Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-29
VAQUEROS WILL
RIDE IN PARADE
STREETS ARE FREE, SAY THEIR
ATTORNEYS
Shrlners VIII Have a Chance to See
Distinctive Feature of Western
Life In Spite of Order
Barring Cowboys

The vaqueros will ride in the Fiesta
parade
Such was the decision Of the COW
punchers yesterday at great barbecue
and bulls heads breakfast held at their
rendezvous, the Plummer ranch, near
Oakhurst, and when a COW man says O
thing he can generally be depended
upon to follow out that program to the
letter.
When Secretary Zeehandelaar of the
Merchants and Manufacturers assocla-
tion declared against the vaqueros rid
ing in the parade a storm of public pro-
test resulted, but Zeehandelaar, on the
ground that COW punchers were mar
tistic If picturesque, held to his order
and issued his ultimatum to the effect
that the cowmen could not ride in the
parade and that the parade was to be
emblamatic of Los Angeles of advanced
civilization rather than Of the wild and
woolly west.
The vaqueros have felt badly about
the affair, and while they have made
but little complaint they have gone
quietly about their way of asserting
their rights, and as result the visitors
and the people of Los Angeles will have
q chance to see the greatest feature of
parade possible, and that is the cow
men in full regalia mounted on their
cayuses.
Prominent Men in Ranks
That decision was arrived at yester-
day. The Vaquero club has been in
existence for the past year and num-
bers some Of the best known men In
California in it's ranks. Mayor Har-
per and his staff are members. DR..
Shurtleff is the president. DR.. Scroggs
is one of the most prominent members.
Eugene Plummer, one of the best known
and influential Spaniards in California,
is the father of the organization, and
his beautiful ranch and it's old Spanish
ranch house have been turned over by
him entirely to the use Of the club, its
members and friends.
DR.. Bachman, the playwright whose
production, Under the Bear Flag" was
given to Los Angeles q few weeks ago,
is another active member. Judge Smith
of the superior bench, his son, Ben
Smith, jr., Tom and Bernie Weiss, all
society men; Jack Hendrickson of
| Chester place, a cowman of world wide
reputation; Fred Thompson, attorney;
former Sheriff William White, Senator
Carter and a hundred or more others
whose names have been deeply linked
with the welfare of California, all are
members and active members of the
Vaquero club.
Settle Question at Barbecue
Yesterday morning in answer to call
sent out to the members, men and
women came riding to the rendezvous
from all parts of the county Alkali-
covered cowmen and their cuyuses from
the edge of the desert, tanned, silent
fellows from the canyons and noun
tains and scores and scores of men and
women from Los Angeles, Pasadena,
Hollywood and the beach towns came
riding to the Plummer ranch. There|
was a great bulls heads dinner, the
bulls heads being taken steaming from
the ground in the old Spanish manner
and served by pretty Spanish girls. A
great barbecue was served, and then
the men in the party quietly went out
in back of the corrall and settled the
question.
There were half dozen attorneys,
and their advice was secured. There
are dozen or more Shriners in the or
ganization, and they decided that al
though Secretary Zeehandelaar was a
Shriner possibly his view of the
case would not be taken by all the rest
of the Shriners, and therefore they
simply voted to eliminate him from the
discussion.
Streets for Every One
They were informed by the attorneys
in the crowd that the streets of Los
Angeles were for the use of decent,
respectable people who behaved them-
selves and that no one had any right
to stop those people from gosng on the
streets. Therefore they decided that
they will take their station near the
line of march in quiet and orderly man
ner dressed in their best outfits, shaggy
chaps or leather breeches, slouch hats,
silk shirts, guns, knives riatas and
shining harness, and put their horses
into the procession just after the last
of the parade has passed. In that way
they will not be bothering or hinderlng
any part of the parade, and there can
be nothing to stop them.
I'VE have always been very careful
not to let our fun annoy any one else"
said DR., Shurtleff. president of the club. |
1--WE have always been unusually care
full. At the last parade the cowboy
section received the greatest amount OF |
cheering, and / don't see how there
could have possibly been any offense
taken by any except this one man. This |
year Sheriff Hammel will be grand
marshal of the parade, and there is not |
a member of the Vaquero club who does
not like HammeL He is naturally short |
of properly equipped men and some of |
us have volunteered to ride for him in |
the parade, leaving our leather clothes
at home and donning the velvet and
silver trimmings of the Mexican riders |
So that i'm that way there viii be a lot
OF us riding In the parade. while the
other boys and many of the women who
wish to ride win have on their western
garments and win follow the parade 10
Second street, where the club will line