Glacier County chief., 1940-03-22

boys carried back to the range with
them fragmentary recollection of
the songs, but if two cowboys we're
trying to sing the same song. they
usually had a different tune for it,
neither of them recognizable.
Having known Finch David for more
than 80 years I am quite convinced
that he told me the truth when he
said he never could sing, cowboy songs
or anything else
Once I thought I heard him sing
ing. but upon investigation I found he
was not. Finch was running the livery
barn in the old mining camp of Ken
dali at the time, and had just ridden
in from the lower Judith river. had
stabbed and unsaddled my horse and
started to leave the barn when I heard
something that sounded like it might
be an effort on the part of Finch to
sing.
I turned back to make sure But he
wasn't singing. He was cussing my
saddle horse. Blackbird, which had
just kicked at him as he entered the
stall with fork full of hay. 1t came
out in sort of SingSong, showing
long practice. but not to any particular
tune. I thought for a minute he was
going to turn the walls OF his wrath
upon me for riding that kind of
horse into his barn without warning
him. He didn't however, but contented
himself by saying. as he glared at me:
You better stick to old Ole. This
horsell leave you by the side of the
road some day"
Ole was my regular saddle horse. an
old cowpony known far and wide
through the cattle country of central
Montana IS years ago. He was my
favorite saddle horse, because he would
stand still while I got on him and
,rr0,, lot cto q
had only one bad habit. He didn't like
to be caught That morning I had been
unable to catch him and being in q
hurry, caught up Blackbird, a snaky
black broncho, gentle enough ordinar-
lily. but with idiosyncracies, one Of
which Finch had just discovered.
During four years in the lower
cowboy who could sing cowboy song.
There were coolies of cowboys there.
too. The Pm outfit had just pulled its
stock out of the Dog creek and the
Salt creek countries and dismissed
number of its riders. Some were riding
the grubline. others were trying home
stealing, as were Jack Reilly and my
the Balky Horse Ranch"
Among the former riders who visited
our place frequently were Henry
Brooks, whose sons still run cattle in
the brakes of the Judith river; the
Wareham boys. Jack Ryan, puncher
whom we never knew by any other
name than "Smithy." Murray Deaton.
Link and Bert Dennis. Johnny Mont
gomery. and host of others scattered
over the Salt and Dog creek countries.
where there were at that time neither
railroad nor towns. but which filled
completely with homesteaders in few
years.
Not Even Mouth Organ
And never cowboy song from a
one in the bunch. Sid Willis and Finch
David tell me that about the only
music they used to have in a COW
camp was when some fellow showed
up who could play mouth organ"
nowadays called by the more euphon-
ious name of harmonica. There wasn't
even a mouth organ in that lower
Judith river crowd
Forty-five years ago in eastern Colo
RADIO 1 began listening to hear a cow
boy song. I heard plenty Of cowboys
songs, but never one sung by cow
boy. The favorite in that region at
the time. seemed to be Sam Bass" It
said that: