The San Francisco call., 1899-05-07

earns a good competence every year in
fees from Eastern people, who have con-
fidence that what she tells them about
gold mines is trustworthy. In some cases
she gets as high as s100 for a few days
time. Her children are in school at
Phoenix.
Then there is Miss Amelia Dunn, who
is regarded in the region of HolbroOk,
Navajo County, as the most capable girl
cowboy in the Southwest Every one IN
the Territories knows about Nellie Dunn
and her success among cattle, and hardly
a fortnight passes that some new story
about Miss 'Melie's broncos and cattle is
not started on the rounds of the rural
press in Arizona and New Mexico. The
Dunns came from the vicinity of Elmira,
n. Y Mr.. Dunn. the father, was an in
valid with consumption, and he settled
at Deming and bought cattle, because
caring for them would earn him money
and keep him out of doors at the same
time That was in 1877, when Miss Nellie
was a little tot of a girl.
After a long and hard experience with
marauding Navajoes, who, at different
times, stole three-fourths of the little
herd of cattle on the Dunn ranch and in
timidated the family so that they died
a thousand deaths while barricaded for
q
under the rude ranch home, Mr.. Dunn
rounded up some $50 cattle. When Amelia
was II years old her father died. She
had been with him almost daily for sew
eral years in his rides across the mesas,
among the foothills and through arroyos,
so she was as well informed about the
cattle business as her father. 1t was nat
ural that when he died she became his
successor. 1t took several years for the
know beef values, when to sell her stock,
when to ship and how to Craze her herd
most economically She was apt, and
before she was 21 years old her opinion
was authority among the cattlemen in
that region. She knows every detail of
the ranch work and has performed some
part of all phases of the career Of cow
boy Of the Southwest.
From 1889 to 1897 the years were gener-
ally sorry ones for even experienced cat
tie ranchmen In the drought-stricken
regions of the Southwest. but Nellie Dunn
had the foresight to drive her beeyes to
valleys, where the herd fattened while
thousands of other cattle died of exhaus-
ton and starvation. The young woman s
duties as vaquero and proprietor OF some
1900 cattle often take her $50 and 200 miles
or more from home across sandy wastes
and among the foothills and mountains,
as the cattle must-be Kept moving to feed
well. Frequently during the rainy sea
son some of the cattle become rnired In
the mud along creeks where they Craze
or where they wade in TO drink Then
comes the hardest part of the work. With
true cowboy skill she throws the 1ariat
over the slender branching horns, while
the other end of the long phenomenallly
strong rawhide rope is fastened to the
saddle. Then steady pull on the part of
the pony draws the imprisoned animal to
place of safety on dry ground She has
large herd for one person to handle but
with the assistance OF two Well-trained
dogs she does It.
While on the range Miss Dunn dresses
in cowboy fashion,; with wide-brimmed
white felt hat, long gauntlet gloves, a
lariat coiled about the saddlehorn and a
revolver at her belt, and she rides the
widest bronco with thorough ease. When
off duty she is a quiet, unassuming young
lady, the last one that would be sus-
pected Of such masculine accomplish
! ments.
Il only regret" she said recently to q
newspaper man, that L have never had
an opportunity to gain any of the wo-
manly accomplishments in the way of
study. literature and music. I fear |
would be laughed at by the young wo-
men in the East If l should go among
| them. But have made good money and
some day ! may have some of the longed-
for feminine accomplishments"
/ There are many women in the South