The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-18
USES OF THE LARIAT.
METHODS OF MIN WHO ARE IN
PERT IN THROWING THE LASSO.

1
the Great West.
Howard Reynolds in the Wide World
Magazine.
| Because Roosey,lt's Rough Riders were
mainly superb norsemen. familiar with
! the use of that unique implement. the
/ lasso, a variety az wild statements have
been made in the press regarding the po-
/ tency OF the rope" as a weapon-state-
! meLss which were amusing To any one
familiar with the article in question. For
instance one recent statement in a New
| England paper implied an effective range
/ for the lasso of something like 100 yards:
/ while in the most sensational sheets there
have been vivid Illustrations Of lasso
| charges against massed Spanish troops!
| As a matter Of fact, a losso is about
forty feet long-seidom exceeding fifty
feet-and out OF that must be deducted the
! amount taken TO make the moose and the
| part which is retained in the hand. Thus
| Il is seen that the average cast is about
| twenty-five feet or thirty feet. and the
roper who can throw anywhere near
| fifty feet with accuracy is a rarity In
/ California they sometimes use a rope as
! long as sixty-fve feet, but there they
| seem 10 have a habit of throwing IN enor-
| mously large Ioop-much larger than is
| really necessary. In actual work how
| ever, Ii viii be found that a mans hand
| is not large enough properly to hold much
| more than forty feet of rope when coiled
| ready TO throw.
| The lasso is a creation Of a certain en-
| vironment and need Its place is on the
| broad prairies and grazing lands aud Tvs
| chief utility lies in the stock business. II
| is almost useless in wooded country. by
| reason Of the Instructions afforded by
| branches and bushes. The finest Iassos
| are of rawhide. cut into thin strips and
| braided six ply, into a rope of from three
| cigh;hs 10 one-nalf inch in diameter. They
are quite expensive. a good forty-foot rope
! costing about 81. On this account of late
| years, hard-twisted grass rope is used; but
| the rawhide rope is the best in a wind, as
/ 1t is heavier, and when filed with oil il is
| not affected by wet weather. A braided
| rope also has less tendency to kink than
| twisted rope. Cowboys have mixture of
| lard and beeswaX with which they dress
their hemp or linen ropes. to keep out
| dampness and also TO prevent them from
| getting too dry. The most celebrated of the
genuine "riattas' are made in Chicago.
| which produces an article much superior 70
the rcugher ones turned out in Mexico.
How to Throw 1t.
| There are three general methods of
| throwing. with many minor variations Of
| individual habit The rope is held in prac-
| ticaily The same way in every case. First
| is the plain, straight cast, moose swinging
| around above the mead from right to left,
| by rotating wrist movement. Some
| "ropers' throw a small loop. hard and fast,
| almost on a level; others a larger, lazier
| kind. which nevertheless arrives" For
| myself, l rather favor the small loop
| thrown hard, as il seems the best all
| around style, most effective against the
wind or other adverse conditions.
| The aim is somewhat to the right of the
| object TO be roped-say foot and half
| on a twenty-five foot throw, the exact in
| slant of release being governed by weight
| of rope wind, velocity OF swing, etc.
| Judgment comes instinctively with prac-
| tice. The rest Of the rope is held coiled in
| the other hand and released as fast as
desired, two or three coils being retained
To ''snub" the rope (wind it about the
| pommel after castng) in the instant of
| time allowed is a trick quite as difficult
| as throwing properly. The Mexicans, with
| their large-dameter pommels, have 10
| take only one turn; the American pommel,
| being smaller, require two. The pommel
| often smokes from the friction created,
| and is frequently deeply grooved and al
| most burned by the rope. The impoI tant
| part played by the trained COW pony is OBJ
| vious. He is taught TO settle back on his
| launches the instant the rope begins to
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| tally 10 assist his master.
| The second method of throwing is exact
| ly the reverse, i. e., the moose is swung
| from the left to right above the head be
| fore release. This is called the California
| throw" and possibly gives a little greater
range. At any rate, one or two of the
| longest throwers know use it, and l find
| it so myself. 1t may be only a personal
result. Any good roper can throw either
| way.
| The third cast is the corral drag"
| which, as lis name implies is for use afoot
and in confined quarters. II consists in
| trailing out the loop on the ground behind
| one and swapping il forward by an under
| hand motion
LassO's Greatest Effectiveness.
| The lasso's greatest effectiveness, as a
| weapon, is when the Wielder is mounted
| When both adversaries are afoot its value
! is very slight. With cattle or horses it is
| an entirely different thing. The whole
| essence of the matter is TO tighten the
| moose around an opponent with jerk suf-
| fcient TO dsmount him or take him off
| his feet. To ttat end you may ride past
| him swiftly, or. if pursuing him, stop your
| own horse suddenly. Or, if he is station
| airy, and you cannot ride past him. you can
| wheel your own horse and retire after a
| successful cast. In lassOing a man, If
| done sklfully, the instant of time is too
| brief for him either TO throw off the
| tightening moose or cut it, And il is one
of the most deceptive things 10 attempt
to dodge
Ii is possible TO control the moose of a
| lasso by the remainder of the rope. but it
is a deXterty which few acquire in years.
The finest roper / know, Vicente Oropesa, |
champion of old Mexico, can do this to
perfection, and his performance is one of
the ablest things In that interesting expo
sition of craftsmanship. Oropesa is an
enthusiast one of the Mexicans once |
told me that one night the champion
dreamed of a new cast, and at once got |
up and went out scantily clad, and in half
an hour had mastered il.
In spinning the rope I have been ac- |
cused of sticking or securing fhe honda |
or slipnoose from sliding, but in reality |
it is perfectly free TO move along the |
rope In fact. 1 can readily start spinning |
a moose two feet in diameter and increase |
N ntnnAil,r ~, nicnt or Ten fnnt nl,,.n..