The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-11-09
Last Days of n Noted Horse,
The Cincinnati ENQUIRER saws :

The Cincinnati Enquirer says:
There is scarce a child or grown up
person who ever goes to the circus but
remembers with pleasure the perform
ances of Dan Rice's famous trick horse
Excelsior. For the last eighteen years,
on each recurrence Of the season, he has
been one of the arenic attractiOnsO of that
famous show, and w~heneverhe appeared
in the ring it waste receive the plaudits
of the thousands who were gathered
around it. Though totally blind, he ex-
hibited an intelligence that was almost
human, andin the tableau piecesandpOs-
turing, which was the greater part Of
his business" he was pronounced by
all to be the handSOmesthO horse they ever
Nv.
Dan Rice came to the city last week
and pitched his tents on Union Grounds.
EXCELSIOR" OF course, came with him,
and, as usual, was the admiration of ev-
cry one who went to the show. The old
horse, however, did not seem i'll hiSuSual
spirits. He seemed to be too sick to take
his part, and though at times he would
fire npand go through aparthandsOmely
a sudden tremOr would come over him,
and he would sink down exhausted. The
CHEEKY voice Of his old master failed to
meet with the quick response as of old,
and the kind-hearted Snowman found
that his pet had become deaf as well rs
blind, and that "ExcelsiOr's" course was
about run.
On saturday night the old horse was
brought into the ring for the last time.
He went through a part of his perform
anCe, but before it was half oven had to
be led ont, trembling and scarce able to
walk. Mr.. Rice then, in a little speech
which was full Of pathOs, told the crowd
that Excelsior, who had travelled with
him for the past eighteen years, and was
almost a child to him, could not live
much longer. He had beenh his constant
companion, and had helped to make the
most of the money he had had during
that time. He loved him not for this SO
much as for tlealmOst human traits and
human intelligence that he possessed,
! and now that he was about to die he felt
a pang in his heart as if he was indeed
human. The old horse, he said, would
be taken to Mr.. COnnelly's stable on
! Baymiller street, where everything that
was possible would be done to make
him comfortable, and when he died he
would have an honorable interment.
The father of this horse, cold Excel
| siOr," when he died at Baltimore many
years ago. was buried with great pOmp,
and he (Mr. Rice) would see that Excel
siOr'siemains received similar attention.
At the conclusion of hisSpeech the show
mans eyes filled with tears, and not a
few of his auditors joined with him.
SOCIAL MANNERS AMONG THE FRENCH
INHABITANTS OF NEW ORLEANS.-But
not alone in language vas French town,
a strange city to its municipal SiameSe
twin, only divided from it by the narrow
strip bearing the great artery that sup
ported the vitality of both. In all mat
tiers of family governments, as we'll as OF
prevailed inoo Frenchtown, and many OF
them remain to this day, impregnable
to example and imperviOus to fast con-
quering progress. The Creole youth,
even after hisfirst duel, had no synonym
for "the governor" when speaking of
his father, o did ma mere, to his I'M
progressive sense, offer the translation
of " the old girl" There the young Ia
dy's aspiration was not to be ga little OF
a gOer," and she was rarely "harmlessly
fast" Nor vast the reigning bellea gush-
ing miss, with "tangles OF Neer's hair
but acOmfOrtable-and not seldom quite
comfortably stout-madame. Young
ladies were kept in duranCe vile, indeed
to those born freemen under American
skies, and their first emancipation into
even the nominal license of life was re-
ceived at the hands of the priest who
pronounced the marriage benedicti0n.
We to the aspiring youth from across
Canal, who, transtixed by a pair of kill,
ing black eyes leveled from embrasure
of opera box, was lucky enough to get
across to the household they were sup,
posed to illumine and to warm. At al
early eve or miserable morn the frozen
steppes of Siberia were n0tmOre glacial
nor more slippery to the faOthOld of his
manly sensibilities. Call when he would
those burning Orhs would wear the pa.
rental veil, through which their ray nc
longer melted him, and the hOuri Of the
opera box became the prOperyoungper
son, who could only be "interviewed'
in the presence of stout and sonoroul
mamma on one sofa and of courteous
butequally refrigerantpapa on the other
The weather and kindred subjects fail
ing, when ambitious and all conquerins
Brownies courage and French had to.
gether failed before, he would gradually
freeze into awkward silence, that only
outside the front door thaWed into {
short, strong oath to hunt thereafter il
pastures better knOwn.-[Lippincott
Magazine.