The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-10-24
The Mexican Bull-Whacker.

Of the many sights and scenes IN |
the southwest that constantly remind |
the stranger of his proximity to another
and entirely different race of people, |
is more likely to arrest his attention
than that of q Mexican freighting team. |
The heavily built wagons, with their
enormous loads piled high above the
wheels. the thin, wiry oxen, with SLOW |
swinging gait, dragging them along by |
means of heavy yokes, which bow down |
their necks until they are perfect pic |
lures of helplessness and hopelessness |
hevociferous and unintelligible ejacula-
tions. of the unkempt, ragged, swarthy
and under-sized drivers as the train
moves by, all cOnspire to make 1t diff
cult for the easterner to realize that he
is still within the boundaries OF the
United States, and not in the very heart
of old Mexico. From five to eight yoke
of cattle are generally attached to each
wagon, this team being usually driven
by a single teamster, who, IN the com
mon parlance of the country, is dubbed
a. bull-whacker. lie controls the
movements of his lengthy charge by
means of a clumsy-looking whip, made
up of very short and very stout han
die, and a very long and very heavy
lash, When not in use, the handle is
generally laid over the shoulder, and
the cruel lash drags it's slow length
along the ground behind. A novice at
tempting to WELD such a whip, sue
ceeds, in most cases, in coiling the lash,
like q great serpent, about his neck and
piying himself a stinging blow with It's
tail across his face but the profession
al bulI-whacker uses it with the 6 eat
est ease and dexteritY, and even with an
admirable grace. He can switch fly
from one of his oxen so deftly as scarce
ly to disturb hair, or he can open
fearful cash in the hide apparently
without an effort. To his honor be it
said. however, the bull-whacker, de-
spite his name, seldom uses his fearful
weapon as an instrument of torture
upon his helpless cattle. He makes 1t
bark rather than bite, dellghtlng to
swing the hugh lash around his head,
and crack it with reports as loud as
those from a rife; nothing, indeed,
| more reminds the veteran soldier OF
heavy fire along the skirmish line than
| the loud and incessant cracking OF the
bull-whackers' whips, as they are heard
sometimes in the far distance, when one
| of their trains approach. The person
mel of the av rage bull-whacker may be
picturesque, but is certainly not pre-
| possessing. Garments in which fllthl-
ness and raggedness contend for the su-
premaey adorn his person; the express
sion of his swarthy face is low and vii
famous: an unkempt shock of black,
| wiry hair grows low down on his retreat
ing forehead, and beneath his shaggy
brows are two small coal-black eyes,
ever restless and cleaning. Yet this
degraded bull-whacker, who is a mon
grel offspring of the Aztec, the Indian
and the negro, still boasts of the brave
KNIGHTS who landed with Cortez on the
shores of Mexico as his ancestors and
takes unto himself high sounding
Spanish address that might we'll have
been the pride of any Cabailero at the
Spanish court. Senor or Senior Don Is
| invariably prefxed to his address on the
letters which he receives; for, strange
as it may seem, many Of the " grease"
| bulI-whackers can not only read fluent
ly in Spanish, but write in very Passa-
he hand. Where or how they pick up
| these accomplishments, heaven and
themselves only know, for in New Mexi-
co. whence they come, the public school
is vet thing Of the future. Vest.
THE PARISH BEADLE OF BRITAIN
| c-oot is the narish beadle He is great