The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-26
By Experts Trained in the Arts
of the Saddle.
BRONCO BUSTING And ROPING
A Novel and Wonderful Sport
ing Exhibit.
A Contest in Which Fifty Ex-
, perts Took Part.

tFWe'1I have to hand it to the men
from Arizona and New Mexico, be-
cause they sure gave US some ripping
performances remarked one man as
he walked away from the big corral
on the athletic field, where the pro-
fessionals had finished the bronco
busting, roping, bulldogging and other
like contestant he swas right
never before, not even in the great
events held in Cheyenne, were there
ever such notabIes in competition.
C. J. Fuller put on some riding that
has never been seen by many men
now in Camp Funston, and illustrated
the reason for his winning first money
at the great Cheyenne show of 1915.
The reporter for Trench and Camp
was unable to get Fuller's nick name.
However we know a man who rides
as he does has been given one Some
of the other regular" riders were
powder Face" Eckard, Red" Garrett,
Jack Mccoy, Chas. Ryall, Archie
McEuen, Lon Parker, SANDY BAR
and Chick Marrow.
The records of some of these men
show the class of material the COM
mittee on arrangements had to work
on. 1t wasn't necessary to have any
inStru cti ons-the men merely mad TO
be gotten together. Fuller won first
place in the biggest bronco riding
event held in the world just last year,
and is a professional in all branches
of cowboy sports He is a good roper,
steer tyer as well as being the best
rider ever seen astride bronco.
Red" Garrett is an excellent rider;
however he classes higher as roper
and buIldogger; he won first place IN
roping at Winslow Ariz., in 1915 and
first place in bulldogging at the
Sacramento fair in 1915 "Chick"
Marrow won first place in riding at
Rodero, N. M, in 1915.
The ropir.g was better than most
men in this camp had ever had an
opportunity to see. All of them had
seen some sort of wild west show rope
throwing, but they had never seen the
men whose business depends to
great extent on these thi lgs that have
been made an art More men took
have had to use the rope many times
in their lives. There wasn't anything
that they didn't do.
Dick McComb, of the 164th depot
brigade; Archie McEuen. of Battery
u. 34th field artillery; Jack Mccoy,
Battery E, 340th field artillery; Jack
Traynor, Company 26. 164th depot
brigade; Powder Face Eckard, Com
pany A, 342d machine gun battalion;
RED" Garrett and E. H. Moye did
in his home town.
Gene Mckay is in a class by himself
as fancy roper and he gave the men
of the E,ighty-ninth the treat of their
lives when he made his rope do things
that ropes do not usually do. Mckay
lives in Cheyenne and has won many
firsts and seconds in this branch of
the sports.
Bulldogging was novel sport to
the men here and it seemed to be
| liked even more than the others. It is
very Dangerous competition and it
takes the men who become expert at
| it much time and many falls, bumps
and bruises. Failing off a horse run
ming full speed on to the horns of a
steer and twisting the steers head,
pushing it into the ground so that the
animal. turns a complete somersault
, is dangerous. But not for men like
Eckard, Mccoy, Garrett, Martin and
| McComb. 1t was like rolling off q
| log"
| The contest that took the eve of
most of the men who like excitement
was one in which only men who are
| good ropers and riders could take
part. It took a fast roper and a good
| rider to win the money and the con-
| test was full of pep" from the time
/ it began until the winner threw his
| jumper on top the corral fence. Five
= wild horses were turned loose in the
corral, five contestants with five help
eiS rue Jul on their roplnS ponies,
| ropes ready. Each picked himself a
new mount, roped him, and with the
| aid of his helper, removed the saddle
! from his roping pony and saddled the
wild horse The contestant was then
| to ride from the end at which he sad
| died the bronco to the other end of
the corral and throw his jumper on
| the top rail of the fence. THE only
| trouble was" as one man expressed
! it. there was too much doing at one
| time and I didn't get to see all of it,
| The whole contest required the ser
| vices of fifty men and they were for
the most part from Arizona, New
!