Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-07-30

a year, then all the world says cowboys
are drunken desperadoes. The fact is
there is no more temperate man living
than the COW puneher. Now, for N.Y.
self, l never drink, smoke, chew or
gamble. Once smoked two years, but
didn't care for it, SO gave it up. There's
my wife Myrtle, who was with me on
the plains She is a teetotaler too.
Neither of US ever touches anything in
toxicating, though we're both show
people"
Mrs. Chamberlin is one of the few
women in America who can spin
lariat and lasso a steer as we'll as any
man COW puncher can do. She can per-
form with the best of the cattle men
their tricks with rope and moose.
Some of her feats seem like sIeight
of hand. She begins with the merest
loop in rope, spins it round and
round in a gradually widening circle,
jumping into the circle and out of it
again, meanwhile keeping up the mo-
ton steadily. She can gradually raise
that whirling rope without marring
for an instant the perfect circumfer
ence, throw it over her shoulders and
leap out from under it again, it spin
ming. spinning all the while in way
to make you dizzy. One trick is to
whirl the rope by wrist motion; also
forearm movement. leaving the hand
quite free All this looks easy as smiI-
ing when Myrtle Cham berlin does it,
but if you think 1t is easy try it. 1t is
impossible for an animal or a human
being to escape the lasso in the hands
of an expert.
The picture shows Myrtle whirling a
rope around her husband Frank She
was Michigan girl who went west to
live on a Montana ranch. She and her
husband became inseparable comrades
and chums outdoors as well as in. He
coached her in rough riding. cow
punching and lariat throwing till he
confessed she was as good at rope
tricks as he himself was. and he was
for awhile one of Buffalo Bilfs riders
The pair after a time began to Civ"
exhibitions because that paid better
than taking care of cattle for other
owners But after awhile
Then what are you going to DOR
I'VE are going directly back to Mon
tana ard get Il ranch of cur own and
run it. We like that life best. Where
you have your own ranch You can
double your money in five years"
Myrtle is noble specimen of phys
ical womanhood. with arms like mar
BILE pillars She is 5 feet S% inches in
height and weighs 220 pounds, yet is
active as cat. She is a woman ath-
lete. She told me she always rides
astride at her home in Montana.
at wouldn't be safe any other way,
with the steep places you have to go
up and down AT home on the ranch I
never wear anything but short skirt
or out and out trousers. never long
dress. / have one suit with leather
breeches Just like that the COW punch
ers wear. like that the best of all.
Oh, trousers are altogether the best
dress
physical culture? | never open n
Sunday paper that don't see columns
of stuff about it. don't believe in
physical culture l can do every one
of these things these women can and |
never had any training in my life.
Work, that's what they want some
thing useful. that will exercise the
whole body all over at once. II they
would get out and do good washing
that's the kind of exercise. But these
ladies' they make this sort of motion,
and this and this"-moving her arms.
what good? After exercising they
squeeze themselves up into Il corset
like a wise. and fifteen minutes of cor
set will upset and destroy two hours
physical culture"
In her public performances this no.
bly, developed young woman wears
knickerbockers and no skirt at all. On
the plains. riding alone, she always
carries a knife and gun" as the cow
boys call a pistol The gun is carried
partly because some accident may
make it necessary to shoot steer or
even the horse one is riding.
SUSAN PEPPER.