Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-21
SAILORS ENJOY
WILD WEST SHOW
vAoUERO CLUB PROGRAM IS
WELL PATR0NIZED
REALISM KEYNOTE OF A FINE
ENTERTAlNM ENT
Broncho Riding and Incidents of Early
Western Life Accurately Por-
trayed by Large Cast of
Local Experts

leave yesterday, and at least twenty
nine-thirtieths of the total enjoyed the
time of their lives by attending Agri-
cultural park and the Wild West show
arranged for their benefit
They are real men and real fighters,
these bluejackets, and they were in
perfect harmony with our own real
men of the west The very reality OF
the entertainment presented to them
appealed to one and ALL and the grand
stand, which was given over to the
exclusive use of the sailors, respond
ed with their cheers when partlcu-
larly hard broncho was ridden or a
delicate feat of horsemanship per-
formed.
The program offered by the Vaquero
club and carried out by its members
was a grand presentation of western
life in the earlier days. From the open
ing of the show by the cowboys on
thr ugh the brorcho busting" ana
stage coach holdup there was an utter
lack of artiticiality, save that blank
cartridges were used in the guns III
stead of the more solid ammunition.
The real point of realism was found
in the riding of every one IN the cast
Noted horsemen-and Womeh-Were
single out the most expert from the
concourse of experts 1t would De
amiss to call them equestrians, for the
very elegance of the word bellies the
western style and ability, and even
the meekest broncho in the lot would
shy at anything so high sounding
Fine Riders on Hand
Right at the opening of the program
the blue1ackets were given taste OF
what horsemanship means in this part
of the country. The first broncho roped
proved to be a particularly nara PUCK
er, and it was fortunate selectlOh
that called Merced NalueS IIoIl tH0
ranks as his rider.
MANY of the sailors had never seen
a broncho in action and they sat OPEN
mouthed and eXpectant While the morse
was snubbed and blindfolded before ne
would permit of the saddle belng
cinched on. Then, when Valdes swung
into the seat and gave the word, they
were treated to a sample of animal
meanness.
The broncho, little brown range
nonv. knew as much about the buck
ing game as the horse which invented
it. He started out bucking, Jumping
changing ends and then went PACK TO
a. series of plunges which sent ms rluer
high in the air. Once he went down
I
sailors expected the rider to lose ms
scat. But when the horse came up
again Valdes was on top sitting as Sc
renely as though he were in car
riage and lit was not long until the
broncho felt himself mastered and set
tied down to some half-hearted leaps
which denoted his change OF spirit.
Then the ring spearing contest was
held. and mounted on their fast horses
four members of the Vaquero CLUB
tried to impale the iron rings hanging
crom the post arms along the track
Charlie Meadows, one of the most
fearless horsemen ever seen in an eX-
hibition, did many fancy stunts with
his mount and speared the circles with
unerring accuracy winning the con-
test with five points. Archie Freeman
and Priest Machado scored four points
each and DAILY the other contestant,
was credited with three.
Wins Mail Bag Race
The mail bag race was won by Frank
Shelton, who dashed up the track to-
the quarter mile pole and came back
with his sack we'll in advance Of the
Others There was nothing very spec
tacular about the event. and the sail
ors were all ready for the fancy
shooting.
Archie Freeman. one Of the few old
residents here who still follow the
sports of their fathers, gave fancy
exhibition with a rifle in shooting at
mud balls in the air, and then w. A.
Wilhelm came into the play. Immacu-
lately neat in gray suit and cream
colored gloves Wilhelm, with derby
on his head, began shouting at Free
man. "There's some kind of fake
you're working. You couldn't hit my
hat if I threw it in the air"
Bring it on" said Freeman, and
aaoment later the hat was sailing up
toward the heavens 1t didn't get far,
for three shots were emptied into 1t
as fast as trigger could be pulled, and
the sailors joshed Wilhelm and his hat
for the rest of the day.
Arizona Charlie and Freeman shot
and hit-everything tossed up for them,
and then q tug of war, five horses and
riders a side, VS. INDUCED in. The
team managed by Plummer proved
victorious, but a little gray horse on
the losing side carried off the laurels
because OF the way he buckled down
to his work.
Arizona Charlie and his company
performed a few fancy stunts with the
RATA and then the piece de resistance
of the day, the stage holdup, was en-
acted. The setting and props" were
worthy of the skill Of an experienced
stage director and when the stage
rolled down the track to the "toWn"
the sailors cheered themselves hoarse.
Scene Exciting
"Big" Hutchinson was on the box
holding the ribbons over four seasoned
blacks, and when he rumbled up in
front of the settlement the entire pop
ulation was there to greet him. Men
in chaps and blue shirts and women
in khaki, all with siX-shOoters strapped
around their waists greeted the one
passenger, a realistic looking English
man with mutton chop Whiskers and
tourist Clothes and set him out in the
middle of the track. Here he was
forced to dance to the tune of six guns
and by the time he was done the stage
was ready to proceed.
The coach was full this time and
everyone in the town gathered
around to bid farewell to the passen-
gers and, in particular, to Miss Tala-
nantes, who was enacting the part Of
a Vaquero girl. Hutchinson sent his
blacks along and on the other side Of
the track the holdup occurred.
Regardless of the bullets Whizzing
round her the vaquero girl jumped on
the horse which was tied behind the
stage and galloped back to town. Here
hundred cowboys gathered and start
ed in pursuit of the robbers catching
hem after a merry chase and landing