The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-27
INVITED TO A ROUNDUP
aTeddy's Terrors" Send the
President a Bid.
UNIQUE INVITATION FORWARDED
It IL Printed on the Hide OF q YOUNG
Steer-The .eTerrors" Are q Politi-
cal Organization and Have q Most
Novel Method of Campaigning.
Their Watchword IL CHI. Hi."% :

r.
Their Watchword IL CHI. Hi."fs :
Out Of the far and breezy wild
west" has been sen to President Roose-
welt an invitation so unique that it is
n of the most remarkable documents
that ever went into the White House.
writes, the Washington correspondent
Of the Buffalo News. 1t comes from a
rough and ready campaign club known
as "Teddy's Terrors'' of Los Angeles,
Cal. and is written on a full sized calf
hide, with the Roosevelt cattle brands
burned on the flank. The queer mote"
is a cordial request framed in cowboy
p~hraseology for the chief executives
presence at the annual May fete. la
Fiesta de Los Angeles a striking relic
Of the early Spanish occupation Of Cali.
fornia amplified to contain features of
the New Orleans Mardi Gras. Among
its attractions for the .'tenderfeet" are
feats of craftsmanship. exhibitions of
''broncho busting and bullfights in
modified form.
Near the shoulders of the calf hide.
which has been for months in the proc
ess Of tanning and is as fine a speci.
men as could be found in California,
the hair was scraped away, leaving a
soft spot of leathery parchment, upon
which the words are written in a style
that is in keeping with the western
spirit and the frontier methods sup.
posed to be in vogue there. This is the
greeting:
Los Angeles. Cal. March 30.
We're goin' to have a roundup. an we
shore want yer mighty bad. Feed and
water plenty. Stocks fat. Brandin' irons
ready when yer git here. Come on. will
yer? TEDDY'S TERRORS.
For Theodore Roosevelt. the President.
Washington.
In the same spot is a laughable
sketch of the president mounted on a
bear. the insignia Of the state of Cali
fornia, with his pistol holster flying out
behind and a look. of fierce determine.
ton on his stern face as he rushes to
the rodero. In the distance is seen the
dome of the national capitol and in the
foreground a sign pointing toward Los
Angeles.
The three brands that the
hide are those used on the presidents
cattle on his ranches in the northwest.
They are the Maltese cross. the elk
horn and the triangle. symbolic Of the
Mason. the Elk and the Knight ~of
Pythias. The ''Terrors" did not know
the presidents brands and were obliged
to write to him for the informa ton,
and he may have suspected that some
1 nf his noff1o yyynp1l1 no rpicci,r ~, vinvy,
of the singular question. Within a few
days a reply was received from Secre-
tary Cortelyou and with it a character
istic memorandum in the presidents
own handwriting. saying. II had three
brands, the Maltese cross. elk horn and
triangle" This was signed with his
initials and bore rude dra wings of the
brands. The memorandum is slowed
away in the clubs archives and money
could not buy it.
Inciosed in an envelope made of ex-
quisitely polished California woods and
bound with silver. the red and white
calfskin souvenir has been forwarded
for presentation to Mr.. Roosevelt by
Senators Perkins and Bard. and un
doubtedly it will make a pleasant i'm
preston On the recipient. who thor.
oughly appreciates the frank and plain
way of saying and doing things in the
great southwest.
"Teddy's Terrors.' sometimes called
Busters" are professional and bust
ness men organized in the campaign OF
1900 i'm this novel way. their uniforms
consisting of the typical cowboy outfit
sombrero. b%andanna. blue flannel shirt
buckskin trousers and top boots and
armed with huge reyolvers. They &C
campaigning with a whoop and a howl
shooting up" promiscuously. and moth
ing like them ever was turned loose
before. Their watchword is Hi. hi
which cattlemen call to the moving
stock. Major ]. w. r. Diss. a Philip
pine veteran. is "chief buster"
A New Dickens Controversy.
Tho factS nf q mans life are very DIFF