Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-07-03

with the eight pointed star. Thirty
miles down the river from Medora is
the Elkhorn ranch, also owned by Mr..
Roosevelt. There are fine buildings
on the Elkhorn, but the New Yorker
when here prefers to live on the Chin
ney Butte, although the house is a one
story affair of logs with three rooms,
a kitchen, a living room and a room
for the owner and his ranch manager,
Sylvane Ferris.
Medora is not much of town now,
but it has history. Twelve years
ago the late Marquis de Mores, who
was recently killed in the Soudan by
the Mahdists, established the town and
named it after his wife, who, before
her marriage, was Medora Won Hoff-
man of New York. Pretty nearly ev-
cry one has heard of the great schemes
of the marquis. He was going to raise
his own cattle, slaughter them in his
own abattoirs and sell the meat in
his own stores in every city in the
land. He tried, he failed, and he left
Medora.
Roosevelt came here a year before
the marquis and started in to do some
reforming. The dad men, who
abounded hereabouts in those days,
were just ready to kill him when de
Mores waited along and monopolized
all the attention. The Frenchman at
once became more obnoxious than the
New Yorker and the would-be killers
concentrated upon him. But de Mores
killed two of them and wounded half
dozen more, making the first active
move against the toughest gang Of
cattle thieves in the northwest.
After de Mores faded away some Of
the former members of the gang made
spasmodic efforts to return to the old
order of things, and they were aided
secretly by the then sheriff. Roose-
welt showed then that he had good stuff
in him He called a meeting of all
the ranchers in the country, the sher-
iff was summoned, and with his hand
on his gun, Roosevelt practically told
the official that he was a liar and a
horse thief. 1t was swift language to
use in this country, but the sheriff saw
that he was against a bad man, took
his medicine and resigned. That was
a big feather in Roosevelt's cap.
Prior to that he had been regarded as
a New York dude, who was all teeth
and eyeglasses.
In other ways he showed that the
ways of the country were not too hard
~ To do ati n
buy the Quickest, ugliest cow ponies
he could find in the country, and when
the boys kicked against riding such
nasty beasts he would pick out the
toughest one in the lot and ride it.
Often he was thrown off, but eventual
ly he conquered. Once he had four
ribs smashed in by the first fall but
he said nothing and finally subdued
the brute. If a New York dude could
ride the horses the cowboys argued
that they should be able to manage
them.
1t was the same with shooting.
Roosevelt cannot see a dozen yards
away without his eyeglasses but he
can do some fancy shooting that would
win applause in a wild west show.
He is not so good with a revolver,
but in long range work with the rife
there is no man. on the two ranches
who can beat him. He is a good
man at wrestling and is handy with the
gloves, being we'll up in all the tricks
of both sports. In friendly bouts he
has taken in some of the biggest men
These qualities have won him the
respect of the community and they are
the only qualities that count for much
in such life. A man might be moss
estimab1e in many things, but if he
lacked courage and couldn't ride, shoot
or fight, he wouldn't be thought mucf
Of