Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-09
Points and Facts About the
Game of Lacrosse.
The Ever-C Changing Series of
Exciting Rushes.
Los Angeles and Riverside Clubs to
Play Here On Thursday.
Skill, Cunning and Endurance Needed
to Become Expert PIayers-The
Most Intensely Interesting
Game in the World.

The first lacrosse match ever played
in Los Angeles takes place on Thursday
afternoon between the Los Angeles and
Riverside clubs.
Comparatively few Angelei1os have
ever seen the national game of Canada
played, consequently few points about
lacrosse will be OF interest to all lovers
of outdoor sport. The Indian tribes in
the vicinity of st. Lawrence river and
the great lakes played a game called
bagataway when the first white explor-
ers reached that territory. From the
supposed resemblance OF the "stick"
used in playing it, to bishops mitre,
the Frenchmen called the game lacrosse.
x*x
The game was played by hundreds
and sometimes by thousands of warriors
at time and at all seasons OF the year,
writes Ernest Baynes, on the prairie
and in open spaces in the woods in the
summer, and on the ice in winter. 1t
had for it's object, besides recreation,
the cultivation of speed and endurance
amongst the young braves, who, by its
practice, became accustomed to hand. to.
hand conflicts, and were thus prepared
for sterner game upon the war-path.
These gatherings must have presented
| pictures such as now and hereafter we
| shall not see.
| The impression made upon Catlin by
the contests which he witnessed were
such as to lead him to declare that
neither his nor any other pen could por-
tray the spectacles acco npanying the
struggles OF the contestants in the great
Indian game of bagataway. In imagina-
tion they may be seen with their straight
black hair and painted faces, clad in
fringed and tasseled buckskin, embroid-
cred with colored beads and quilts, on
snow shoes, winding in Indian file,
through the gray woods, over the
crunching snow, to some frozen creek or
lake; or, coming down the rivers, in
long strings OF silver birch canoes, with
naked painted bodies, toward some level
tract or prairie or open glade in the
forest, selected for the contest.
The game as played today is q very
different one from that played by the
Indians years ago. 1t is now 'univers-
ally called lacrosse, and it is not only
the national game of Canada, but it is
played in the United States, England,
Australia and New Zealand. It was
first adopted by white players about
1850, when a lacrosse club was organ
lied in Montreal. For some reason or
otheri it did not make any progress until
1860, when it began to attract consider
able attention among athletes, and soon
became the most popular field game in
Canada In 1867 the Montreal Lacrosse
| ol,,b ,,,o1a tho Grct 1ouyo og tho rvo mo
Very soon other clubs were formed, and
at convention held for the purpose
they united and became the National
Lacrosse Association of Canada.
In 1866 DR.. Beers conceived plan Of
introducing the game into England.
This plan was simply to take two OF the
best teams over there and to play be-
fore the English public; but the plan
was not to mature, for, after going to
great expense in making arrangements,
he was anticipated by wealthy specu-
lator, who, thinking there was money
in the idea, took over two teams OF
Caughnawaga Indians. They played be-
fore the public OF England and France,
but as it soon became evident that it
was nothing but speculation, people
became disgusted, and the whole affair
ended in a failure, with a loss of several
thousand dollars to its manager. Again
in 1875 DR.. Beers made an attempt in
the same direction. He went to Eng
land at his own expense, determined if
if possible to arrange lacrosse tour.
Owing to the popularity of cricket
and the lack of knowledge of lacrosse
among the people, he found his task a
difficult one. Finally, however, with
powerful assistance from Sir John Rose
and his son Charles he arranged visit
to England, which he made in 1876 with
the Canadian Lacrosse team and team
OF Caughnawaga Indians to play against.
They made tour of most OF the large
cities of England Scotland and Ireland,
ular with the very best classs of people
everywhere. Moreover, the players
played before Queen Victoria, ,at Windsor
Castle, and so delighted was her majesty
with the game, that she congratulated
both teams and presented each player
with portrait of herself as souvenir
of the occasion.
The game ia played today with a
'stick" or "crosse" made of hickory,
ash, rock-elm or Eastwood. Those
made in the United States are mostly
of hickory, which is strong, light and
elastic. The end of the "stick" is
shaped somewhat like capital letter l.,
and has a network of horse hide, cat
gut or clock string, strung upon half its
length.
The usual width ofthe net at its widest
part is nine inches, though the rules
place the limit at one foot. There is no
restriction as to length, but the most
convenient length for most men has
been found to be from the ground to the
arm-pit. In playing, the surface of the
net should be fiat, and although it is
difficult to enforce this rule owing to
pliable nature OF the netting, it is con-
sidered point of honor AMONGST play
ers not to use bagged 'stick."
The ball used is of solid sponge rub
ber, about two and half inches in di-
ameter. The goal-posts stand six feet
above the ground, and are placed six
feet apart. These posts generally have
flags at the top, so that they may be
easily seen from any part Of the field.
The distance between goals varies from
one hundred to two hundred yards. The