The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 47, No. 33, Ed. 1 Friday, May 20, 1932 Page: 3 of 8
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m
Social Activities of Southwestern Cowboy-
(Continued from page 1)
endoti. A careful count of nose* shown that wo are all h«*re airain with
«M or two exception*."
JKII1 another account of a frontier ball is (fiver by a visitor to Hra-
dyi Texan, during thin early period. The town had juat paused through ,
• temperance campaign, and the number of reformed inebriates and 1
Other supporters of the cause who testified to the merit* of the new
•Her of things seriously alarmed those satisfied wit'n "the good old
<Uys." Under the guise of a temperance ball the enemies of the move-
ment brought the new reform tumbling like a house of cards by con-
cocting a "new drink" which they called "temperance mead." It
proved to be quite stirnulstlng, however, as was evidenced by a dig-
nified married man proposing to one of the village belles three times
although his wife was a horrified listener; and by an august judge
dancing so recklessly that he fell from the pavilion to the sawdust-
covered ground. Soon bullets from the six-shooters of unerring cow-
bojri extinguished the lights and the hall was over, and the affair
ended In the usual good-humored pastime of shooting up the town.
Brett the member* of the four-piece brass hand employed for the oc-
«Mten became so disposed that their wind instrument* ceased to
fifWtlon because of their Inability to furnish t'ne necessary lung
times considerable space is devoted to the narration of trivial affairs.
From The Jackshoro Echo
JANUARY I®, 1877—
A big hreete from the north and a small one at the Phoenix Tues-
day. Hill Hense'ey told J. J. Webb that he (H) thought W. wan a
thief. Webb said he (iW) wbs of the opinion that H. was a perverter
of the truth, whereupon H. stood not upon t'ne order of hi* going but
went for W. who got out his little gun lit out. Marshal Jone*
pounced upon him, o*corted him to the mayor'* office and Introduced
him to hi* Honor. The interview resulted In Webb depositing five dol-
lars with the town treasurer for the privilege of carrying a deadly
weapon.
Webb, thinking what was sass for the goose was or should be sss*
for the gander was propo*ed to divide sans by entering complaint
again*t Hensley for drawing a pistol on 'nlm. Hen*ley was brought up,1
several witnesses examined but the charge was not proven and he wa
discharged when all hands implicated adjourned to the Phoenix and
"a little straight" was the order.
COWBOYS HAD MANY VIRTUES
"8
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n
* j CO
ihU^
|i ,n
ft ; tr
JUDGE COLT
"Six-shooters" were frequently used by the cowboys to settle per-
aonal differences. The etiquette of prairie life, which In most respects
not very exacting, absolutely forbade employment of a certain
firm of imprecation, which, while calling down divine punishment on
the person addressed, cast unwarrentable imputation on the charade!
of hi* Immediate female ancestor. The use of such an expression was
Immediately followed by the production of weapons, and death to one
of the principals.
An observer who wrote in INH4 stated that often the ranchers of
the Southwest would travel on cattle trnins with a consignment of
cattle for market. He said that they ate and slept in the caboose In
Company with the trainmen, and that they amused themselves during
tedium of the journey by playing "draw-poker" and drinking
frontier whiskey. "As a natural consequence there was a good deal of
friendly riot, and occasionally an altercation, which is settled by the
prompt weapons in every ones be!t, and it more than once happened
that a wounded cowboy, or even a dead one was taken out of the car
at the next station."
*kot^every one that started northward in the spring lived to get back
and the nameless mounds that dotted the sides of the trails bore mute
but powerful testimony to the danger that every hour surrounded
the cowboy. Whether they fell by a shot from some hostile savage
lurking in a ravine nearby, or were dropped by a six-shooter in the
hand* of a fellow rider, they were hastily buried and soon forgotten.
Entirely free from the restraining power of the law, men gave free
reign to their passions, and the six-shooter of Winchester the insep-
arable companions of the cowboys, was freely resorted to to settle
disputed questions. It was very common for two bosses having charge
of diffe rent herd* to jump down from their horses and proceed to
crack away at each other until one had "bitten the dust." Murder*
were so common in the cow country that little was thought of them.
One misguided citizen of Tom Green County on April 12, lK7f>, made
ti# following statement: "You will soon have to go west of this to
find the frontier. We are becoming civilized. 1 do not think there were
over half a dozen murders in this vicinity during the past year."
THE RARE AND THE COMMON PLACE
In connection with the type of journalism found during this early
day period, a point of curious interest iH that frequently the research
•worker will find but slight consideration given to lynching horse
thfcves, shooting affairs, robberies, and Indian depredations, yet at
It I* with a feeling of relief that one can turn from the study of
the unseemly and sordid life of the cowboy to tho*e characteristic* of
a more praise-worthy nature, Then1 were certain element* In hi* social
relations which were commendable, the manifestation* of which have
been more indelibly stamped on the pages of history than those pre-
viou*ly mentioned.
As a rule the cowboy was loyal to hi* employer; generous to his
friends; affable to strangers; and chivalrous to women. If there were
found a large stack of stove-wood, neatly arranged, near the kitchen
of the ranche house, it was pretty generally concluded that the cook
was a comely woman. When the pretty female school teacher in the
ranche country turned out school for thi* day, she usually found seven
or eight earnest minded cowboys ready to saddle her pony, help her
mount and while on her way home accompanied by her eager escort,
"she would have unconditional offers of at least seven or eight good
saddle ponies that could 'single foot'." Indeed, the cowboy was stam-
peded at times into wearing his trouser-legs drawn down over his|
boots, a stiff-bosomed shirt which opened in the hack "like a locu*t |
gone to seed," a high collar and a flaming colored neck-tie, and a
derby hat which rattled on the'ground wlu n knocked from his head
by his laughing comrades. Yet, he was willing to suffer the embar-,
rassment of the jibes of his friends if in the end he was able to win ,'u" statement:
the favors of his lady-love.
INJOYED THEIR HOLIDAYS
temporarily from the monotony of "line-rldlng," fixing fence*, break-
ing bronco*, etc.
CONDITIONS ARE DIFFERENT TODAY
Considering in a general way the social status of the Southwestern
cowboy during the first period mentioned there are some primal ob-
servations to be made. Fir*t, he *hould not be judged by our modem
standards of good citixen*hip, for he lived under condition* vastly
different from those which influence twentieth century America.
Social life of this area during thi* period was in the beginning of an
evolutionary proce**, the development of which was *low and disor-
ganized. Second, handicaps and hardships encountered by the range
rider were infinitely greater than tho*e which face the cititcn of the
Southwest today, and the struggle to bring order and symmetry out
of chaos was correspondingly greater. Third, because of a continuous
struggle to overcome the*e handicaps, there are certain virtues which
were laid by the champions of law and order as a ba l* for a new
order of things. Honesty, hospitality, fair play, and respect for wo-
manhood, stood the teat of strenuous civilixation. And, fourth, a* we
might reasonably *uppo*e, a sufficient residuum of the objectionable
element of early society ha* so influenced modern society, as to be a
constant reminder of the crudene** and rawys of the early frontier.
Then, finally, with the coming of the railway* and the fencing of
the open range, the period of improved stock raising dawned. The
average character of this period was considerable improvement over
that of the first mentioned, and more nearly Identified with that of
the modern era. He had not passed entirely the stage of frontier
mannerisms, but he did see the light of a new day and sought to
hasten its coming. He became an apostle of school*, progressive
ranching, railway construction, and thriving cattle town*. Although
there were spasmodic renewals of drunken sprees, shooting affairs,
and petty thievery, he generally settled down to the staid way# of the
twentieth century cowboy.
In speaking of the new period, one observer, writing on it* very
threshold, says:
New settlers, however, have crowded into Texas, strag-
glers from the vast army of half-crazed gold-seeker*, who,
for years, pushed wiyitward over the great plains; and these
emigrants soon awoke to the advantage of stock-raising in
a country where land and gras cost nothing, and nature did
its work.
Then, still another writer explained the character of thi* class in
First Methodist
Church
EVERY SUNDAY
Sunday school 10:00 a. m., eaek
Sunday—Eual Lieb, Superintend*
ent.
Preaching by the pastor each
Sunday 11 a. m. and 7:4S p. m.
W. M, S. each Tuesday after*
noon 8 o'clock— Miss Frost*
Clautell, president
Senior and Intermediate La*
gues each Sunday evening at Stiff
Prayer Meeting and choir prao-
tlce each Wednesday at 7i4l p. m.
There Is always a welcome to
all services.
thjft
Picnics in the cow country were occasions of great enjoyment. In
I addition to the excellent food served at the noon hour there were other
1 attractions for the range rider. Such an entertainment held at the
Red River bridge near Denison in May, 1H74, offered a varied pro-
gram. One feature was a tub race across Red River, the compctitos,
j seated in a number one wash-tub, were allowed to use only their hands
1 to propel themselves. Another contest was a tournament where the
I contestants, mounted on horses, were required to take three rings
! from a rest with a short spear, while the horse was dashing at full
speed. The rings were suspended at intervals along the course. Other
ausements were sack races, the May-pole dance, etc., which were en-
joyed by those less inclined to the more strenuous sports. One even
finds baseball played during this period. A game was played at Jacks-
horo, Texas, on a July 4 celebration and seemed to be spiritedly con-
tested, although the final score was 22 to 17. Hrass hands were
sources of great enjoyment, since such airs as "Hail Columbia,"
i "Star Spangled Banner," "Yankee Doodle," "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
i the Boys Are Marching," "Dixie," "The Bonnie Blue Flag" and]
I "Maryland, My Maryland" were played with great gusto.
Then, too, the activities of the cowboy related to the "round-up"
and the drive northward might he included with his social relations,
as wel as his labors. On these occasions he had the opportunity of.
meeting riders of the other outfits, and then again, he was relieved
In the main, the cowboy of today Is much better behaved
than the puncher of the days of the old cattle-trall. Thi* is
in a large measure due to the different environment. There
is less drinking of bad whiskey, and les* attention to the
fascinations of the gaming table, It i* possible for a cowboy
today to acquire a small ranch and start in business for him-
self with a small herd of cattle on an adjoining range. Con-
sequently, his eyes are always open to this opportunity.
THt TOWN WHIM I klV« IT'S MV TOWN
Presbyterian Calendar-Every Sunday
• :45 A. M.-—Sunday School—J. O. Gordon, Supt.
11:00 A. M.—Morning Worship.—Sermon by J. A. Owen, Paetor.
Evening service—7:00 o'clock, p. m.
Prayer Meeting, Wednesday evening—7 :30 o'clock.
Spccial music at every service.
Mrs, Frank Rooker, Organist.
You will enjoy these services and they will be helpful to vou.
THI TOWN V'HERE LIVE —.-IT'® MV TOW?
TYPEWRITER RIBBuWS FOR SALE—Run down to the Albany
News office and buy your typewriter ribbons. Have a nice stock of
all sorte—Royal, Remington, Underwood, L. C. Smith and other
makes. Price seventy-five cents.
THK TOWN WHIRt I LIVC IT' • MY TOWN
Subscribe For The New*
Posted
No hunting er flaking allowed
on my ranch. Will pre stent* tree-
passers to the fullest extent of
the law.—W. P. Newell.
li-taw. pd.
Church of Christ
Forrest R, Wtldrap, Minister
Sunday Bible Study—10 a, m.
Morning aermon—11 a. m. *
Evening sermon—? p. m.
Mid-week meeting—Wednesday
7 p. m.
Your presence is always appre-
ciated.
FEED MILL SERVICE
We have installed a feed mill
In Albany. Do all Idnda of grind-
ing for publio—wheat, b&risy and
oats.—Rooker Transfer Co,
TRA0K MARK RK<ft
For lazy lim,
kidneys, biliousness, iadt*
geation, constipation, Imm
ache, colds and fern.
10*
MBENEATH THIS HOOD
you will find
the time-proved and reliable Chevrolet motor, which
comblnea unoqualled economy with amoothne*s, sDeed,
quietneaa and flexibility . . .
Ftt I CIS REDUCED TO
Raise that big, impressive Chevrolet hood!
The fine, modem, six-cylinder engine under-
neath is one of the chief reason* why
Chevrolet continues to be America's
largest selling automobile! For that
•njine is a tix and only a sis, as Chev
rolet builds it, combines both built-in
smoothness and maximum economy. That
is thoroughly proved Its basic deragi>
and construction have been tested and
proved by billions of miles of service.
That engine is up-to-date in every
respect It develops 60 horsepower —
delivers a speed of from 65 to 70 miles <ir
hour—and accelerates from a stands!il! to
3S miles an hour in less than 7 seconds. Ita
Crime Increase
Alarms Great Britain
It is high time the British pub-
lic should realize the startling in-1
crease of crime in their country,
and the grave danger it means to
society.
This is the excited warning of
some English editors as they ex-
amine the report of the Home
Secretary, Sir Herbert Samuel,
giving the crime record for 1930,
[ the latest year for which such sta-
! tisties are available.
In one year the more seriousj
crimes known to the police rose;
from 134,5K1 to 147,031, and the!
London Daily Telegraph declares,
this is quite out of proportion to i
the growth of the population. Yet!
it follows increases in previous
years, tho it is far greater than|
any recently observed, and this
newspaper goes on:
"We had, since the war, con-
gratulated ourselves that the
worst offense short of murder,
personal violence, was declining.
"Hut in ItKSO, there were many
more cases. The greater part of
the increase in criminal activity
was, however, as usual devoted to
larcency, 'breakings-in,' and rob-
bery of various kinds.
"By far the larger number of(
crmies are committed by young
people. Two-thirds of all those
found guilty are under thirty, ^
two fifths under twenty-one. A
middle-aged criminal is rare, an
old one the exception."—The Lit-
erary Digest.
STOCK FARMING IN SHACK-
ELFORD COUNTY—The home
of fine Hereford cattle and Jersey
cows. Ideal climatic conditions.
Fine grass lands, fertile valleys
and running streams. An excel- |
lent system of rural schools.
IjpB
vi i « \ 13 I vl " "e-U M1 ~
Check up on your
stationery wants
today—if in need
of anything call
■ ■!
FOR SALE
Excellent quality German mil*
let seed priced at $1.00 per busk-
el.—Albany Nstionsl Bank.
' \
l|
^^11 pri,'M f. *> b. Flint.
MiehifS'i Special equip-
ment extra. Low delivered
prices and easy G. M. A.C.
terms. Chevrolet Motor
Co, . Detroit, Michigan.
i vuion of General Motors
trfimng, and testing have made it as
nearly perfect as it can be. That engine
Chevrolet Six now sells for one of t'ne vrry
lowest prices in the market.
CHEVROLET SIX
sr -
" rn RELOW r.
RUSS-WEBB MOTOR CO., Inc.
|
■
will rush
■
State. Chills and fever and ma
larial germe du iiot survive in thi -
climate. Take your children out j
of the cotton patches of Central |
and East Texas, bring 'em to
Sha kelford county and quit
starving their minds. Stock fann-
ing is the ideal life. Shackelford
county meets all the requirement j
—God made it for breeding fine
cattle and red blooded folks.
Post Office Rox 1S7, Albany,
Texas.
The Albany News
JsjJI
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McCarty, Richard H. The Albany News (Albany, Tex.), Vol. 47, No. 33, Ed. 1 Friday, May 20, 1932, newspaper, May 20, 1932; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth401492/m1/3/?q=EARTH: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Old Jail Art Center.