New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-06-23
EXPERIENCE IN HORsE-FLESH.

amusing account OF ms experience IN equine IOCO-
motives Here il is:
Speaking of horses reminds me Of some experience
! have had in that line during my pilgrimage With
the army AS journalist. IL II matter Of some i'm
pOrtauoe that every correspondent should have ZONE
kind Of a riding animal al his command, otherwise
/ be will find himself deficient on emergencies when
taste ID essential Ny first idea Of the proper thing
was gallant charger, gaily caparisoned, prancing
high and low when crowds were about, and always
holding himself in readiness for public exhibition
That is the officer style Of doing the thing found
that the article difficult to procure, and ex-
pensive TO keep having 10 soldiers ut my command
10 guard a fine horse night and day TO prevent BIZ
being 4" cramped' and carried oil. Before had
done with experiences III this line, was conlented
with more modeot pretensons.
During a period OF four months, | have been
owner and sole proprietor of five horses. The lr't
of these WAS a relic of the Doneison fight He came
| from somewhere in the mountains Of Tennessee, and
from habit Of climbing rocks and holding on by ms
nose he was much addicted TO standing on bis hind
legs. without regard 10 who might lie IN the saddle
This favOrlte eding position, ami grass beng
al that time and hay and oats scsrcer ne whr
accustomed 20 take his meals IN the tops Of email
trees where bis cultivated taste taught him TO iiud
tender fwigs and Jucy buds. This nutilcous food
gave him a frame Ike clotheshorse, aud his lrgs
/ 10 use an apt phrase, were IA Tat az rye straw
Ills back bone split new sadd m two, and cut q
\ hair-coth blanket into shreds. | could have got
slorgswith thir, but he constantly brought me TO
shane and disgrace by going on hla hind legs for
browfe state occasions, 10 sHy nothing OF pro-
peusity for climbing every steep Gill he came to- and
sliding me over HE tail Ia the operation. lie was a
good horse to 70 birdnestng with, or, in case OF
emergency 10 run up toe ride Of house and get cut
OF danger but he was so far from my idea Of per-
feet horse that cold him for $50. as Floyd verih-
HE war-charger, 10 trophy ker who wore BIN"
spsctacles and carried portfolio. As saw INN
aiterward, IN company with five Others az poor "a.
himself dragging am army wagon, conclude thi'
the purchaser not sufficiently vinlAft 20 eude
Uncle Sans waictiulness and got bun home ny
last glimpse OF him was as he stood upon his hind
legr with his fore feet on rail fence, apparently
reaching for brow se IN the moon.
Nv next attempt was III the mule line. friend
in tie QuaTtermaster's Department Insisted upon
presenling ne with n superb riding animal which
Lad into his lossession, be didn cay how bat
suppO-itiyely by the cramp proctss. lhe beast had
a prepossessiug exterior Ears as long ~ my arm
n head ike a but,r-trkin, ppe-siem neck, body ~
c0mey "a. a sugar hog-hcBd and legs lot 10 exceed
eighee n inches in length. With THE inviting exterior
be had deposition -t more outre and peryefse II
possible. The fret time ! mounted him, he kicked
! 10 his heels and landed over his head, some
twenty feet in advance. The next time, he sat down
on his launches and slid saddle and oil over his tail
Then he laid down, and rolled over ana over faster
/ than "A Bengal monkey could have followed lin;
and finally, he re.orted 20 every trick animal
could be guilty Of to show MS pcrverse temper. lie
had way OF making great fuss when the saddle
giItl Was uchtu-pu 'lte on uf liinIhuN 'o4ht'-
nance and grooming dsmally, az though his life was
being squeezed out. You might puli aud tug for ten
uinutes strapng the grth up 10 the last notch, and
fairly firing yourself out with exertion whon upon
stepping back with malicious consciousness OF hay-
inc brought the ugly brute 10 terms, you would zee
ms body collapse and the girh hang suddenly limp
and loose, while he looked askance with cunning
eer az much ne 10 say: GLOW do yOu like that,
now 7" He never failed to initiate himself Ike bal
loon when the saddle was 10 be put on, and then col
lapse for the satisfaction of having II Turn around
aud unseat his rider at the irs mud-hoe he came to-
rode him for the spite Of the thing for two long
weeks. got pair Of spurs with rOwels an inch
and half long and 1ayed his sides with them when
ever he ven ured to flap his ugly ears ut me, aud
finally had the sa'ifHciion OF .eeIng him tumble
down bluff a hundred feet high and break his necG
/ Having had enough Of vicious bOrse4, determined
TO try quiet next time. l accordingly invested
III demure specimen OF the pony breed. lie proved
all cOnld ask for, for, from that tine onward dur
ing my term Of ownership, ! did no hard work ex-
cept TO urge him to due sense of bis duty as n
horse, and more especially JOurnallsic horse. The
arguments used in this controversy were clubs OF The
largest possible SIZE sharppointed sticks, spurs at
the rate of several day, building fires under bis
tail and, on occasions Of emergency, telling good
sized trees upon him az starting impetus. lie was
patient under these afilictlone and never suffered
ANYTHING to disturb his equaninity except the last
two alternatives which were always reserved for
an impending battle or a sudden movement TO the
army with for he was cure to be behind and ont Of
danger but the very worst for retreat for obvious
reasons. / was finally obliged TO succumb 10 bis
pernacty from scarcity of timber and tpura, the
soldiers having used the former for fuel and B rider
having demolished all OF the latter that were avail
able in ten regiments. sold him 10 an army chap
lain who was too mnch reduced by bad whisky and
the Tennessee quickstep To exert much physical
force, and he was taken prisoner while gong at "a
mad pallOp Of fourteen miles in fifteen hodrs with
several thousand bowling Texan rangers in the
rear
then determined to live upon my wits, 80 far as
horsehesh was concerned. SO / found myself some
time. in possession Of borrowed ANIMAL sometimes
riding q mule, sometimes bestriding picked-up
horse from the woods, and not unirequently dis
grazing myself and my profession by resorting TO
the corral of rejected and broken-down Government
horses. Sometimes i had saddle and no horse;
other times had horse and 10 sadde; again l had
both, and no birdie; and q consequence, during
the ma orty Of the time wandered about dlseonso-
lately, carrying saddle and birdie, and looking for
u horse, or leading horse and searching wraibiuy
for Il saddle and bride.
OF nv next ATTEMPT at Ownership i can say but
little Lad reason to believe him all my fancy pic.
tured him. lie had unlimited style and action, en-
arged capacity for getting over the ground, ana
generally prepOrsessing demeanor but inc next
morning after / bee anne his owner the picket rope
was found cut, and the horse gone, while to the
stake was attached paper containing an original
drawing of a schoolboy horse on the high prance,
mounted by man composed Of two rotundities for
head and body. and four sragb lines for legs and
arms Underneath was the Iithy announcement,
"Of for Div" The picture was remarkable for
the expression Of the couptenapce, Where the sI!lst