The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-27

that could be scraped up w@s needed.
and soon little Ambrose had to goi
away to work on neighboring ranch. |
While he little resembled his In
dian ancestors in looks he did take
after them in habits, He was 1.-the
and quick as a panther. tanned to the
color of old leather BY wind and sun,
and above all, silent. His very being
bespoke the atmosphere of the desert,
he chose his words with careful fore
thought. and his sentences were short
and jerky.
Some enterprising cowpuncher de-
cided that silent was the proper
handle to attach to Means and from
that day forth he was known as
Silent Means.
Means became an adept with the
lariat. He was not what is termed
a fancy roper" but once he made
his cast the result was a foregone
conclusion. He became proficient in
the art of "broncho busting and be-
tween the two managed to exc out
profitable existence.
Time went on, and the mere ropins
of cattle and horses did not seem
enough excitement to satisfy Am
broses taste for adventure. so he took
to dragging mountain lions from the
treetops with the aid of his rope.
During one of these expeditions he
attracted the attention of Buffalo"
Jones, who at that time was contem-
plating a trip to Africa to rope wild
animals in the jungle. He made
Means an offer TO accompany the ex-
petition, and soon after they departed
for Africa.
For whole year nothing was heard
of the fate of the expedition, but one
day during the early part of January,
1912, they arrived at Cape Town with
all manner of wild animals in tow,
3 Then it became known that AM
brose Means~ had gained the distinc-
ton of being the first man to rope an
African lion on its native heath. The
feat was recorded on a moving pic
ture Aim, taken by an operator who
accompanied the party. The lion, or
lioness, as it happened TO be, had
charged Buffalo Jones. who threw his
rome at it and missed Means came
charging to the rescue IN ounted on a
wiry range horse. and the lion turned
his attention to him. Just as 1t sprang
! Means swung his horse and threw his.
rome over his left side for a catch.
The rope went over the hons head,
slipped to its hind legs and there
caught fast and true.
1t was one thing to rope lion and
another thing to hold him so Means
spurred his horse and dragged the
lioness behind him until the came to "A
small tree. There he threw the slack
over a limb and perked the lioness up
high and dry.
Soon after the animal was entangled
in a net and captured, Today it re-
poses safely in a cage at the zoo in
, New York city
Upon his return TO America Means
went on a lecture tour exhibiting the
! pictures taken on the trip. They
We're a remarkable collection. and he
4 made considera bile money. An enter.
jrising Wild West show later Sc
cured his services and he was the
featured attraction for more than a
year.
/ He wanted to rope live lion in the
arena. but the authorities and mem
! bers of the show did not feel that
! such playful antics on the part OF
Means were conducive to good health,
so the star act was abandoned,
Means, during his sojourn with the
I show. met and married Mabel King,
+ a Western girl who made a specially
or riding plunging steers and out
law" horses The two made an ideal
combination and were later engaged
for the next season by Buffalo Bill
! II was on a rainy day, in the arena
] with the Buffalo Bill show. that
Means. mounted on a plunging bron-
; cho went to earth and had his leg
saw the accident thought that he
would live, but his early life stood
him in good stead and, with the aid
Of clever surgery, he was able to walk
again inside OF eight months
: On account of his leg. however, he
was forbidden to ride bucking horses
for a long time but he made a fair
living doing ordinary ranch work,
while his wife took in the various
Western fairs and brought home prize
money received for fancy" and
rough riding"
i The following year Buffalo Jones
again started to Africa and with him
went mbrose and Mabel Means The
object of this expedition was TO cap
ture alive a huge gorilla and bring
him back to the States.
Mrs. Means was TO act as the decoy
for the gorilla. She was to lure him
from the forest while her husband
was to rope the animal and protect
his wife II the brute became feroci-
Gus.
They did succeed In getting one Of
they underestimated the animals
strength and Means trusty rope
broke To save his wife Means had
to shoot the gorilla.
While they were waiting for heavier
hopes to be sent from the coast. Buf-
ralo Jones became entangled in A.
nancial difficulties and the expedition
was stranged In the wilds They
struck II out as long as possible but
were finally forced to beat" their
way back to the coast and were sent
home through the kindness Of a Brit
ish consul.
Means and his wife were left prac-
tically destitute in New York, but
they were still game" They are now
in oklahoma living IN the hopes that
some one with sporting procivities
will equip another expedition to AZ
RIGA, that the elusive gorilla may be
taken in the tolls.