The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1904-07-19
ROOSEVELT AND THE
CATTLE THIEVES
Campaign Buttons Int nded
to Recall Presidents
Ranch Life

The first of the campaign buttons for
1904 has made its appearance and 1t is
based on the ranch days of Theodore
Roosevelt. Samuel Van Dersal, a Kansas
City man, is the originator Mr.. Van
Dersal was publisher of the Montana and
Dakota state brand books when Mr..
Roosevelt had ranches In that country
In each book are registered thousands of
brands. and among them are three used
by the ranchman who became president
One is a triangle. another the Elkhorn
Dersai recently sent to North Dakota
and received in return the original appli-
cations. filed by Mr.. Roosevelt and regis
tering his brands In the state capitol at
Bismarck. When Mr.. Roosevelt sold his
ranches he also transferred his brands
to Ferris Bros, Medora. ~ D.. who still
use them.
The button shows a red steer. wearing
the three Roosevelt brands, and bear the
Inscription: Don't Be Maverick-Join
the Presidential Roundup. 19Oi.7
Lands of Dakota. One was eight miles
up the Little Missouri river from Medo-
ra. This was known as the Chimney
Butte ranch. but the cowboys called it
the Maltese Cross ranch. because all its
cattle were branded with the cross. Thir-
~ miles down the river from Medora was
the Elkhorn ranch. also owned by Mr.
Roosevelt. There were fine buildings on
the Elkhorn. but the New Yorker pre-
ferred to live on the Chimney Butte, al
though the house was a one-story affair
of logs with three rooms, a kitchen, a
living room and a room for the owner
and his ranch manager Sylvane Ferris,
who. with his brother. now owns the
Roosevelt lands.
Medora is not much of town now. but
II has a history. Twenty years ago the
late Marquis de Mores. who was killed
In the Soudan by the Mahdists, establish
ed the town and named it after his wife,
who. before her marriage was Medora
Won Hoffman. of New York. Pretty near
iy everyone hears of the schemes of the
marquis. He was going to raise his own
cattle slaughter them in his own abat-
tolr and sell the meat in his own stores
In every city in the land. He tried. ne
failed and he left Medora.
Roosevelt came here a year before the
Marquis and started in to do some re-
forming The bad men," who abounoed
thereabout in those days, were just ready
to kill him when De Mores waited along
and monopolized all the attention. The
Frenchman at once became as obnoxious
to the cattle thieves as the New Yorker.
and the would-be killers concentrated
upon him. But De Mores killed two of
them and wounded half dozen mors,
making the first active move against the
toughest gang of cattle thieves In the
Northwest.
the former members of the gang made
spasmodic efforts to return to the old
order of things and they were aided
secretly by the then sheriff. Roosevelt
showed them that he had god stuff lii
him. He called a meeting of all the
ranchers in the country the sheriff was
summoned, and with his hand on his
gun Roosevelt practically told the oficiai
that he was a liar and horsethef. 1t
was swift language TO use In that coun-
try. but the sheriff saw that he was
against a bad man. took his medicine
and resigned. That was a big feather in
Rooseveit's cap.
In other ways he showed that the ways
of the country were not too hard for him.
He made 1t a practice to buy the buck
lest ugllest COW ponies he could find IN
the country. and when the boys kicked
against riding such nasty beasts he
would pick out the toughest one In the
lot and ride 1t. Often he was thrown
but eventually he conquered. Once four
of bis ribs were smashed in by the first
fall, but he said nothing and finally sub
dued the brute. If New iorKer could
ride the horses the cowboys argued that