The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-03-31

The Cowboy Has Not Passed En-
tirely from View.
Great Changes Hive Come over ths
Far West, ID the "Bronco
Hustler" Ii Still ON

Deck.
One hears deal Of the passing of the
cowboy. The idea grows apace that
the cowboy is extinct. Because soms
parts Of tha-west have settled up. be-
caas>sthe 'nesters" and the sheepmen,
the big rancher and the wire fence have
come into these sections, some people
who write would have it appear that
the cowboy is a thing Of the past.
As a matter of fact, says a correspon-
dent Of the Butte Inter Mountain, the
cowboy is very much alive and in thu
present It Is true he is not tough
and bad individual as he used to BE-
pictured, but all Of him was not tough
and bad even then, no more than it II
to-day. 1t may be that greater changes
have come over the cowboy of Colorado,
New Mexico, Arizona, and the south
west than are realized here, but the
fact is that the Montana cowboy Is
much the same happy -natured, pic
turesque and reckless individual he al
ways was. Perhaps the fact that this
IS still an open range country has some
thing to do with the result. Though
the open range its passing it still il
here and the chances are it will not
be gone entirely for several years to
come. The roundups are the same ~
in the old days in Texas and the south
west, covering wild expanse Of ter
ritory. all unfenced and belonging only
to Uncle Sam. True, the fencer, il
here, but in small numbers in compare
son with the number Of cattlemen.
The Montana cowboy is not long on
fancy attire. broad sombrero. silver
spurs and the other trappings that
were the heart of the southwestern
cowboy. He is businesslike indiyid-
ual in his manner and his appearance,
but he likes wild ride as we'll as any:
he can sit the toughest bronco that
ever was roped. he knows his business
down to the ground. and in his leisure
time he can make as much noise and
have as much fun as any man who ever
rode stock saddle.
He does not use his gun any more
than Is absolutely necessary except in
play pf perfectly harmless nature.
For Instance, the Montana cowboy has
fondness for dropping into little COW
towns and shooting loosely into the
air and whopping like Piegan Indian
with incipient appendicitis. He does
this chiefly when an overland train is
at the station. and he rides peacefully
away, happy In the thought that he has
scared trainload Of pilgrims into be-
lieving they were in bad mans coun-
,ry.
This IL about the extent Of the cow
boys shooting, except for the genuine
lights that come now and ihen-hard-
y more Frequently than they occur in
my occupation in the east or west.
Now and then at a roundup camp or
n cow town you will meet grizzled
I'D sinner who will lament the evil
ways into which the punching Of cows
1as fallen. He win tell you that the
genuine cowboy Is hard TO find and
hat the boys who are riding now are
a lot Of baby-faced -punchers
rom the east who don't know what IT
$ to be real cow hand" Don't YOU
believe him. He forgets that once upon
time he was a baby faced cow-punch-
r himself; that the native heath OF
most of the men who have sung to
heir herds on stormy night is in the
'fete east. Because all who appear in
he roundup are not so old or tough
ned or grizzIed as himself he forgets
hat he once was in their class. The
'aby-faced cow-puncher is the begin
ling of the seasoned old COW hand.
nd so he ever was. and so be ever will
'e
Quite as picturesque, quite as ardu-
us and quite as attractive to the ad-
enture-loving yoWths of the land as
yer Is the business of handling cattle
N the open ranges Of Montana. There
S a breadth and freedom about the
rade Of riding the glorious, sunlit
dontana prajries that makes it lure
many man from more lucrative pur-
uits. Some day, when irrigation shall
ave transformed the ranges of Mon
ana into thousands Of productive
arms the cowboy as we know him to-
ay win pass, but for the present he is
ere. Here's TO himi
On a small table beside my bed /
tands lamp. two nails, a tin cup con- /
aiming one tablespoonful Of mutton T
allow Tor lard), two tablespoonfuls of
a deep bib with strings,
nd two safety-pins. with which TO pin
. piece Of flannel the shape Of the I
~. As son as baby coughs hard, I I
PIT the lamp, put the tin cup over it
ln The two nails). and heat the mix
arc until il smokes. I then rub baby's 4
best well. as hot as / can use the fnr-
entine. and then put on the flannel /,
snaed to the bib, tying the soft tape
rigs around the neck. Itmay soand n
ke . fairy-tale. cut II the cough is
e TOO bad. II absolutely disappears;
- bad, II becomes SO mild and the
reathipg so different that distracted
lo1hfr sleeps in peace. With this
a. 4