Three months in the Argentine, and Will was off to South Africa with a cargo of cattle, hard-tailed mules, horses, and sheep.
That was just about the time of the Boer War. Will got a job breaking horses for the British Army. The British had no idea how to cope with American horseflesh.
“American ponies killed more British soldiers than Boers,” Will wrote.
Soon he was looking for another job. He went to see Texas Jack, who was touring South Africa with his Wild West Circus.
“Texas Jack,” Will wrote his father, “had been offering 50 pounds to anyone who could do a rope trick that he does, the Big Crinoline, when he lets out all his rope. ‘Course the Big Crinoline is common at home, so that’s the first thing I did. I knew nothing about that 50-pound reward until he gave me a job, right then and there. We cannot try for the money after joining the show.”
Texas Jack billed Will as The Cherokee Kid, Fancy Lasso Artist and Rough Rider.
Will liked the circus life, but he missed Comanche. He wrote home saying that he might be back by April, 1903, but, if I don’t get back in April, tell Jim Rider he can rope on ole Comanche next Fourth.”
Will didn’t get back. His itchy feet took him to Australia where he joined the Wirth Brothers Circus as The Cherokee Kid, the Mexican Rope Artist. In those days, the Mexicans had the reputation of being the fanciest ropers in the world.
Will also did trick riding. One matinee, he hooked his toe around the saddle horn and, riding full speed, leaned back until his head almost touched the ground and picked up three handkerchiefs with his hand.
The Governor-General liked it so well, he sent his man to ask Will to do it again.
“Tell him I’ll do it again for $150,” Will said.
“A hundred and fifty dollars!” the Governor’s stooge almost fell down.
“You tell the Governor-General,” Will said, “that if he’ll do it cheaper, I’ll lend him my horse-and the handkerchiefs.”
Everyone chipped in- there’s no record of what the Governor-General anteed up – and Will did the trick again.
Will saved his money and started back to San Francisco with a fat roll, but on shipboard he was euchered into a poker game. He lost it all, and arrived in San Francisco so broke he “was wearing overalls for underpants”. He never played cards again.
It was 1904 now and the St. Louis Fair was on. Will worked the fair on Comanche, dressed like a Mexican. The fair over, Will decided to try vaudeville. He needed a horse he could rope, so he went back to the Mulhall Ranch in Oklahoma and bought- on time- a little black pony and named it Teddy for Teddy Roosevelt. He staked out a plot on the Dog Iron and started training Teddy for his act.
The next spring Will shipped Comanche and Teddy to New York. He had a job with the Mulhall Riders and Ropers in Madison Square Garden.
Will was in the big time now. But he still wanted to get into vaudeville. When he revealed his plans to Colonel Zack Mulhall, the Colonel, not wanting to lose one of his star attractions, told him that if he quit, he could not take old Comanche out of the Garden stalls.
In the dead of night, with his friend Jim Minnick, a Texas cowboy, Will spirited old Comanche out of the Garden stalls and hid him uptown in a side-street livery stable.
I so enjoyed reading this article. I have loved horses since I was very young. I have always wanted a horse but couldn’t afford to buy one. I have been told that they are expensive to maintain. I don’t know anything about them. But I will always love reading and looking at them in pictures. They are majestic creatures that are so beautiful to look at.
My grandfather James (Jim) Minnick was best friends with will rogers and also taught will how to play polo. Will and my grandfather Jim minnick and Fred’s stone were all friends .