Harris and Thompson got into brawl
over game of cards, and though the af-
fair was smoothed over at the Tina, yet
the feeling between them was not very
pleasant. Somebody told Harris that
Thompson had slandered him, and he said
that If ever Thompson came to town he
would not get out alive. One day as 1 was
riding along 1 saw great Ben Thompson
standing in the middle of a crowd of cow
boys, throwing CONS IN the air and Shoot
ing at them. 'There'll be trouble tonigh
said a cowboy friend of mine. That night
Thompson went into the theater, and after
ward came out and stood on the sidewalk
Jack Harris asked his cashier to give him
f1S 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 Thor ~ on had fired twice
and Harris dropped dead. After that
Thompson was always trying to make
friends with Joe Mitchell, but Joe had been
good friends with Harris and he would
have nothing 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 it up will not
disgrace myself by taking your hand said
Mitchell. and the two men draw off and be-
gan to shoot. They both dropped. The
vaudeville did not run any more after
that
Mr.. Nairn told this story of an Arizona
cowboy: He was with a crowd of cow
boys following a herd of cattle in Arizona,
good spirits and singing. One night. as
they lay on the prairie in the moonlight,
Tom, for that was his name was heard
singing song. OF by himself. Later In the
night there was great stampede, and the
last time the boys saw Tom he was riding
ahead of the herd shooting in the air and
trying to turn back the terrified cattle.
The n.xt morning they found his body at
the bottom Of deep crevice with $50
mangled animals piled on top Of him. Mr.
Nairn then stepped to the piano and sang
the song which Tom had sung Just before
his death. This is the first verse:
Last night as lay on the prairie
And locked at the stars in the sky,
l wondered II ever poor cowboy
Shnllld IN flo hx,n y>.-