Indiana daily times., 1921-02-11
MEN ARE STILL
BRAVE AND BOLD
IN GOLDEN WEST
Cowboy Contests at Ell Paso
Stock Show Make Eastern
Sports Child Play.
SOME FEATs DESCRIBED
Rx FREDERIC i. HAsKIN.

BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN.
WASHINGTON, d. C-You stand up
and yell with admiration when you see
a college football player make a flying
tackle on another player OF about his own
weight. What would you say for d man
who would make a similar flying tackle
on an 800 pound steer running at full
speed and put the steer down?
At the Long Island horse shows they
cheer the bold riders who take the high
Jumps on carefully trained thorough
Dreds. In Ell Paso, at the recent annuaI
meeting Of the American National Live
stock Association, that would have been
onsidered about as exciting as taking
he baby for a ride in his perambulator.
Those who aspired to thrills at that
place and time tried to ride Kyote, the
famous outlaw broncho, who has thrown
l73 men high IN the air, and has never
yet been successfully ridden.
These comparisons suggest some diff
ferences between the East and the West,
which may be worth rejecting upon. We
are told that the typical American is be-
coming a docile, timid, pampered indi-
vidual. There were Americans of dit
ferent type in evidence at FL Paso. May
be those who think American manhood is
gone to pot have never been very Tar
West.
They also tell US that the old-time
cowboy has vanished along with the In
dian and the buffalo. Yet this extinct
creature gathers by the thousands at con-
ventions every year-in Ell Paso, in Las
Vegas, in Cheyenne. The cowboy does
not know that he is extinct. A census
would perhaps show nearly as many men
f7ho can top a broncho or bulldog steer
is ever there were.
FINEST QUALITIES OF
RACE SHOWN IN CONTESTS.
Because the cattlemen take pleasure in
their calling and in all that belongs to It,
eats OF horsemanship form the greatest
TRACTION that can be given to them when
hey are looking for amusement.
So there is opportunity at Ell Paso dur
ing convention week to see American
men and women in contests that BRING
into play all the finest qualities Of the
race and that make the sports OF the
East seem dull and lacking in the great
qualities by comparison. The contest
that seems to be in the greatest favor
and that has the largest demand on Il
mans courage, skill and strength is tho
sport known as "buldogging." In this
pleasing pastime, a 1.-THE and active steer
Is released. He is off at high speed at
once and behind him come two hard
riding cowboys, each on his specially
and proven bronchO. The first object Is
for each 10 catch up with the steer, one
on either side and this being done, the
function Of one of the cowboys Is to keep
the steer going as straight as possible
The other cowboy inches up TO the
steer; then suddenly leaves his mount
and gains a bold on the steers neck
and horns. Using his feet ana some
times his whole body on the ground, he
sudeavors to throw the animal COM
,letely OF it's feet This Is real mans
lob. When the first contact is made the
steer is going at perhaps fifteen miles
In hour. He weighs about 800 pounds,
The cowboy scales around 40 pounds
For the man to stop this onrushing hv-
Ing mass with It's full momentum, to
bring It to a full stop and then TO turn
1t completely bottom up so the feet are
Off the ground, calls for as mucn cour-
age, skill and appiied strength perhaPs'
as auv athletic feat ever performed oy
men.
1t is not an all-day fob, either. The
writer has seen II done in twelve seconds,
from the time the steer was released
until the Judge sfgnnled that the feat
was complete by the steer being helpless
and reversed" Jim Massey Of Snyder,
Texas. did this. To see that able lad
riding at full tilt up alongside his steer,
then make the diving jump from his
saddle and stop that steer and force him
down into the dust Of defeat by superb
strength well applied would bring an
audience outstanding and cheering any
where. With nearly all the spectators
fully aware OF the risks and merits OF
the feat, there were all the cheers man
could ask. One big citizen, who looked
the PROSPEROUS cattleman he probably is,
after yelling all the yells he knew, which
were considerable. expressed bis appre-
citation thus; Men, l would not have
missed that for a thousand dollars. no
matter how low cattle was selling for"
CALF ROPING EVENT
DESCRIBED.
Yet this feat was done by others IN
fourteen seconds fiat, in fourteen and a
fraction seconds and by practically all
the contestants within a minute. Fancy
cowboy and cowgirl riding, roping and
all the other range sports got their turn
in the public eye and interest.
Maybe it is easy to ride a cow pony
while standing upright on the saddle,
and to do all the other fancy riding
strlcks, but this audience of experienced
People did not think so, judging by their
intense attention to all the details OF the
performance.
The cowgirl was in evidence, aud
proved that there are very few riding
tricks that a girl cannot do and stiu
keep her good looks and style.
In the calf-roping contests, the commit
tee had furnished a herd of Hereford
calves (under l year old is a calf in the
cattle country that could run like deer.
Frequently they could outrun the feet
COW ponies that had been specially Sc
lected and trained by their riders for
this contest The calf did not seem to
be going so fast, having short nimble
legs under him, until 1t was seen that
the hard riding cowboy, with his mount
stretched to the Inst inch, could not get
within good roping distance. Then, too,
in the course of these many doings, some
OF these calves had been rOped before,
end, like the bulldogged steer, after one
experience they avoid repetition, IL pos
sible. When the calf sees that the rope
Is about to be thrown, he will frequently
stop short or turn quickly. OF course,
the roper feels bad about 1t and says so,
but the calf can hardly be expected to
sympathize. For to be rOped means TO
be brought up to a stop suddenly and
violently, to be thrown to the ground by
vigorous and fastworking cowboy, to
be tied and trussed up, and thus to await
the judges inspection and approval
Jerry Wright, Of Brady, Texas, did all
of this in twenty mine and one-ffth sec
onds and a large number did the feat
In less than one minute.
After the cattleman has taken his full
part in the proceedings of his convention
and has been regaled with these sports
that are SO dear To him hA pnes to the