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COWBOY RACE BEGUN.
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OFF ON THE LONG RIDE FROM CHADRON
TO CHICAGO.
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With a Final Parting to Treat Their Horses
Kindly the Starter Sent Them Away to
the Crack of His Pistol Before Nearly
Four Thousand Spectors----Assurance
That the Race Will Not Be Interfered
With---List of Contestants---Gov. Altgeld's
Proclamation.

CHADRON, Neb., June 13. ---[ Special.]---The
cowboy race to the World's Fair started from
Hotel Blaine at 5:30 this afternoon. At least
4, 000 vistiors were here to witness the start.
The Committee held a conference with the
humane societies, who were reprsented by
Paul Fountaine of Minneapolis. It did not
take a great while to convince him that
nothing approching cruelty would be
allowed. He will meet the race
at each registering point and keep
a careful watch over the riders
and also prevent them from being molested
by any oversealous petty officers. As he
represents the American society, this puts an
end to all questions of the race being stopped.

During the afternoon the horses were
branded with a road brand, the figure 2 being
the design used , under the mane. The following
is a list of the horses, owners, and
riders who will ride for the money :

Mike Elmore of Hemingford, Neb., enters two
thorougbred running horses, Wideawake and
Monte Cristo, with Dave Douglas as rider ; Doc
Middlenton of Chadron, to ride this own horses,
Jimmie and Geronimo ; Joe Gillespie of Flag
Butte, Ne., rides his horse Billy
Schafer, and the Huapockets kids, famous
Billy Mack ; Abe Jones of Whitewood, S. D., two
horses, Romeo and George, ridden by his son, a
mere lad, and by long odds the youngest rider in
the race : James Stephens of Ness City, Kas.,
rides Dick and his famous Gen. Grant ;
Emmett Albright of Crawford, Neb., rides
Buck, an outlawed horse, and Joe,
another good horse ; Charlie Smith of Chadron,
two of the finset horses in the race, by Namite
and Red Wing, both Kentucky bred running
horses; Jack Hale of Sturgis, S. D., with his two
horses. Poison and Sandy, ridden by John Berry,
Chief Engineer of the Elkhorn railway system,
commonly known as " Rattlesnake Pete," and a
man who has the reputation of enduring more
hardship than any other man in this country;
Joe Campbell of Denver, Color., rides a celebrated
Oregon horse, Boom-de-Aye.

Protest Against One Rider.

The route was mapped out by " Rattlesnake
Pete. " and his decision to ride was a complete
surprise. A protest was filed aginst him
and he will probably be debarred from getting
any portion of The registering
points are : Chadron fine. O' Neill, and
Wausau, Neb. ; Sioux City, Galva. Fort Dodge,
Iowa Falls, Waterlood Manchester. And Dubuque,
Ia. ; Freepart, Kailb, and Chicago,
Ill. The time it will take is estimated
at from twelve to thirty days. The
opinion of several leading horsemen seems to
be that it will take from sixteen to twenty
days. The woman rider from Denver, who
has been occupying so much newspaper space
lately, failed to materialize.

As a sample of the kind of horses which are
being used in the race it might be stated that
one of the sold for $ 350 today, to which
price $ 150 more is to be added provided he
wins the race.

A finer jooking body or men and horses it
would be hard to find. and as they stood
grouped together for the benfit of an enterprising
local photographer, and surrounded
on every side by hopeful friends, they presented
a most picturesque group.

From about 4 o'clock the crowd around the
starting place grew denser and denser until
when the start was finally given at least 4, 000
people were assembled. Mayor Record,
Sheriff Dahlman, Chief of
the Fire Departement Hartzol, Secretary
Weir, Paul Fountaine, representing
the humane societies, and several others were
seated upon the Hotel Blaine veranda. Considerable
delay was experienced by reason of
the riders taking an early supper, but at last
they drew up in line. After a few words relating
to the rules, by John C. Dahlman,
Chief Hartzol arose with the beautiful revolver
presented by the Colts Arms company and
said :
Gentlemen : The time for the cowboy race from
Chadron to Chicago to start is upon us. Be kind
enough to take good care of your horses. I know
you will conduct yourselves as gentlemen, and
will. I trust, uphold the good name of Chadron
and Nebraska.

The Race Begins.

Crack went the pistol, and the most famous
and intersting race of modern times had
started. The riders rode off slowly, keeping
as nearly abreast as the road would allow. The
horses were in a slow trot. It is generally
understood that what hard riding is done will
be at night when the horses can get the benefit
of the cool air. No " spurting" of any importance
will occur until the riders get near
Chicago. There the horses will be forced to
show their speed. If there is any cruelty to
the animals ridden it will be as the men approach
Chicago, as they will enter the city on
the run.
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GOV. ALTGELD CAUTIONS THE RACERS.
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Proclamation Calling on All Citizens to
See That No Cruelty Occurs.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., June 13. --- The following
proclamation was today issued by Gov. Altgeld :

Being reliably advised that a long distance
horse race from Chadron, Neb., to Chicago, a distance
of over 700 miles, is about
to take place and that a similar
case in Europe a year ago for
only half distance resulted in
the death of many of the horses used and was
productive of such barbarous cruetly to animals
as to shock humanity, and, having reason to believe
that this proposed race will be accompanied
by equal or even greater cruelty and barbarity,
which will be in violation of the laws of this
state for the prevention of crulty to
animals, I hereby call upon all
officers upon whom devolves the execution
of law, as well as upon all good citizens, to see to
that no violation of our law takes place and
that any one guilty of it shall be promptly
brought to justice. We will welcome the so-called
cowboys" into our State and bid them come in
all their glory and have a thoroughly enjoyable
time while with us, but we cannot permit the
laws of Illinois to be trampled under foot simply
as a matter of sport.
JOHN P. ALTGELD, Governor.
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