243

BERRY BEATS ALL.

First of the Cowboys Comes In
Asleep on His
Horse.

AT A BANQUET LAST NIGHT.

Albright, Gillespie and Smith Fol-
low in the Order Named---
Lost in Maywood.

People along Sixty-third street, in
the neighborhood of the entrance to
Buffalo Bill's Wild West show saw a
dwarfish looking little man astride a
horse going east apparently asleep. It
proved to be John Berry, the first of
the racing cowboys to arrive. Berry
was in a sort of dazed condition- in
fact, so exhausted that he did not seem
to note his surroundings. Col. Cody,
Maj. Burke and others had to head him
off to get him into the inclosure.

When he found that his journey was
over he revived somewhat and asked if
Smith and Gillespie were in yet, He
said they were but ten minutes behind
him at Maywood. It was exactly 9:15
o'clock when Berry dismounted.
Berry had ridden from Chadron, Neb.,
a distance of 1040 miles, in thirteen
days and sixteen hours. The next three
finished in the following order: J.
Emmett Albright, 11:03 o'clock; Joe
Gillespe, 11:34 o'clock; C. W. Smith at
1:46 o'clock. Others ought to be in
early this morning.

Berry, as he dismounted from his
faithful horse, Poison, tottered about
and was in a sorry condition indeed.
His horse was as frisky as a colt just
turned out to pasture. The rider look-
ed jaded and thoroughly tired, but the
little man, with the piercing eye, said
he was good for 100 miles more if nec-
essary. A man about five feet four
inches in height, of about thirty-five
pounds in weight, with hands in keep-
ing with an athlete of six feet, enclosed
in an old pair of driving gloves-
this is Berry. An old hat once
white, with the brim partly
torn away, crowned the head of this
little bundle of nerves. A cotton shirt,
minus a collar button, met a pair of
jeans pantaloons which were held in
place by a dilapidated pair of sus-
penders wound around Berry's waist,
and made him look rather odd and out
of place in a big city.

Berry thought more of his horse than
of himself and, tired as he was, he
could not rest until he had seen that his
horse was properly cared for, He said
he left DeKalb at 11:05 o'clock Mon-
day night on Poison and rode
hard all night, stopping to feed
between Elburn and [?]. He got into
Maywood at 7 o'clock yesterday morn-
ing and came direct from there to the
Wild West amphitheater, covering the
last 160 miles in a little over twenty-
four hours.

Racers insist that Albright, who to
the surprise of all came in second, did
not race on the square. They say he
travelled with his horses via rail a good
bit of the way, as he seemed to bob up
at most unexpected times and places.
Albright claims he could have beaten
Berry, but he knew he was riding under
protest and thought he would be counted
out.

Smith and Gillespie got into Maywood
at about the same time as Berry, but
were so unaccustomed to the big city
that they got lost and wandered about
aimlessly till some boys on bicycles
asked them where they were going and
piloted them in. When Smith and
Gillespie arrived at their destination
they were afraid to enter the inclosure
and had to be shooed in. They rested
most of the afternoon and in the even-
ing took a turn about the city.

Following is the list of horses and riders
that started in the race: Emmett Albright,
of Crawford, Neb., with Outlaw and Joe
Bush; James H. Stevens, alias Rattle
Snake Pete, from Ness City, kan., with
Jones, of Whitewood, S. D., rode George
and Romeo; Doc Middleton, of Chad-
ron, Neb., rode Geronimo and Jimmy;
C. W. Smith, of Hot Springs, S. D., was
borne by Dynamite and Red Wing; Dave
Douglas, of Hemingsford, Neb., rode
Monte Cristo and Wide Awake; R. Fisher
started with Nigger Baby and Dixie; John
Berry, of Chadron, neb., rode Poison and
Sandy; Joe Gillespie, of Trunk Butte, Neb.,
Camel. of Denver, Colo., had but one horse,
Boomerang.

All the horses that have arrived are
pronounced in excellent condition by
those who have seen them- that is,
those who are posted in regard to
horseflesh. Not one of the animals
could attract the attention of the hu-
mane society. In fact, all the cowboys
evinced the same affection for their
steeds as did Berry, the winner of the
race, the man who, before attending to
the necessities of his own exhausted
body, desired that the wants of Poison
should be attended to.

It is very probably that when the
committee meets next Thursday the
$2,500 will be given to Berry.

Although the boys had just completed
a hard, bone breaking, nerve rack-
ing race for many hundred miles, they
showed what stuff they were made of
by attending a banquet at the Colum-
bian hotel last night. It was given
them by the cowboys who are with
Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. About
200 persons were present and gave the
long distance riders a rousing welcome.
Mr. [?] gave the toast: "The Cow-
boy and His Horse." Other toasts
were: "The Cowboy and His Habits."
"The Broncho," "The Riders Who
Are Here," "The Riders on the Way,"
"Chicago" and "Buffalo Bill."