Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-22

knows more about busting broncos tying
steers and branding calves than this same
Bill Hair. He is of the average build. a
gaunt man, who sits his saddle so well that
he might ride a wave across the Atlantic
ocean and never be seasick He was down
on the program for peculiar performance
that of riding a wild steer. Once on tie
program to perform for a crowd Of people
was not all the fun that Bill Hair wanted,
and in the very early morning he took
what he called his mornings morning at
riding unsaddled and unbrfdled ponies and
steers. Hair Is an athlete. He was born
with muscles of steel and bones Of rubber.
and when he wanted to give wild pony
scare he would make run for the ami
NAL. and before the astonished denizen or
the prairie knew or suspected that it was
in danger he would be upon its back. and
all its pitching and bucking of no
avail to put him off He remained there
until he had finished what he called his
sport, and then he would leap off as easily
as he had mounted His wild-steer riding
was one Of the really marvellous feats of
the program, and while 1t may be he did
not do it SO well for the crowd he did
in his mornings practice, he did a trick
that would have been worth thousands of
dollars to Phineas I. Barnum had that
worthy Yankee been able to have held Bill
and the steer under a yearly contract
Joe Benge is another cowboy. athletic
and skilled in the plainsman's art. People
may say that Benge is a born cowboy
native to his trade and life-but more OBJ
servant ones will say that had he been
born in Greece he would have added to the
stole history some pages that are yet I'M
writ. and that had he lived in Rome when
Nero was a reputed fiddler he would have
startled that nation of athletic worship
ers with some of his feats: and others
will tell you that had he been born in
Paris and reared in the Latin Quarter he
would have worn a small pointed beard.
would have painted good pictures and had
half the women Of the Quarter for his
sweethearts. He Is of that peculiar type
and mold of men who. born In certain en-
vironments, live and become a part of their
environments. and the head and front OF
whatever characterizes the highest type OF
that environment. Joe was born to cow
boys life, and he has lived to the perfec-
ton of a cowboys attachments in a field
where 1t requires art to succeed. No man
the pony's back or the attractions of
cowboys life than is he. The program
said that Joe would ride one of the heetest
ponies, run 1t at herd at the top OF IT'S
speed, leap from it's back to the back or a
steer. and hogtie the steer in less time than
it takes to tell about it. While others took
their practice in the morning, Joe was at his.
With a pony at full gallop. quick leap from
its back as quickly upon the back of a
steer. he tied the animal so thoroughly.
quickly and completely that the astounded
animal was believing on the ground. ut
terry astonished that Ii could move none or
its legs and could not rise from the earth.
1t was the work of an artist. and no pair
ter with the deft skill of Titan ever = Il
his work more artistically and completely
than did Joe Benge, cowboy. 1t was
startling feat, and one well worth days
travel to see.
There were other entertainments on the
side-every kind of side show for entertain
ment and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the cowboys
were the real show and could the Denison
or Dallas fair induce these artists of the
saddle and the rope to give an exhibition
next fall the attraction would draw better
than any card that ever tackled to a
program.
The reunion lasted through the day. Thou.
sands of people from Texas and the Indian
territory and from southern Kansas at
tended. Music for the occasion was fur
nished by the Vin!ta Brass Band. and polt-
icaI speeches were made. The picnic was
great success. and next year the cowboys
promise to eclipse even the performance of
this year at Pryor Creek.