Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-01-18

cry atom Of brain and muscular pow
er in man, in horse and steer. Not on
ly that, but 1t is a practical. everyday
vocation put on exhibition under such
conditions as will urge the cow punch
er to his best efforts.
Nor is it a sport confined solely to
western frontiersmen. Joe Bassett Is
q college man, and he attributes his
ability in the saddle and with the rope
to his earlier athletic training on the
gridiron and the diamond at Lawrence
willie and later at Princeton.
Oscar Roberts, Bassett's oldest rival
began his athletic career on the high
school and normal university grounds
Of an Illinois town. So with Ed Hor-
rell, another crack cow puncher, whose
skill in the line Of his school eleven
came to his aid when, on Christmas
Day, his steer arose before he could
make his tie.
Head down, the mad brute went "on
the prod" and only Horrelps great
ability saved his life. Leaping aside,
he grasped one horn Of the brute and
then, with his other hand on the steers
nose he twisted the steers neck until
the animal went down with Horrelrs
knee on his neck and tie rope thrown
around his front leg.
It is not likely that any other sport In
the world requires greater agility OF
brain and Drawn, or involves so much
that is likely to unstring the nerves
Of the player. To rope and tie steer
calls for the finest horsemanship and
the most exact cooperation Of the
horse and rider. Indeed, the rapid
roping Of a steer will avail the punch
er little unless the horse lends his aid
at that critical time. With rope kept
taut by the horse, the steer Is held
down until the cowboy reaches him
and puts the hog tie' around his legs.
Steer tying, although practiced as
sport wherever the cow puncher is g.
necessity, has reached its highest state
of perfection in Arizona. A puncher,
here, who cannot give a 30yard start
and then rope and tie in less than one
minute Is considered very slow work.
er. Sometimes, from cattle ranges
come reports Of remarkable ties, in II,
Is and 20 seconds, but such time can
only be made under conditions that are
accidental.
| On the mountain ranges expertness
with the RATA is useful not alone ip
capturing cattle. Not infrequently, In
the wilder districts, the cow punchers
will rope bears and sometimes mule
ear deer will fall under the whirling
loop.
A few days ago at the Bar N ranch.
One-Eyed Riley, famous the country
over as a breaker Of broncos and hand
Ter Of wild steers, found large buck
feeding quietly with a bunch Of cattle
in small gulch. BY a circuitous route
Riley managed to get within 40 yards
of the herd and then spurred up to
close in.
The buck started at once and with
his 5O-foot rope Riley managed to get
his horns, as the buck stumbled up an
almost perpendicular bank. In an in
slant the deer was up and charged the
horse, cutting great gashes in the an
imars sides with his horns.
The horse went down and Riley
alighted a couple Of yards away. The
maddened deer, unable to loosen the
rope, turned on Riley, but three bullets
from a six-shooter stopped him. Riley
carried the bucks rear quarters to
camp hanging over his injured horse
| The cow puncher's skill is sometimes
shown in a chase for human game.
About week ago, George Sears, on the
Pantelo ranch, north Of Nogales, found
couple of Cinnamon stealing over the
mountains, in such way as to excite
suspicion. Many Chinese are being
smuggled over from Mexico and Sears
saw an opportunity to serve his coun-
try.
He ordered the Chinese to stop, but
instead they spurred their horses on.
Sears was reluctant to use gun, so
brought his rope into play. He closed
In and soon his RATA Kissed around the
shoulders Of the nearest Chinaman.
Pulling him in slowly, Sears soon had
his man within arms reach and hur-
riedly dismounting him, tied his legs
and went on after the second man. A
mile further on he roped his second
victim. Tieing him securely he brought
him back to where his first captive lay,
and then brought the two into No
gales and delivered them to the collec-
tor of customs.
A BASIL DUKE SToRY.-General Basil
Duke, Of Louisville, KY, Is very absent