The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-10
4 Chinese Mazeppa.

there were three cowboys. Their jing-
ling spurs, their long-horned and
brightly-mounted saddles, on which
were coiled like long, 1.-the, timber
snakes, rawhide riatas, the predomin-
ance of bright color displayed in saddle
blanket and clothing, the gleam of the
polished pistol and knife, and the rude,
active health and vivacity of horses and
riders, made them picture pleasant
to look upon, when such an inspection
could be made with safety. They were
known to their associates as Jake Nc
Cray, Billy Folansbee, and Tom Dill
worth; but whether these names were
conferred on them at the baptismal font
was a matter Of considerable doubt and
conjecture. They had been carousing
in town, and wera then ON their way
back to their rend ,zvous. Suddenly a
Chinaman appeared, laden with baskets,
and with dog troS slowly approached
them, and his lite pig-ike eyes showed
that he had an distinctive fear Of the
horsemen. This was an opportunity
for cruel sport w.i.ch the cowboys could
not let pass, and Jake McCray said to
his companions: "Boys, let's have
China Mazeppa. I'll lasso the China
man an yous ketch steer, an we'n
tie John on an run him through the
streets of the town" To this cool
proposition Billy and Tommy joyfully
assented. In few seconds McCray's
RATA was describing circles in the air,
and All Sin. dropping his burden, fled
for dear life; but after few bounds the
unerring RATA encircled the limbs of
the Mongol, and he was jerked aud
thrown ten feet in the air by the bound
ing horse of the cowboy. In the mean
time Billy Folansbee and Tom Dilworth
had pursued q huge Texan steer, and
Bill had thrown his RATA on the animals
horns, while Tom. by q deft underhand
throw of the rawhide, had encoiled the
animals hind legs and thrown him
prostrate on the ground There he lay
painting and believing out defiance at
his captors, although in their expert
hands he was as powerless as an infant.
Billy and his companions shouted to
Jake McCray to bring over the prisoner,
and added parenthetically: "Be kerful
and don't kill the darn critter, as there
won't be any sport in giving q dead
Chinaman q ride" Jake McCray was
careful, but not as considerate as he
might have been, for, when he arrived
where the steer was struggling, the
Chinaman had lost the best part of his
blouse and about half the cuticle from
one side of his body. They fastened
the RATA to the horns, and the trained
animals held the steer fully as well as
though the riders were in the saddle.
The trembling Chinaman made piteous
appeals to his captors, and even fished
out four $50 pieces from some recesses
in his clothing, and offered them as a
bribe for liberty The money was ap-
propriated, but the longed-for freedom
was denied him. They laid the prisoner,
breast down, upon the steer and pulled
his hands well down ON the shoulders
and tied them together. Then his legs
were pulled apart and secured firmly on
either side of the animals loins, and the
Chinaman was tied so firmly on the
back of the animal that he looked, as
McCray expressed it, as 'sthough he
growed there" The fastenings were
then removed from the steer. With
blood in his eye, and shaking his great
breadth of horn defiantly OF his torment
ors, he charged succesively first at one
horseman then at another, while All Sin
was yelling alternately, "Police!" aud
.Murderi" in broken English and Chi.
nese, at the top of his voice. His cap
tors made the air fairly ring with devil
ish merriment. Finally the "hery, un-
tanned" steer was headed for town, and
then began a race which beggars de
scription. Over gully and ditch he went,
making stupendous bounds each time
these distractions were encountered,
and each bound being accurately
recorded by the Mongolian, for he fairly
rent the air with his screams, and the
length of the cry was regulated by the
distance covered by the steer in jump
The cowboys were more than delight
ed with the success of their scheme
The steer would endeavor to turn, bu
his remorseless tormentors headed hin
at every point; when endeavors to max,
these turns would develop abnorma
bursts of speed, long-drawn-out wall
would issue from the unhappy Mongol
and when the animal settled down to al
ordinary run the cry would sink dow
low, and thus, like the music of al
Eolian harp, would the means rise ant
fall. The wild, frenzied bovine ap
proached gully fully eighteen feet II
width, and, with q fierce snort ant
bound, the steer gathered himself in on
supreme effort and cleared it by {
scratch. Jake McCray's horse, following
a little to the right, and at marrow
place, also successfully jumped acros
the dry chasm. But Bill Folansbee am
Tom Dilworth, following immediatet
behind the Chinese Mazeppa, both cam
to grief and were landed, horse ant
foot, in the bottom Of the ditch. Ton
recovered first and hurried his hors
along the bottom for q quarter OF
mile, and finally clambered out; bu
Folansbee lay stunned in the bottom
while his companions continued the MAJ
chase. The steer was turned at midda,
into the main street of the town. Al
the dogs in the place chased the frenzie'
animal and barked in chorus; horse
broke from their fastenings, and behin'
came McCray and Dilworth, shouting
like wild Apaches. The frenzied ami
NAL, with his human burden, followe'
everywhere by shouts, barks, and inde
scribable din, shot through street an
alley, was headed into square and plaza
and finally succeeded in going througl
the Orion saloon, breaking up two flour
ishing poker games, making his en-
trance through the front door and hi
exit at the back. his Nemeses, McCra
and Dilworth, as thoush playing ''fol
low nv leader" spurred their foaminI
and reluctant steeds through the sam
passage; and, although the proprieto
| protested with q six-shooter, they toe
made their exit with safety.
Up the street, with renewed vigol
flew the unwilling Mszeppa and the will
beast, the latter running amuck noy
and endeavoring 10 pierce every hvin
thing he encountered with his long
sharp horns. Suddenly, when in from
of the Courthouse, the steer stumble
and fell. Deputy Sheriff Charles Smit
took advantage Of this, and with fe'
quick cuts of his bowie knife release
the Mongolian Mazeppa from his peri
GUS perch. The released Chinama
threw himself under the protection c
the officer of the law. The barrie
steer, seeing his mounted persecutoI
approaching, struggled to his feet an
darted away. Tom Dilworth, when b
discovered his prisoner free, loosene
his RATA and shouted to McCray
Il