Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-12
Jack, THE ROPER"
He Thought He Could Use
the Lariat Some.
AND GOT PROMPTLY CALLED
How He and Frontier FRANK
Wrestled with Steer IN the
Arroyo SecO.

Among the miscellaneous population
most cosmopolitan in it's constituent
parts. of which the City of the Angels is,
of necessity, composed, there is one man
of spare form but impressive gait, OF
easy address but adamantine cheek, who
has for wears roamed the prairie under
the purser's name of "Buckskin Jack. "
He is a modest, unassuming youth, with
neutral.tinted scalp-lock, and a mustache
of df possible) more uncertain hue.
A wear or two ago he concluded that,
all things considered, a civilized life
.Iaid over any COW boy business that ever
was" and he took to Mythology, and it is
said that the new prospect PANIED out
satisfactorily.
In his cooler moments, when the rush
at the bar whereof be was presiding
Judge got quiet, "Buckskin" was in the
habit of telling an admiring crowd Of
bummers that he (and don't you forget
it, could rope steer.
An adjoining mixologist (who chad
been in Texas himself" and "knowed
something about ropin' bulls'') got
little laesitudinated at the way his neigh
Dor boosted, and made this proposition:
~ will bet Buckskin Jack (so-called)
5000 cold coin, by me put up, that
he cannot begin to rope wild steer,
which steer will undertake to rope and
thereafter throw 'snoot-slip' over his
nostrils and lay him out as slick as
snicks.'"
The HERALD man, who happened to he
present when the match was m ade, did
not know what to make OF it, but awaited
developments.
After good deal of argument it was
agreed that the test, on which the 5000
side depended, should come off yesier
day afternoon at the terminus of the
Temple street road or in that vicinity.
About o'clock in the afternoon the
HERALD man was advised that every.
thing was ready, that the wild, red.eyed
steer had been sent out in charge of
messenger boy to the scene of the tilt,
and that the retired" cowboys had
gone out on their prancing steeds to the
scene of encounter with the untamed
steer.
The HERALD man took the cars on
Temple street and meditated, as he was
carried on the right hand side of the
human affairs and the probable fate of
that steer.
Arrived at the spot the reporter found
the com batants on hand also the steer.
The latter was showing visible signs of
discomfort with his encourage and, to tell
the truth, SO were the mounted
knights" The horses of the latter were,
if possible, little more so.
Two gentlemen who acted as referees
soon arranged the preliminaries. On a
toss Frontier Frank got the choice of first
go at "the untamed."
Gust my luck" muttered "Buck-
skim az he retired in mist of bias
phemy to the back of the corral, meap-
time swinging his lariat in quick concen-
trio circles around his head, to the notes
of the well-known tune, Johnnie Behind
the Stove"
Frontier Frank faced the beast. which
had by this time been cast loose.
"D-d-d-arn my b-b-b-ones if
I-I-I-don't fix you," said he be-
tween the two best of his remaining front
teeth.
The word was given to cast the calf
loose.
Frank swung the lariat round his head
and made it "whish." The steer looked
up with an interrogation point in each
eye, and having evidently made up his
mind not to be fooled with, charged on
the man from the frontier who spoke on
the installment plan. The broncho did
not await the charge, but his rider, with
a throw which was as unprecedented as
it will be unparalleled, cast his rope
over the horns Of the charging steer,
gave a scientific twist to the line,
- h,it
the nose of "the untamed." His man
agement of the vancouver was perfect,
but the mustang that he rode seemed
suddenly to have remembered a special
engagement outside of the Arroyo Seco,
and broke off on the dead run. The poor
steer was consequently pulled up SO short
that his cerebro-spinal connection broke,
and he dragged beef at the heels of
Frontier Franks impatient and over
punctudl broncho.
Of course the fun was at an end. Buck
skin Jack meditatively wet his two fore
fingers on his tongue and said:
"Just my luck, by Jimminy 1t would
have been my turn next, and l would
have made him follow me into town on
the dead run.''
The umpire, noted sporting man of
the city, being appealed to on the in
quest over the defunct steer, said, oracu-
larly "The sentence of this court is that
the steer is dead from the visitation of
Cord; that the match of roping is
therefore postponed, until further, order
of this court. Lst US go and take
something"
More will be heard of the match in
the future, if the information of the
HERALD man is not way off. Three new
steers have been bespoken.