The Osceola times., 1873-08-09
[sERiEs. No. g. BY RASPBERRY RUSH
GLIMPSES OF PRIMITIVE AR
KANSAS
Being Fragments of her History,
Cleaned from the Advertising
Columns Of the State Ga
zette of the Year l84l.
Arkansas Travellers of l84l.

Gazette in the year 1871 seems to
have been incomplete without an
engraving to illustrate it. Thus the
next in order in the same column
is reward Of twenty dollars for a
stray horse, with cut representing
horse, the like Of which is rarely
seen in nature. In one particular
there is a striking resemblance
between the animal and Black
Solomon, they arc both going as
fast as their legs can carry them,
and both no doubt are seeking the
same object, to-wit: an entire cx-
emption from compulsory labor.
The horse before me has q head
like q saddle of venison, name
like the fins of fish, a tail that
looks moro like flag than any
thing else, and body that closely
resembles tho wooden horse immor-
.talized by the ride of Don Quixotte
and Sanco Panza. And this is
the creature that Is described by
his master as 'about ten or eleven
years old, black name and tail(O
compactly built, holds his head
rather down, rides well, keeps fat
on little food, and would be called
a pretty horse by almost any D"
If this description be true. the
printer in undertaking to give his
likeness, not only libeled the horse,
but rendered it almost impossible
for the animal ever to be identified
by anybody disposed to take him
up and return him to his owner.
But the printer was Mr.. George c.
Burnett, Printer to the state" and
we cannot suspect him OF taking
such an nntair and ruinous advan-
tagc of his patron. We cannot
therefore doubt but the horse was
correctly portrayed and we can
not help but think that an extrav-
agant, insane partiality for his
horse betrays the advertiser into
the description just quoted. The
idea that such an animal would
ride well is simply rediculous. We
would much prefer a ride on a
worm fence. AS to keeping fat on
little food, we doubt if all the
food in Arkansas would have
helped him, Would be called a
pretty horse by almost any one"
Can it be possible that in the year
1871 there were so few pretty
horses in Arkansas that this stray,
whose likeness has just been dcs-
cribod as it appeared in the Gazette,
should be considered beauty? If
so, the people of Arkansas have
reason to be proud Of the improve.
ments that have been made IN the
breed and appearance of their
horses.
If the advertisements in this
paper are to be taken as true, and
we have no reason to doubt them,
| it would seem that there was a
general irresistible desire on the
part of large portion Of animated
creation in Arkansas to cut loose
from the positions assigned them
and to migrate for parts unknown.
Thus we find advertisements, warn
ing, notifying and stating that mig
gers, horses, jackasses, thieves,
counterfeitcrs and wives had either
left their masters, owners, jailors
or husbands, or that some sheriff,
citizen or justice of the peace had
apprehended or taken up some
body's nigger, horse, jackass or
other cattle. There is no adyer-
tisement to the effect that either
the thieves, counterteiters or wives
ever miscarried III their attempt
to regain their liberty. lam afraid
that the thieves and cpunterfeiters
made good theirescape to Texas, and
that the wives safely returned to
"their people," among whom, we
J hope it was unnecessary for them