Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-11-16

illustration Of the patience and persist
cnce of Theodore Roosevelt is afforded
than the success with which he was
able to stalk the mountain ram. He
would crawl for hours to get within
distance of a mountain sheep, and
when his rifle cracked he was pretty
sure to bring down what he was after.
with the increase Of Mr.. Roose-
velt's ranching interests, the Maltese
cross outfit put on a roundup wagon
of its own, with a ranch foreman and
the useual force of riders. Cattle
growing in those days was on the bo-
nanza plan. Thousands upon thou
sands of Texas steers were turned out
upon the ranges to seek their own sus-
tenance from the range grass.
Twice each year the country was
worked by the roundup outfits. Re
ciprocity was q practical principle
among the cattle men, and each round
up outfit, no matter to what company
it belonged, worked all the cattle 1t en-
countered on its trip.
Each day the wagon moved a dis
tance of 20 or 80 miles along the main
water course. Morning and afternoon
the riders circled the country for dis
tance Of 40 or so miles, bringing into
camp all the cattle found.
"At noon and in the evening the
calves were branded, the beeves cut
out Of the main herd and close herded
with the wagon until some shipping
point was reached, and the days work
ended for the cowboy with a night
guard Of two hours about the beef
herd. to guard against stampedes. 1t
was the hardest kind Of work, but Mr..
Roosevelt determined to gain his
knowledge Of it from experience.
"T want to work with my wagon as
a cowboy he said to his foreman, s.
M. Ferris, and I don't want to be
shown any favors. I want you to treat
me just as any other cowboy with the
wagon, and I'll manage to get along
$50 Mr.. Roosevelt worked for a part
Of a season as cowboy. He had his
own string Of horses and they were as
ugly and ill-tempered as the majority
Of cow-horses. He was not bronco
breaker as he has been pictured to be,
and he took no unnecessary chances in
mounting or endeavoring to tame an
especially ugly horse. But he did not
shrink from riding his own horses
when they cut up the customary ca
pers Of mustangs, and although he was
sometimes thrown and on one or two
occasions pretty badly bruised and
hurt, he stuck. to his. mounts until he
had mastered them.
HE learned more and faster by OBJ
servation than any man ever saw"
said his ranch foreman, S. M. Ferris,
in speaking Of his season on the range.
HE learned to rope his own horse
when 1t was time to get mount in
the morning. He watched the men
throw and brand the calves and he got
to be as good calf wrestler as any
Of them.
HE was among the first up in the
morning, took his trick with the men
in the morning and afternoon and
stood his two hours guard over the
herd at night. I never heard him COM
plain of his bargain and when he fin
ished his work with the outfit he had
the good will Of every man in camp,
as a good, whole-souled, companiona-
BILE comrade."
justice. On one occasion he followed
two men who had stolen a boat from
his place, arrested them and assisted in
their prosecution. On another occa-
sion he followed cattle thieves, and as
deputy sheriff took them after their ar
rest long distance overland to Dick
inson and lodged them in Jail.
To a cowboy who proposed roping
and branding a maverick for him on
the range, Mr.. Roosevelt said:
If you steal for me you'll steal from
me-" and he sent the man to get his
time.
It is still remembered that he made
long drive into Dickinson, back in
1886, to accept an invitation from a To-
cal committee to make a Fourth Of
July speech. The speech is still fresh
in the remembrance of the pioneers Of
that western country, who refer to it
as the finest Fourth Of July speech
ever made west Of the Missouri river"