Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-08
COWBOYS GIVE A SHOW
ROPING EXHIBITION AT BASE
BALL PARK.
Lassoing "Wild Steers" and Other
Stunts Usually Seen Only on
Plains of the West.

| LIE DFOECHO busters Oh HCtlOu nave DeeH
put to shame. Seth Bullock and his band
| of wild western cowboys who for the
| past three days have been Iassoing every
| thing in town except the Washington mon
| ument, appeared this afternoon in what
| they were pleased to term AN exciting,
| thrilling and amusing, great roping con-
| test and in spite of the drizzlng rain a
creditable audience gathered at the Ameri
can League Base Ball Park at 7th street
and Florida avenue, to see the fun. Fun it
| was. and any amount OF it. With whoop
| and yell and a spatter of mud the show
| began. The "untamed Texas steers came
proudly into the arena, and in defiance
tossed their heads. But it must have seemed
to them that all outdoors was filled with
flying lariats, for go where they would.
lower their horns raise them, they could
not escape the moose and the cowpuncher
at the other end The result was inevitable
! and the wild and untamed' steers were
Conquered.
Then, too, there were ''rescue races" ex-
hibition riding of every character and de-
scription. and finally a genuine old-fash-
Toned horse sale. like David Harum was
wont to tell about. "She amt got blem-
ish, she's sound as a dollar, and IL stand
without hitching. one of the horse
phrases which was used generously. ''She
can run like a scared coyote, and when
you yank the reins she'll stop of sudden
with all four feet in a bunch, pardner''
was another of the recommendations fur
nished by the cowboys for their unkempt
steeds
you can rope a COW with him, or a child
can ride him., another, and SO it
went, until listening to this line of con-
versation for a while. the casual observer
might believe these cow-ponies the most
wonderful and versatile bits of horsehesh
that ever stood within the confines of the
national capital
Jim Hart Was There.
But, returning to the show which preced-
ed the sale, Jim Hart was there and his
rope was everywhere. His pony didn't
measure over fourteen hands high, but as
an example of the strenuous life in brute
form it was the best ever. Jim went
after a steer that was a hundred yards
away but the wild and untamed'' moved
two PAGES to the right and looked pleasant,
thinking that he had evaded the charge of
the light brigade. But he hadn't. Jim
Hart swung his larat over his head half a
dozen times, and released it. The throw
was true, and as the moose fell the pony
stopped as if he had encountered a brick
wall while on his wild stampede. Jim
had fastened the other end of the rope to
the horn of his saddle and the steer was
made prisoner forthwith.
Fuller and Frank Alderman were there,
and so were Ed Latta, Mcnamara, Nc
Laughlin and all the rest. Now that the
parade and the roping contest are matters
of history, it is probable most of the cow
boys will leave Washington tonight and TO-
morrow for the plains and the prairies
where they reside. The and their
antics will be remembered as one of the
features of the Inauguration of Theodore
Roosevelt, while the ponies must bid a last
farewell to the freedom of the west and
to the excitement of the roundup.
Postponed Until Today.
The show was to have been given yes
rdau h11t hp in
keep many persons away from the ball
park. At o'clock, when the roping con-
test was scheduled to begin, there were
less than 800 persons on the grounds and
1t was stated that the lessees of the park,
who were to receive percentage Of the
gate receipts, declined to let the show pro-
coed. The boys had to do something, how
ever, and held an auction, selling eight of
their ponies. The first one on the block
brought $4S, and the other seven sold
higher the last one going for 500. Last
evening at the stables pair of well-broken
horses belonging to the cowboy outfit sold
for $265. While this is somewhat more
than the boys expected to get for their
steeds, 1t is also more than the good ten
derfeet" of Washington expected to pay.
One docile and Misunderstanding lad, who
looked to be q newspaper reporter, got
mixed up in the fun while the ponies We're
being auctioned off. and when the excite
ment was over he found himself possessor
of a long-haired. wild-eyed brute, which
danced around in the mud as if the music
of the bands was still ringing In his ears
The chubby young man looked over his
purchase and smiled a doubtful smile. One
of the cowpunchers saw the smile and ap-
preached.
what are you goin' to do with the
pony?' he asked of the dOcile and harmless
looking lad.
.'Ridc him." answered the young man.
well pardner," yentured the coWpunch.
er, II don't know you, but you seem to be
decent sort of a chap, and want to tell
you to keep off that pony and let somebody
you don't like ride him. He's what we call
an outlaw out our way"
The young mans face blanched.
"What'I you take for him." asked a tall,
lean man in the crowd of spectators.
Half what l paid for him." said the
young man.
sold" came the reply. and the deal was
closed.
Murderer's Unique Plea.