Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-06-16
Painted Mules.

The great London circus and menagerle
which has delighted our people for the past
four days with its magnificent chariots, little
elephants, tamo tigers, acrobatic hyenas, di-
nlinutve ponics and well-traiued company OF
excellent artists broke camp late last night, and
is in Alexandria, Va, from which place they
will proceed on their Western tour
One of the most puzzliug geological features
Of this circus and menagerie was couple OF
zebras trained to work i'll harness. From tho
time that the memory of man runneth not 10
the contrary it has been an established fact iu
the history of the animal kingdom that this
striped species Of horse could not possibly be
brought under the control of the yc,eats homo,
yet the two specimens were in double harness,
hitched up to sort Of phaeton, moving along
our streets and avenues daily, with all the
grace and case of u first class mule team. The
average mind was content to believe what tho
circus mcn said about ''then zcbras, but read
ers of natural history and inquirers after knOWl
edge began to smell 'paint, and through the
medium of the press want to know whether
the people, not only Of Washington, but else
where on the circuit of this show, have been
fooled on the question OF tame zebras' by
painted mules. OF the many communications
received regarding the vexed question the tol.
lowing seems to demand that the matter should
DC SCI FlS III ny tic OutOiilClC iCpotlcl'
WASHINGTON, June IL, 1878.
To tie editor of the Chronicle:
Ple diversified opinions entertained relative to
the true status of them zebras :" which OCCASION
ally perarnbulate the avenues of this city, has
been the fruitful cause OF a deal OF acrimonious
debate among certain gentlemen of leisure, some
asserting that it is preposterous to imagine the
striped "animiles' to be anything but the genuine
soidungulate mammal, direct importation from
the wilds of Southern Africa, while their oppo-
nents indignantly repudiate any such doctrine,
and are profuse in their arguments to prove them
to be simply long cared specimens OF the mongrel
breed, which hava undergone the msnipulations
OF first class artist.
As the matter now stands, tho latter gentle
men seem to have rather the best of the srgu-
ment, but the former being exceedingly spirited
1approhend that unless that ubiquitous reporter
of yours comes to the rescue and settles the mat
ter definitely by the light Of his superior know
ledge, he will, ero long, be called upon to chron-
icle an event that Will stir society to its very
depths, wherein the "code" and its concomitants
will play the prominent parts. YOUNG.
Our reporter, determined not to allow the
anxious inquirers to suffer, and with zeal worthy
ofa better cause wended his way to the Sixth
street lot last evening, and was soon In conver-
sation with the keeper of ''them zebras: The
animals we're browsing comfortably under the
canvas In company with the ponies, and appar-
tutty uncOncerneQ regarolng Cfle Solutiou VI Il.c
problem as to whether they were original 81
luon pure zebras or mules That had been tam
percd with by the artists brush.
The face and make up Of the keeper indica-
ted that he was of social nature, in conse-
quence of which our reporter asked him out
Ito sec man Notwithstanding the fact that
he (our reporter) was in his normal sphere Pc
cuniarily, or to use circus phrase in this con-
nection, 'Not we'll fixed" The keeper, whose
name was asccrtained to be Gus, denied stoutly
the imputatiou set forth that many supposed
the zcbras to be something else originally, and
entered into an elaborate account Of their cap
ture in central Africa by an attache of the
Stanley expedition; their shipment to this
country at an enormous expense; their final
tanning after great trouble, and his own efforts
in breaking them to work in single or double
harness.
After short walk the man was seen, in
fact several men were interviewed, and the re-
porter and Gus started back to the tent. Gus
appeared to be little more communicative on
the home stretch, and after an intimation on
the part Of our reporter that another man could
be seen if the truth of the matter could be
speedily arrived at, Gus acknowledged that
the