The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-12-15
OLD LYME AWAKES TO SENSATIONAL
SPORT OF BULL-DOCCINC;; COLONY
| OF ARTISTS SEES RARE SPORTS


John and Lille Baldwin
Lease Farm and Neigh
bors Are Enabled to Wit
ness Real Sports and
Pastimes of The Frontier
Cowboys.
Old Lyme Dec. 15.-The artists col
ony in Old Lyme has won for itself
and for Old Lyme a country de
fame. But there have been other So
journers in the town who might be
termed well-known and who have ad-
ded something to the towns history.
Going back a number of years there
was Chief Justice Morrison Waite of
the United States Supreme court who
spent his summers here. President
Woodrow Wilson and his family for
several summers, before 1912 it must
be confessed. made Old Lyme their
home. Some may have forgotten but
there are those who remember
Knockout Brown, who was mem
Der one season Of the boys camp,
maintained by St. Georges church Of
Hall section of the town. Now John
to the list of Lyme's hall of fame.
Last September they leased for a
term of years the Littlefeld farm,
which is just across Foamy river. le-
gally in the town Of East Lyme but
in association, in Old Lyme. Mr..
a.1d Miss Baldwin ride horses. They
ride any kind of horse and they ride
any kind of q way. Last August at
the stampede at Sheepshead Bay,
which was in fact tournament for
the worlds championship in horse
manship Miss Baldwin won first place
in the rough-riding event from the
hitherto unbeaten champion, Mrs.
Francis Sperry Steele. She has won
also numberless tournaments at trick
riding and other things in which
horses are concerned.
Her brother won the track riding
event at Sheepshead Bay before ex-
President Roosevelt. His, victory was
loudly app1auded by Mr.. Roosevelt for
six years before he had ridden at
Cheyenne at the request Of the ex-
President and had not been forgotten.
Contrary to all ideas Of professional
performers it is hard to get the Bald
wins to talk of their victories
When seen at his farm, Baldwin
was engaged in the prosaic task Of
mending fences. He is of a compact
build and has mild though determine
ed expression in his face, in fact he
looked the typical athlete. He was
not rolling cigarette and this seemed
strange after wide reading OF vest
ern tales. He said that at the age of
IL years he had started his career
with the horse at the old Sheepshead
Bay race track where he rode as a
Jockey and won some Of the big ham
dicaps on Imp and Rapanac. After he
became too heavy for. a jockey he
went west SO that he might be able to
continue riding and use his knowledge
Of horses to some advantage. Be-
fore he had been there long he began
to pick up the western tricks of rough
riding and bronch busting and in a
few years he was beating the cowboys
and broncho busting, 1t was all the
same to him and the prize cups began
to come his way thick and fast Soon
he began to ride in shows end as he
had level head and was not afflict-
ed with the artistic temperament ne
was put in charge of all the horses
and was responsible for their we'll
being. He made several ventures in.
the show business for himself but last
year he toured the country with the
"101 Ranch
Was q Hair Dresser.
About eight years ago his sister
Joined him in his career on horse
back. She. was brought up in the
city of New York and for several years
was engaged in hair-dressing- She
always had a longing for outdoors
and, one night she saw q movie in
which the heroine rode a COW pony.
After that you could not have kept
her away from the horses. After
taking few lessons in New York and
proving to her satisfaction that she
could ride, she persuaded her broth
er to give her q place'in the wild west
show that he happened to be inter-
ested in at the time. That was the
last time she ever had to persuade any
show man to engage her. Unlike her
brother, she is tall and rather slender
and at first glance does not give the
of possessing any unusual
athletic ability. When she moves.
however, there is a certainty and
grace in every action that stamps her
at once as being able to do things
that take strength and accuracy. To
bust the bronchos takes more than
strength and accuracy. 1t takes grit
and nerve, and with all her pleasant
and ready smile, grit and nerve is
lust what she has. At the Stampede
last summer the women contestants
rode the same horses that were used
in the mems championship test, and
through all tho wild gyratfons Of the
bronchos she never once grasped the
saddle. One Of her mounts fell with
her, but she still chung to the reins.
That feat gave her q good lead on
points over the other contestants. An
other broncho, High Pocket, bucked.
wildly but she rode him as lightly as
a leaf on the water.
@BuIl- Dogging."
Another mild sport that she in
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