The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

COWBOYS RIDE IN ROME.

They Accept a Challenge to Ride Unbroken Native Horses.

ROME, March 5.—All Rome was excited yesterday over the trial of Buffalo Bill's cowboys on wild horses furnished by Duke Sermoneta.

For several days the Roman authorities have been superintending the erection of extra barriers to keep the savage steeds from reaching the audience. The animals come from the Duke's famous herd on the Pontine marshes, and he declared that no cowboy on earth could ride them. The cowboys laughed at the boast. Then the duke dared them to mount any one of six.

Every man, woman and child in Rome expected that two or three men would be killed in the experiment, and over two thousand carriages were driven to the scene of the trial and an audience of 200,000 people braved the dripping rain. Lord Dufferin and many other diplomats were present. In the special tribunal and among the Romans were scions of all the noble houses.

Two of the wild horses were driven into the arena. They had neither saddle nor bridle, and Buffalo Bill announced that they would be conquered in five minutes. The cow-boys lassoed, saddled, bridled and mounted the horses. The animals leaped in the air, writhed, bucked and reared madly, but all in vain.

In five minutes they were ridden easily around, while the vast crowd, unmindful of the rain, roared and shrieked with delight.

Buffalo Bill now dares any Roman to ride his bucking bronchos.