Omaha daily bee., 1888-06-24
BEARS LASSOEO.
How the Mexicans of Old California
Captured Big Game Alive

The native Californians, when that
state was II Mexican province, seldom
did anything which they could not do
on horseback. They were famous as
good riders, and story is told of a
horseman Of San Jose who won IL wager
by his extraordinary horsemanship. He
started at full gallop, holding salver
on which were dozen wine-glasses
filled to the brim. Riding fifty yards,
he stopped suddenly and handed down
the salver without having spilled a drop
of the wine.
These men We're, moreover, so expert
with the lasso that two men would lasso
q bear on the plains, and, holding him
on opposite sides, drag Bruin into the
settlement, where he was retained to
furnish sport by lighting a bull.
Manuel Larios, an expert with the
lasso, had n singular adventure with
bear. H. Ii. Bancroft tells the story in
his "California Pastoral"
While riding he discovered a bear
digging at II squirrel hole upon the sum-
NIT of a hill. He lassOed the bear,
which rushed at him, and Larios gal
loped off with the bear close to his
horses heels.
On reaching a small tree, he threw
the end of the lasso over II branch, and,
catching it without stopping. drew the
bear up until his hind feet scarcely
touched the ground, Then he took tw
turns round the tree with the lass
tightly drawn, alighted, and secured
the end to strong shoot.
Having tied one of the bears hind
legs with one end of rope, he lassoed
one of the fore legs with the other end,
drew the rope taunt and thus fastened
tho animal to the tree. With sash he
tied the two hind legs together, and
with rope the fore legs.
With Il stick he then worked off his
lasso, which he had loosened, and rode
OFF to neighboring ranch, whore he
told the story of his adventure. Larios
and the ranchmen rode back toward the
tree where he had left Bruin tied.
While passing rye-feld "A large she
bear, with three cubs, lcaped up in
front Of their horses. The men pur-
sued and lassoed her three times, but
she threw off the lasso each time. At
last they abandoned the mother for her
cubs.
The horseman leaped from his horse.
seized IA cub, and, tying its legs
together, threw it on the front of his
saddle. Larios ran down hill after tho
second cub, overlook it, let himself
pIrtly down over the horse rs side, seized
II leg OF the cub, lassoed il while gallop-
third cub escaped.
The bear was found tied to the tree.
DE was lassoed with two lassoes, and
thus drrgged into the village, where
he lilleG one ball and was gored tc
death by another.
General Patrick Collins, who presided
over the St. Louis convention, got hls school
ing n Ohio while working hard IN a coal
Iline ana on farm. AT sixteen he became
an apprentice in Boston, and on the eXpra-
tiou Of his apprenticeship had 81, 100 to his
credit. The same week he was elected "a
the Massachusetts legislature
'rhe order of Good Templars has been
giving special attention TO lecture work in
California siIce their last Grand Lodge.
Colonel Hickman, from Kentucky, has Just
closed five months engagement with the
arler During his work he initiated into
the order nearly 1000 new members. There
have been forty new lodges organized in this
jurisdiction since last October, and the order
= generally prosperous.