The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-02

Where Men still D.re.

Washington, D. e., Ian. 3i.-You
stand Mp and yell With aAmifation
when ron 90 : college football
player make Z dying tackle on an
other player Of about bis own
weight, What would you ray for
. man Who would make Z similar.
flying tackle On IN soo-pound steer
running ct 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
thoroughbfeds. In III Paso. at the
recent annual meeting Of the Amer
lean National Livestock association,
that would have been considered
about a. exciting - taking . baby
for = ride In his peFsmbulator.
Those who aspircd to thrills Ut that
place and time tried to ride Kyote.
the famous outlaw broncho. who
has thrown 17s men high In the
air, and has never yet been success
fully ridden.
AnCoG NokA pNt i1VAU Su8 00ete eoAuS
differences between the east and
west. which may be worth reject
ing upon. We are told that the
typical American is becoming a do
cile, timid, pampered individual.
There were Americans of = differ
ent type in evidence at FL Paso.
Maybe those who think American
manhood is gone to pot have never
been very far west.
They also tell US that the old
time cowboy has vanished along
with the Indian and the buffalo.
Yet this extinct creature gathers
by the thousands at conventions
every year-in FL Paso. in Las
Vegas, in Cheyenne. The cowboy
does not know that he is extinct.
A census would perhaps show near
ly as many men who can top z
broncho or bulldog q steer as ever
there were
Human Bulldogs.
Because the cattlemen take pleas
ure in their calling, and in all that
belongs to it, feats Of horseman-
ship form the greatest attraction
that can be given to them when
they are looking for amusement.
So there is opportunity at Ell
Paso during 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 quail
ties by comparison. The contest
that seems to be in the greatest
favor, and that has the largest de-
mand ON q mans courage, skill, and
strength, is the sport known as
"bulldogging." In this pleasing
pastime, a 1.-THE and active steer is
released. He is on at high speed
al once and behind him come two
hard-riding cowboys, each on his
specially selected and proven
broncho. The first object is for
each to 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 hold on the steers neck and
horns. Using his feet, and some
times his whole body on the
ground, he endeavors to throw the
animal completely off it's feet. This
is real mans job. When the first
contact il made the steer is going
at perhaps Is miles an hour. He
weighs about 500 pounds. The cow
boy scales around ITO pounds. For
the man to stop this onrushing liv-
ing mass with its full momentum,
to bring it to a full stop, and then
to turn it completely bottom up so
the feet are of the ground. calls
for as much courage, skill and ap-
piled strength. perhaps, as any ath-
letic feat ever performed by men.
1t is not an all-day job. either.
The writer has seen 1t done in II
seconds, from the time the steer was
released until the judge signalled
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 al
full tilt up alongside his steer. then