Jones County Texas Archives - Scandalous John Selman *********************************************************** Submitted by: Dorman Holub Date: 19 January 2020 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/jones/jonestoc.htm *********************************************************** The Stamford American Thursday, June 30, 1927 ÒScandalousÓ John Selman Member of Old School West Texas Cowpunchers Who are Fast Passing Into HistoryÓ by John F. Rust To a stranger or one who is not familiar with cowboy life the name Scandalous might imply that the bearer contracted such a name thru the execution of an ungentlemanly act. This is indeed not true in the case of ÔScandalousÕ John Selman, for there is not a cowboy on the range today that is better loved and respected than our own Scandalous John. He is no longer merely a cowboy but is foreman of the S.M.S. Flat Top Ranch with headquarters near the City of Stamford. When 16 years of age young Selman left home and went to work on the old Spur Ranch, (spur was the brand used), and the first mount issued to him, Old Talface, was generally known as a bad horse. The lad, unaware of the treachery of the horse mounted him and Ôgot bucked off.Õ ÒMy, but that hoss pitches scanÕlous,Ó he exclaimed as he got up off the ground and started for the horse. Just ast this time someone said, ÒGo to him Scandalous John,Ó and the name stuck. So it was that Scandalous John rode the horse that was instrumental in giving the young Cowboy a name, and all for a sack of Durham tobacco. His life on the range is an interesting story, and limited space does not permit the writer to go into detail which are incidents to this story, but a few of the more interesting are related with the permission of Scandalous John: For the first four months John worked for 10 dollars per month and he spent $37.50 of that amount for a saddle. His first week as a cowboy was comparatively unsuccessful inasmuch as he Ôgot bucked offÕ four times. He has driven the Hoodlum wagon, wrangled hosses, done line ridinÕ, cooked, been straw boss, in fact there is nothing in the life of a cowboy that Scandalous John has not experienced. Very few cowboys have been in the saddle 30 years and still be as spry as Scandalous John, for he is in his saddle every day either on roundup, branding, or in some of the general routine of the ranch work, and despite the fact that he suffered a broken leg about one year ago as a result of a bucking horse falling on him, he is able to compete with the best of the boys in riding Ôbad horsesÕ. John is a modest sort of a fellow and denies that he makes as good a Ôhand as he used toÕ, yet he admits he never asks a cowboy to ride a horse that he himself cannot ride. He is even inclined to belittle his own worth by referring to his wife generally known as Mrs. Scandalous, as Ôthat widow womanÕ. Upon one occasion the writer together with a few other visitors to the Flat Top offered Tony, Scandalous JohnÕs 10-year-old boy, a few dollars in appreciation of some splendid bronc riding he had done as a part of the entertainment tendered us while there. Well, to make a long story short, Tony accepted, but above the vigorous protests of his father, who insisted that it is not worth anything to ride a ÔbuckerÕ.