The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-03-12

sbiwas
r. rHe used to harness horses when, he had to
get up n the manger TO put the bride and
collar on, and then turn the half bushel over
and stand on that TO throw the harness on.
Ateight and half years ofage he had be-
some . regular driver; and used to work my
| team all day, day after day. hauling wood.
There would BE- man Ia the woods. to load.
and smother at the house TO unload, bat Uiys-
ses would drive the team.
~ about ten years of age he used to drive a
pair Of horses alone from rGeorgetown, whore
we lived, forty miles, to Cincinnati, and bring
! hack load Of passengers.
When Ulysses was boy, If . circus or any
show came along. in which there was call
for somebody to come forWard md ride . pony,
he was always the one to present himself and
whatever he undertook to ride he rode. This
practice he kept up until he got to be so large
that he was ashamed to ride pony.
n Once, when he was boy show came D.
long in which there was emischievous pony.
trained to go round the ring like lightning, and
be was expected TO- throw any boy that at
tempted to ride him.
no "Will any boy come forward and ride this
pony p shouted the ring>master.
s79 Ulysses stepped forward. and mounted the
pony. The performance began. Round, and
round, and round the ring went the pony, fas-
ter and faster, making the greatest effort to
dismount the rider. But Ulysses sat as steady
q if he had grown to the pony's back. Pres
emily out came large MONKEY and sprang up
behind Ulysses. The people set upa great
shout of laughter, and on the pony ran; but it
al produced no effect on the rider. The ring
master made the MONKEY jump up on to Ulys-
shoulders, and with his hands holding on to his
hair. At this there was another and still
louder shout, but not . muscle Of Ulysses face
moved. There was not q tremor of his nerves.
A few more rounds and the ring master gave
it up: he had come across q boy that the pony
and the monkey both could not dismount.
Ulysses had the habit of riding our horses
to water standing upon their barebacks. He
began this practice when about five years old.
At eight or nine he would ride them at the top
Of their speed, he standing upon one loot and
balancing himself by the bride reins. The
ground over which he used to make these per-
sformances was little descending towards the
river; q near neighbor's boy who undertook to
rival him in speed; although without standing
up, was unfortunately thrown from his horse
He always broke his own horses. never
knew q horse to balk with him. He used to
get one colt perfectly broken, and then put an
other in by the side of him. He had most
wonderful faculty for breaking horses to pace !:
it became known in the neighborhood, and peo>
/. pie used to apply to him to break their horses
. 10 pace. out lie uaO an lQea tnaC 1t was Oe-
grading and would never undertake it. -
One day neighbor came to me and said:
ulysses has "a remarkable faculty to teach q
horse to pace: I have fine young horse: now,
how can get Ulysses to teach him to pace?'
Said I: "You mustn't say word to him
bout it: but send him on mission to some
place, and get him while he is gone to teach the
horse to pace?" 80
Said he: II will do it." So he came over a.
gain and said to Ulysses: II want to send a let
ter. in hurry, thirteen miles, to Decatur, and
will give you two dollars to get on my horse
and carry it." s
Ulysses was then nine or ten years DID, He
was fond of making money. and fond of that
Kind of business, and he answered: Il will CO."
just as he was starting off the owner OF the
horse cried out after him: II want you to teach
that horse to pace"
The horse had never paced a step before.
But Ulysses accomplished the task. He re-
turned the horse that night q perfect PAGER.
The letter was all . sham: Ulysses found out
the trick, and nobody after that could ever get
him to break horse to pace. '7sll
When Ulysses was in his twelfth year he
was very small for his age. At that time
had taken contract to build the Jail in Brown
county. The prison part was to be Of logs
hewn q foot square and fourteen feet long.
These had to be hauled about two miles from
the woods where they were cut, to the site of
the Jail. I generally worked small, or medi-
zed horses: but happened to have very
large one. A neighbor had another about the
same size, and Ulysses was so anxious that If
should buy him, that he said to me one day:
Father. if you will buy that horse, win drive
team until all the logs are hauled. l agreed
to do it, but without any idea that he could posi-
sbly hold out to work the team over q week
he was such = little bit ofa fellow. / even hir>
ed another man to work the team, and told
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