The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-07-07
COWBOY SPORTS.
Contests of Skill by Champions
of Rival Ranches.

VI lNlf oil ltCIIlCllCOs
Marvellous Feats of HorSeman-
ship and Revolver Shooting.
Even the festive cowboy has his
hours of relaxation, although per-
chance his more civilized fellows of
"the states" would pronounce the
same fraught with danger and replete
with malicious intention to do "great
bodily HARM to the participant. But
among the legitimate sports in which
the cowboys are prone to indulge,
walls wheu they reach town and ride
around yelling like Comanches and
chasing all law abiding citizens into
their subcellars during their visita-
tions, may be mentioned their occa-
sional contests of skill at riding,
shooting, and roping steers, got up
between the ranchmen of rival camps.
A certain curly-haired, specialized
young lawyer of staid demeanor
yesterday described such a scene in
which he had participated in certain
sense, under conditions that the local
scribe was not to mention his name.
at was about five years ago." he
began, "when l was roughing 1t on
Morgan Hills ranch-a little patch of
some 10000 acres-some sixteen miles
out from San Jose. Mine hosts outfit
Of ranchers were exclusively Mexican,
and an intense, albeit a friendly
rivalry, for wonder. existed between
them and the American cowboys of q
neighboring ranch. One Sunday
morning our boys and their neighbors
of the States met at Madrone Station,
and, as usual, loud boastings were
heard on each side as to
their superiority in all that
the cowboy holds dear, namely,
riding, shooting and dexterity in
wicIding the lasso. A match was
finally agreed upon between one Lu-
cas- Padrone of our camp and picked
man from the American camp for a
contest of skill on the points of rid
ing and shooting. Our Mexicans put
up as wagers everything they had,
that is to say, their loose coin,
blankets, lariats, brides, saddles,
real genuine Mexican pings as Mark
Twain would style them, and all.
The American boys saw the ante and
cheerfully raised them to the extent of
all their worldly possessions. One
Mexican put up his silvcr-mounted
revolver and favorite bride with me
for enough coins of the realm to stake
all on Padrone.
"Of course / was glad to see the
contest, and also am reioiced to say
that the champion from our ranch
came out victorious. The first test was
to ride around post about SIS inches
on the circumference of 40-foot cir
Gle and to girdle the aforesaid post
with balls from revolver. Padrone
won both the toss and the match,
averaging at least 20 balls out of the
so shots allowed. He won the second
contest also in fancy riding, but this
was due in the main to the superior
intelligence and training of his pony,
a little bay and white broncho, which
appeared as neck as Moses, but which
had the temper of Satan when aroused
by its master. 1t really came up to
the ideal of the cowboys pony and
was able to wheel on quarter
This contest embraced seemingly mar
vellous feats of horsemanship, such as
the picking up of handkerchiefs or
small coins while galloping at full
speed. the vaulting in and out of the
saddle and many Other manGuvres-
common enough in the West, but
which would be worth a small fortune
TO a performer in circus doing the
'etfete East - [St. Louis Republic.
Frog Oil as an EmbrOcatiOn.