The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-17
oLD-T1ME MEXICAN RoDEo.
Cattle Round-ups Still to Be Seen on
Southern California Ranches.

From the Philadelphia Times
An old-time Mexican rodeo, or round
up, of cattle is still to be seen in the dis
tinctively Mexican settlements of South
ern California, but, of course, on not so
grand scale as in the primitive days
when the ranches were much more ex-
tensive than they are now The rodeo is
held in the spring of the year for the pur-
pose of branding and claiming the calves
of the season, selecting beef cattle for the
market, and that each neighDoring
rancher may select his own and
drive him home. The San Juan
Capistrano Valley is the most dis
tinctively Mexican settlement in South
ern California. Here they most rigidly
adhere to the customs of the days before
the Americanos came, " and here may be
seen Mexicans, Indians, Americans and
mestizos (mongrels) all dwelling in unity
Each rancher has a hero, or estate
mark commonly called brand" The
rodeo usually lasts week, sometimes
much longer. 1t begins at a stated ranch
and is continued throughout the cattle dis
| trict until each ranch has had it's rodeo-
the word properly meaning 1.-The place
| where cattle are gathered 1t is some
| thing on the style of a progressive euchre
party in its nomadic rounds For ex-
ample, the 'jueces del campo" decides
that the rodoe shall begin at the ranch of
Senior Avila, and then he designates each
succeeding ranch in the district, ending
| with that OF Senior Arril-
laga, where the final fandango
takes places Each ranch has a corral
| located on plain, from 100 to 200 feet
square, formed by driving timbers in the
earth, standing closely together, leaving
them six or eight feet in hight, just be-
yond the jumping powers of the cattle
1 No. l.,
the cattle, drive them to the corral,
where they enter gate at one corner
and when all have passed in, the gate is
| closed, leaving only small opening for
one to pass out at time. In order to in
| duce the cattle to enter one of them has
been lassoed and tied to a stake in the
| center of corral, as if he were to be
offered up as sacrifice. In short time
| he begins to paw and below, and the
| herd rush in to see what is the matter.
! When grown cattle are 10 be branded
| they must first be lassoed They are
stampeded; the herdsmen start in full
| chase, yelling as if chasing Indians. One
! of them throws the lasso over the horns
others at the feet, and at signal cry
each stops his horse short, bracing him
| self backward, and in a moment the loop
| becomes taut and the animal is ensnared
| The horses TANKS are protected from the
| cattle by leathern armor. The herdsmen
| have thick wooden stirrups and leathern
armor for the legs The lasso is made
! firm to ring in the saddle girth, and
| after having thrown it the rider has only
| to keep his seat After each vaquero has
| "weededn out his cattle they are driven
to that particular ranch, and on the NOR
row the same ceremony is gone through
| with at the next ranch, and so on through
! out the cattle circuit.
At the conclusion of each days rodeo
and slaughter there is big feed" A
long table runs the entire length of the
adobe building, containing the hottest of
| Mexican dishes Chill pepper being the
predominating favor and variety of ma
tive wines, distilled on the premises and
! mellowed by age-pure as the red grape
| juice can make it. 1t is noticeable to the
| Americans that condiments are not to be
found on the Mexican tables. The dishes
are seasoned by the culinary artist, and
1t is considered a reflection upon his
| ability to add seasoning to a dish But
these dishes are invariably hot enough
for the Americanos These rodeos are
usually feasts-everyone in the
neighborhood attending, and many of
them make the circuit. The senior of the
ranch entertains all who come, and, of
course, without charge There are
| twenty or thirty herdsmen, each with
| three or four horses and the proprietor
of each ranch in the district, with his
sons and perhaps their friends In the
| late afternoon the young seuors and Sc
noritas begin TO flock in There is 10 be
a fandango-a free-for-all dance. They
have an opportunity TO dance their ma
tional cachuca and La Jota to the sweet
tones of the violin, guitar and harp.
And thus ends the days roundup.
/
| It has been reported that DR.. Vaughan will
soon resign the mastership OF the London
temple TO which he was appointed by Mr..
] Gladstone in 1869.