Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1865-07-15
l ERNMENT HORSE AUCTION.

Lexington Juna :. 1865. 1t seems an
act Of injustice, amounting almost to cru.
city, to pu. the vetern charger upon the
auction block after he has spen, his best
days in the romance and realities Of war.
In less unitarian age than this, the
equine hero, who had fought the good
fights Of q great war and finished his mar
tial course, would henceforth have laid up
for him passport to green fields and
continual leisure But republics arc IN
grateful, and the faithful steel, whose
metal has exhs!ed in repeated charges
and long marches must, when no longer
able to respond to the bue!e coll of the
battle Geld, yield ready obedience to the
rrosy and monotonous voice Of the pillow.
man. When no longer fitted to carry the
panoply of war be must quietly submit to
the harness Of the barn yard.
About two thousand Of these war worn
heroes ara now being sold ct auction,
from day to day, at this place had the
curiosity to attend one 0; these sales yes.
terday afternoon l found it conducted
in the usual manner Of such transactions,
with the exception tina. the bidlcrsnnd
purchasers had less opportunity for exam
| ming the animals than is customary at
ordinary narts The horses were led into
49, r L Al L ] !
were sscubcd, and in the centre Of
which the auctioneer's stand was ere acted.
The letters l. c. (meaning inspected and
condsmued,) were freshly branded upon
the left shoulder of each animal im.ncdi-
etely over the United States brand, which
was stamped upon them when they first
entered The service. /, took but very
few minutes to make a sale, aud the com.
petition was so great that the prices were
as general thing, full high, and bargains
were very rare.
A black horse enters, exhibiting oil the
spirit that is lef, with him, under the in
iluence Of pair of sharp spurs on the
heels Of a contraband who rides him, and
"prod" fr2n a sharp stick in the hands
Of gentleman whose business it seems
to be to announce the age and color, and
give the animal good start round the
ring. "Black boss, Eve years DID," says
this person, and the black horse, five years
old, starts off on a ga!'op. "Theres the
black boss five years old, gentlemen"
| says the auctioneer. II never knew
black boss that wasn't Q good hoss. A
splend id Morgan boss that Look a, him
bead and tail erect. He's prime, is th at
horse. How much am | offered for him.
Ten dollars do hear? Ten-.en-ten-
ten-eleven can't l have .~elve p
Twelve-twelve- fifteen ffteen-can !
have twenty?" The bidders commence
in earnest, and in loss time than it takes
TO write it the horse is sold for forty five
dollars to an old farmer, who swears he's
the best match he ever saw for horse
that he's got at home as the horse you
have got to home spawned very much ~
inquiries the auctioneer after the sale is
completed. mo siree,' says the purcbas-
err g!eefully. Then / guess they won't
match very well,' says the auctoneer.-
The farmer begins to see the point, and
goes away much chagrined, because
there's big laugh at his expense.
In comes bunch Of bones caversd Gov
cred with horse hide and surmounted
by darkey, with a sharp nail protruding
out Of his left heel into what is announced
as ebay boss eve years old past by the
gentleman before alluded to, who uses
the point of his stick as before, and tells
the hay boss 6'e years old to "gis up"
which he does as best he can, because be
doesn't like sharp sticks, nor sharp nails
either. The Five year old past in his
case is safe proposition, the last word
being "saving clause and intended to
cover about ten years, making fifteen in
all. "There's the bay boss five years old
past shouts the auc,ioneer. IL never
knew bay boss that wasn't good one.
but he is the best one ever saw. Look
at the turf register and you'll fud that be
has ran more races ,han-sny boss that
ever lived. That's all that aiis him-he's
been winner OF so much money at the
races that be hasn't kept 10 good flesh,
but just feed him up little and he II be
all right for the track next fall "What's
his gait?" shouted one Of the auditors.
Jim show that boss's gait," says the auc.
tioneer, aud two men with cartwhips in
hand appear, one at each side of the RI
cling animal, and commence the work of
making the "hoss" show his gait. After
torturn'ng him into q gallop, the auction.
ecr resumed, There be is gentlemen.-
Now you see his gait Hes racer, a