The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-11-15

| 0OWn Suuu6ulX Will jane udQ2ln
on to the rope he pulled Jake's head
and shoulders far forward. When the
bulls head anne up, Jake, in the
poor light, failed to get his head out
of the way and the bulls head being
the hardest Jake passed out for about
half an hour. His cheek was cut
open to the bone. He landed some
ten feet behind the bull and in his
rapid descend he discovered a lot
of stars that have never been located
by the worlds most famous astrono-
mers.
Jake was W a gutter, and he
went back in October, 1894, and rode
the bull to a dog-raw finish for which
he received a handsome medal made
of California gold with a satin finish.
Now and then you hear a remark
from someone who pretends to know
a lot about the Belgrade bull that
no man ever rode him. Others will
tell of men besides Ross who success
fully tackled the famous jumper from
the Gallatin valley but this story is
founded on the actual facts as many
residents of the vicinity of Belgrade
will testify.
A man named William Sitton rode
the bull at Belgrade in 1893 but he
used a doubIe-cinch saddle and the
real cinch was so tight that the ami
NAL was unable to get into real ac-
ton. Anyone who has ever put a
tight strap around a kicking milk
COW knows the effect it has.
At the state fair in 1894 a rider
known as Kirkwood, who was after
wards drowned in the Missouri river,
received a purse of n hundred dol
lars for riding the bull, win, lose or
draw. In other words he was offered
the money whether he rode the bull
or failed in the attempt. Kirkwood
merely threw his leg over the cantle
board, hooked his spur in the cinch
and hung on to the horn with his
hand, lying alongside the bulls
neck, and getting into the
saddle.
In addition, the bull had just been
shipped in a box car from Butte
where he was open to all contestants
several days, and previous to that
had been worked out three days in
Anaconda. By the time he arrived
at the state fair he was tired out,
gaunted from light feeding and sore
and in no shape for real action.
The Belgrade bull was no stranger
in Montana, particularly in Gallatin
county. He was taken to many
county fairs and appeared at Helena,
Butte and Bozeman sew
eral times where he was open to all
corners. Many good riders travelled
two to three hundred miles to
try him out and he would throw them
bnfnr0 fh0u T0pn on with hic hood
snubbed to a post.
Jake rode at the Montana State
fair in Helena in 1908. He rode
head during the week, for
which he received a gold medal.
These horses were advertised for and
came from many different places.
Needless to say they came with repu-
or they would not have been
here.
Speaking of the difference between
in the old days and now, Jake
''these days the horses are put
in a chute, saddled there and the
mounts in the chute. He rides
4 few jumps and then men ride up !
and grab the horse and rider. At 7
he State fair I had help in saddling
)ut made my own mounts out in the t
pen and rode seven head in 35 min t
ties. I mounted and dismounted in /
he open, alone, where the people
ould see." C
Winning the State Fair medal was c
Lue entirely to Jake's best friend, s
udge Albert ]. Galen. Judge Galen d
Tas instrumental in having the man e
cement advertise a medal several 8
1onths before the fair for broncho c
The judge told Jake he c
bought he still had one more good il
ide left in him and he wanted him il
0 make it at the State fair, where Il
he thousands who annually visit the o
reat exposition could see him, and
hat is how he happened to be there.
Judge Galen, by the way, in his !,
days was a protege of Jake #
toss and a horseman of no mean {"
bility himself. He rode the range y
or a number of years in company =
nth Jake. Those we're happy days v
Al when he could saddle a good
orse and get out in the hills with :,
he roundup Even today Jake Fl
vers that the judge would gladly l.
rawl out of his auto to climb on the +,
ack of a good horse. f,
Jake put on a midwest show at y
CENTRAL Park in Helena July 8 and
, 1904, with Judge Galen as mana II
er. During this show, Miss Fannie II
perry, now Mrs. Fannie Sperry q
teele, champion rider of the r,
Torld, made almost her first public a.
ppearance. She gave splendid evil r,
then of her ability and her n
kill has not waned to this day. Dur n
lg this show, Jake rode about 20
cad of horses, n mule and two h
u1ls. The show was advertised for "
sveral weeks and invitations issued 2,
} everyone to bring in the worst 1
ley had. Fl
The famous Belgrade bull, which Il
AXE rode, and for which he carries 3
medal, was a Holstein and his II
eight was 1850 when he was gaunt- ii
/ for action. He was owned by A. S. ii
nd P. S. Johnson of Belgrade. The y,
ull was sold to Charles Beveridge of n
elena who took him east with a wild Sc
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