Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1854-11-16
Throwing the I.ariat.


Elections On this aeeOmpIies himent which We
presume win interest our readers We give bis
article at length,
Whyi 1t that none Of our Agricultural Fairs
nave ever offered premiums Al tlOir exhibitions
for the most dtxteFOus use Of the LariAti. Can
they be aware Of the great advantages to be
derived from the possession Of this accomplish
mentf The Lariat, o.. LassO, is rope Of hair,
or hemp, or soft plated leather, from 80 70 10
feet long with :!:1 :!:1 hcOse At S..s end, The.
art consists in throwing this lOOr with precision
over an object, and can only be acquired after
much practice. In Mexico, and in The Indian
country, it is exhibited in its highest perfection,
and is considered BY the people there as a ma
tional accomplishment. In the Indian villages
and in The MeTican towns, children, soon az
Ger they begin to run about, are seen with their
little larats, endeavoring tO::catch the dogs, the
pigs, and the chickens, as one Of their chief
amusements; and it is by this means that they
acquire such an extraordinary deIterity in the
use oft when they become men.
They generally use it on horseback. When
an animal is to be caught, Che horse man puts
it to its full speed, 50 as to give It less chance
for dOdgeing; and with the coil in his hand,
the loop hanging free, after two or three evO-
lutiOns around hi. head he throws it with great
force and unering aim over the head or horns
of bis victim, the other end Of the lariat being
brought around the pommel Of the saddle
and, by quick turn, the,animal is brought up
all standing, or is thrown WITH great violence
to the ground. By this process the head Of
the animal is turned towards itspursuer, and
halfhitch is thrown over its nose, although at
the full length of the rope. .-
Two hOrsemen with laliats will easily tame
the most savage bull, provided they are well
mounted. When The inflriated animal make
lunge at one Of his pursuers, the other wheels
around and pulls upon his rope. which always
brings the beast about, in the midst Of his ca
reer; so that, between the two, be is jerked to
and fro TIL he becomes exhausted and ceases to
make any further resistance. tits also by this
means that wild horses are caught upon the
prairies and brought into subjecLion.
When used as a weapon Of defence, or Of
fence, this formidable object is thrown over the
neck or the body of an enemy, which befOreIhe
has time to disengage himself, is jerked to the
ground and dragged away at full speed; vher
il his brains are not beaten out against the
stones, he becomes so stunned and disabled as
to be easily dispatched as the fate of many Of
our br ave soldiers in the war with Mexico will
attest.
Wild animals, such as bears, wolves, &c,
, are captured in similar manner, Why the
universal Yankee nation hes never awaited it.
self Of this useful requirement is truly mys'
terry. To the owners Of stock especially, this
E qualification would be invaluable, To catch
: a loose horse, or COW in the pasture grounds,
or hog. when as usual it is in some devilment
is always attended with great difficulty. AL
this might be avoided by knowing how to han
4 die this rope, with a moose at the end Of it,
$ But short time ago the whole city of New
York was thrown into ferment by mad bull
which amused himself by tossing the people
heller skelter, through the streets. 1t was uD
: safe to shoot at him, for fear of killing some o
e the citizens. and no means could be devised to
s capture him, until Mexican boy, Who hap
pened 10 be in the crowd, procured a rope
made moose in one end oft, and skilfully
= threw it over the horns of the eHraged animal
s thereby saving the Gothamites from furthe
Q harm. .a.-
4 The art is simple, but it requires practice
1t combines the useful with the ornamental
We have had enough Baby shows, enough la
t. dies riding, enough humbug at our Fairs; le
us have something Of real unliIity let us see hoV
' men can ride, and deport themselves in an ex
hibition of this kind Turn out some wild ami
, mails in the ring and let them be caught Iwit
: : the Lasso, and let the successful competitor b
rewarded with premium worthy Of his accep
tance. To tell the truth, the,most of our horse
men sit horse about as gracefully as bag Q
|, salt. and the most of them could be unhOrse'
! about as readily. Should our suggestions b
: carried out, we think they would prove bend
l fetal 10 the agricultural community-muc
more so, we are satisfied than even a "ToUr
I nan,srt' to be held where fair ladies laugh a
. brsye Knights pOking sharp pointed pine stick
! at small iron ring.