The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-12-04
THE OLD-TTME COWBOY WAS TRULY WESTERN CHARACTER,
GLORIOUS SYMBOL OF OPEN-AR LIFE ONUNBROKEN PLAINS


It was the highest crime known to
their unwritten law Of the range.
Their life, habits and range educa-
ton imbued them with this feeling.
Yet, Notwithstanding this apparent
disregard for human life, there were
less m%urderers and outlaws from
among them than from the more edu-
Gated classes, who at times came west
either for adventure or ill-gOtten
gain.
It was a dominant trait among
them to try to appear rOugher than
they actually were. They loved to
tell "bloOd-curdling'' tales to the
"tenderfoOt", trying to impress him
with the idea Of their being real
dad men" and to alarm the new
conner at the dangers" of the from
tier.
How a TenderfOOt Was Cured
Illustrating this trait in the
"puncher", the following story is
told by A. J. NOyes as having hap
pened on a ranch in the Bear Paw
country e a Chinook.
"He was a great big, f%inely-built
fellow who had recently graduated
from a Chicago college but as he had
fallen off so that he did not weigh
more than 220 pounds his dad
thought he needed a rest cure.
dad went to see the Rosenbaum
Brothers, the livestock commission
men;>and asked the senior member
of the firm if he would not try and
find a place where his darling could
go and camp out and receive at the
same time the attention due his
birth.
"Rosenbaum was we'll acquainted
with several of the members of the
Bearpaw pool and wrote to Stadler
and Kaufman, and others, to get
their consent to allow the boy to
come and accept the hospitality CD
Of their COW camp. OF course a re-
quest of this kind was soon granted
and the young fellow came to Chi
nook.
ct was in the spring of the year
before active operations began for
roundup. George Barrows was fore
man but he stayed in Chinook and
allowed Jay Rhodes and Frank
Owens to look out for the camp
Owens was really a bad man from
Texas who had used his gun or knife
with serious effect several times.
1.-THE Chicago boy was taken to
camp to become a guest, as he
thought, and that the cowboys were
to make his days, days Of pleasure
and his nights long dreams of bliss
"The cowboys rebelled at this as il
is needless to say that they cOulC
mot see any good reason why the!
should play flunky to some n who
was able to take care of himself.
Gay happened to be in ChinOOl
one day and he called BarrOws' at
tentiOn 20 the fact that their CUES
was too exacting and they did no
enjoy his company. George said
"Why don't you get rid of him il
some way? Don't kill him, but max
it so disagreeable for him that h
will quit
'The first thing they did was t
take him off on the range one da
and ride off and leave him and h
was two days finding camp agar
They would try all kinds of thing
but he stuck.
Shortly after losing him on tn
range, Owens went to Chinook an
got into trouble with a fellow an
cut him severely in the abdomen
He rode back to camp expecting tn;
the authorities might come at al
time and take him, although, in tn
particular case, he was not the agre
sOr. When Chicago learned tn.
Owens was really a bad man he b
gan to fear him. Owens would i
timate that the water bucket WI
empty or the fuel gone and big bC
would hustle and see that they we.
replenished.
Cook would come in and make
statement that breakfast was wal
ing and that it was time that Il
- had better get up. The WI
they had of flying into their cloth
was a caution. Jay found out tn
Chicago was deathly afraid of rattl
snakes. Near the camp, which W
located neal the Snake Greek bait
- field, is a rocky butte that was t
a den of snakes. Jay went up n eve
ed ing and killed a good big fat fellO
Itv as he/wished to see how persuasi
cs it might be in getting rid of the
ne guest. He put it in one Of Chicago
ne boots and as the cook was in on t
,se play they were to be routed out
he haste the next morning. In he car
GO early and said: You fellows tn
cir out in a hurry as I have a bunch tn
mt the officers are coming This lang
10 age was cOuched in very explicit
not complimentary terms, so the DO
jumped up and hurried into tn,
clothes. Chicago thrust one of I
feet into the boot that was emp
and tried to get the other on b
found he was not able to do so,
ne turned it up and the big rattl
fell at his feet in such a way th
he head was toward him.
''The big fellow said: 'Oh, ]
Cod, and fell over in a dead faint
he bunk, to be, drenehed by the co
with two buckets of cold water fro
the spring. He was brought to a