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"Times" June 26th

RATTLESNAKE PETE THE FAVORITE.

Cowboys Nearing the End of Their Long Race with Few Mishaps.

DUBUQUE, Iowa, June 25.-Berry, the leader of the cowboys, arrived here at 10:10 a.m. and went to bed immediately leaving at 12:30 p. m. Rattlesnake Pete Stevens arrived at 12:45 and let at 2:20 p. m. He had one horse, in good condition. Gillespie arrived at 1:15 p. m. and left at 2:50 p. m. Thousands gathered about the livery stable to witness the arrivals and departures. Gillespie rode his sorrel, and his gray followed without g led. Oscar E. Little and Williams, of the Illinois Humane society, visited the tables, and Little, who says he is a veterinary surgeon, pronounced the gray horse feverishly.

Little and Williams hired & team at the East Dubuque and followed Gillespie, who, like Berry and Stephens, took the Hazel Green road for Freeport, the next registering station.

W. W. Tatro, agent for the American Humane society, will leave bere tonight for Chicago, by wagon, wich the intention of arresting Berry somewhere in Illinois, Jones arrived at 5:30 with one horse, which is in excellent condition. His backer, D. R. Evans of Woodford, S. D. offers to bet $1,000 that Jones will win. He says that Jones will reach Chicago in twenty-four hours.

Smith arrived at 6 p. m. with two horses, which Smith and the liveryman pronounced in good condition. Opinion here is that "Rattlesnake" Pete will win. His horse is in fine fettle and very intelligent. Maj. Burke, representing Buffalo Bill, and Secretary Weir left for Freeport tonight. Smith left at 7:15 and Jonas at 7:20. Smith drank water from a creek early this afternoon and was laid up for two hours. He consulted a physician here and left quite weak. The backers of Jones and Gillespie concede that they will enter Chicago Best but Secretary Weir says the Chadrou association, which offers the prize of $3000, bar Berry because he made the map handled the others ten minutes before the start.

GALENA, III., June 25 - Berry passed north of her at 4 o'clock this afternoon followed two hours later by Rattlesnake Pete and Gillespie. Jone went through at 10 o'clock. Berry is expected to reach Apple river before 10 o'clock.

Last edit over 5 years ago by Landon Braun
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"Inter Ocean" June 26th.

THE cowboys are making about four miles an hour. The ponies ought to stand that. If they cannot they had better be turned out to grass and let some of the old Union veterans walk in from Nebraska and make better time. Lots of them did that in the old days from 1861 to 1865, and carried guns and knapsacks.

Inter Ocean June 26

Last edit over 5 years ago by Landon Braun
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Daily News June 27"

At some uncertain hour to-day it is expected that a small, wiry bronco bearing a yelling cowboy will dash madly into the inclosure of the Wild West show and win the cowboy race. The ubiquitous advance agent of the Cody show is not asleep.

Last edit over 5 years ago by Landon Braun
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"Daily News" June 27

BERRY WINS COWBOY RACE

Worn Out with His Thousand-Mile Ride He Reaches Chicago This Morning.

EMMETT ALBRIGHT GETS IN SECOND,

Says He Will Claim to Be the Winner- The Condition of the Horses.

[By Special Private Wire from the Daily News World's-Fair Bureau.]

Covered with dust and with the perspiration rolling down his bronzed face and dropping on the neck of a jaded, mud-bespattered bronco who could not be urged into a trot, the winner of the great cowboy race rode up to the gates of the Buffalo Bill show at exactly 9:30 this morning.

Clad in a dirty white shirt, a pair of mud covered yellowish jeans and wearing on his head a worn-out, limber-rimmed cowboy hat, John Berry, the victor, half tumbled from his saddle in front of Col. Cody's tent, so weak and tired that he was unable to rise to his feet or grasp the proffered hand of Col. Cody, who cordially welcomed the little man who had ridden 1,040 miles and won a race that will doubtless be famous in history.

Berry was hardly able to hold his head up and was supported through the crowd by two study cowboys to the mess tent, where he was laid upon the sofa and stimulants given him, after which he was able to raise his red and swollen features to Col. Cody, asking him in a weak voice to "Please take care of his horse."

This caution was unnecessary, for under the shade of the grand stand stood the little chestnut stallion, surrounded by a score of cowboys, who kept back the crowd and treated the noble animal like a sick infant, rubbing its joints with liniment, sleeking off the tired limbs and wiping out the parched mouth with a wet sponge, after which it was led slowly to the barn and given food and bedding that it was not slow in making the best of, but fell to and after eating greedily of a peck measure of oats the wiry little stallion lay down quite unconcerned.

Gillespie and Smith, who at DeKalb were ten minutes later than Berry, had not arrived up to 11:30.

That the cowboy race had excited great interest was manifested by the great crowds that surrounded the entrance to the Wild West show this morning. At 9:25 the crowd was electrified by a small boy who shouted from his perch on the telegraph-pole, "Here he comes, hurrah!" A mighty cheer arose as the horse and rider came slowly up between the lines. As Berry rode his limping beast through the open gates Col. Cody reached up to the rider and said: "Berry, old man, I'm glad to see you. How do you feel?"

Last edit over 5 years ago by Landon Braun
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Something like a hoarse whisper came from Berry, who slowly and painfully threw his leg over the saddle and placed it on the ground, but unable to stand he sank wearily upon the ground and drew his hand across his eyes, which were red and swollen from exposure and lack of sleep. Berry was helped to the mess tent, while the cowboys took charge of the steed.

Once inside the tent the victorious rider lay down upon the sofa and after draining a cup of port wine he answered Col. Cody's repeated question of "What can I do for you?" by say ing, weakly: "Nothing. Only look after my horse."

A half-hour's rest sufficed to put Berry in humor for talking and with wonderful good grace for a man who had been ten days without sleep he said to a Daily News re porter: "I sin all right but dreadfully tired. I left Chadron with the rest at 5:40 o'clock on the evening of June 13 and I suppose our movements since have been fully chronicled in the papers. I left DeKalb ten minutes ahead of Gillespie and Smith, at fifteen min utes of 11 o'clock last night. I had been in formed that the distance was about seventy miles and so I made up my mind to ride all night. This I did and never left my stallion's back all night long.

"At 7 o'clock this morning I had the com fort of seeing the smoke of this great place, and then began to get nervous, and I was afraid of the effect ofo the stone roads on my nag's feet. I came through Maywood, where I gave my beast a spoonful of water and then jogged on to a great busy street that I was informed was Madison street. Down California avenue I turned to Jackson boulevard, asking my way from every one I met. They stared at me with wide-open eyes. The next street I struck was Ashland avenue and then 22d street, after which I got on to Michigan avenue and then had smooth sailing. I did not stop to water or feed all night long and have not used a whip or spur since I left Chadron," and lying down again, weary of his exertion, the dusk-begrimed cow puncher sank into a deep slumber, from which he was awakened a half-hour later to partake of a hearty meal.

The two horses Berry rode are owned by Jack Hall and were ridden alternately. Berry claimed that he had not closed his eyes for ten days but his backers stated that he slept while riding.

Emmett Albright was the second rider to reach the goal, registering at 11:13. He says he will claim the race.

Last edit over 5 years ago by Hallie
Records 231 – 235 of 402