Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1900 — COWBOY STORIES ABOUT ROOSEVELT. [ARTICLE]

COWBOY STORIES ABOUT ROOSEVELT.

Rough Rider Had the Friendship of the Cattlemen. Quaint Orders Given to the Cow Punch* erg—-His Experience with a Broncho—The Colonel Won— Test ot Friendship.

In a most interesting letter in the Chicago Record, dated at Medora, N. D., William E. Curtis repeats many of the stories told him by the ranchmen and cowboys of North Dakota and easternMontana relative to Gov. Roosevelt He says they remember him most kindly and consider him one of themselves. Among others Mr. Curtis relates the following: A. T. Packard, now of Chicago, was editor of the Bad Lands Cowboy when Roosevelt was ranching up on the Missouri, and has many pleasant recollections of those days. Said he: “You cannot pay a higher compliment to Theodore Roosevelt than to say that be won the friendship of every cowboy in the Bad Lands. There isn't on earth a more independent, self-thinking lot of men than these same cow-punchers. They have the faculty of shucking a man out of his crust and looking his real character squarely in the face. If they like him it is a pretty safe guess that the man will pass muster anywhere for his sterling worth, and it is just as safe for any one who differs from such-a conclusion about Roosevelt to keep his opinion to himself in the Bad Lands. The cowboy is perfectly willing at all times to back up in any way his friendship for Roosevelt. I wonder what would have happened to Altgeld if he had delivered his Toledo speech at a Bad Lands round-up? “Roosevelt had just established his Chimney Butte ranch and was driving in some cattle when I landed at Medora, so that I was cotemporary with him. His name was a little too much for the average cowboy, and at first lie was generally known as Itoosenfelder. That he was destined to popularity was shown by an almost immediate change to nicknames, chief of which were ‘Old Four Eyes,’ because he wore spectacles with enormous glasses, and . ‘Skin Tooth,’ which has been sufficiently explained by the cartoonist. “Nothing amused the , cowboys more than Roosevelt’s choice of words and manner of speech. He was the purist in language, and at first was unable to tackle the cow-punchers’ slang. While driving the first bunch of cattle to his Chimney Butte ranch a number of them started up a coulee. An experienced foreman would have shouted: ‘Get a git on you there and head them steers,’ or ‘Hit the high places and turn ’em.’ Roosevelt’s order, while equally sharp, nearly paralyzed the flying cow-puncher. It has been treasured and told and retold whereever two or more cow-punchers have gathered together. Standing in his stirrups, he opened his steel-trap mouth and yelled: ‘Hasten quickly forward yonder.’ The wonder was it didn’t stampede the herd.

“In the Chimney Butte horse herd,” continued Mr. Packard, “was a broncho named Devil. When you find a horse in the West with such a name you can be sure he has earned it. Devil had. One after another the cowboys had tried their best to ‘stay with the leather’ on him, and none had succeeded, even with the aid of. a ‘life-preserver’, and hobbled stirrups. He had been given up as a ‘spoiled’ horse, especially after he had acquired the playful habit of trying to bite and jump on the rider after he had thrown him. “Roosevelt decided to ride Devil and tame him for a saddle horse. It took three men to rope and tie him down while the blind and saddle were being put oq, and he was then led to the edge of the Little Missouri and headed for a quicksand. Roosevelt mounted, jerked off the blind, and then began what was called at the time ‘the gaul durndest panoraminer the Bad Lands has ever saw.’ The first jump took Devil into the middle of the quicksant} and Maemounies’ fountain became a squirt gun by comparison. Sand, water, Roosevelt and Devil seemed merged into solid body. Finally there was a separation and Roosevelt ‘ascended to take a look at Wyoming,’ as Bill Jones facetiously remarked. The next day and the next and the next there was the same ‘panorammer,’ but finally came a day when Roosevelt ‘stayed with the leather’ and brought Devil, thoroughly tamed, back to the ranch. It may not sound like musth in the telling, but a man who can tame a horse with Devil’s reputation can divide the last chew of tobacco with a cow-puaoher. And that is a final test of friendship. He at once became ‘Teddy’ to every cowboy in the Bud Lands. The Prosperity Alphabet. Abundance of work. Better times. Calamity dethroned. Duty performed. Expansion realized. Free silver exposed. Gold standard continued. Hawaii annexed. Independence to Cuba. Justice to all. Knowledge promoted. Liberty extended. McKinley's re-election. National honor upheld. Opportunities improved. Protection, assured. Quantities of employment. ,* Roosevelt a winner. Stability of cre<¥t. Trade extended. Union forever. Values upheld. Wages Increased. “Xs" more plentiful. Yankee Doodle Dandy. ... ■ f