The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-05-20
A Crazy Horse.

/ known, and one that Will tend to reyolu-
/ tionize some of the preconceiyed notions
concerning brute intelligence, has come
[ to light in this city. 1t would appear
I that the afliiction that has fallen upon
/ the head of one unfortunate horse is des-
/ tined TO open new window in the
realms of science and to flood the walks
Of psychological research with light upon
/ that mOOted question, the intellect of the
brute.
/ About three months ago the firm of D.
/ Ii. Short u Co. purchased for use in
/ their livery stable on Elm street, near
! Third, fine looking black stallion, for
which they paid $500. The animal is a
magnificent specimen of horseflesh. He
stands fifteen hands and an inch high, is
/ now about ten years of age, and came
| from Vermont five years ago. He was
| considered one of the finest buggy
/ drivers ever kept on livery in the West,
and enjoyed the reputation of three
minute horse, and, taken all in all, the
Messrs. Short found they had secured
! quite an acquisition to their stock. The
/ horse was cared for and treated as a
/ horse of such value always is, and,
though driven enough to keep him
well exercised, he was not abused or
] hdhAltb lNthItootN LIS hCdAtu w dS anu
/ still is excellent. His appetite has not
| been at all impaired. His coat is as
sleek and glossy as it ever was, and he IL
as full and rounded as in his palmiest
days. Physically the horse is all that
could bed emanded of horsefesh.
! -Four weeks ago certain peculiarities
/ in his dcmeanor attracted attention. Ii
| is impossible to describe those peculiari-
| ties, but in horses watched so carefully
and attended so regularly they excited
some comment. Mr.. Short examined the
horse and was puzzled. In wind, limb
and appetite he was as sound as a new
/ dollar but, for horse, he manifested
/ more idiosyncracies and eccentricities
than hOrsetesh had ever betrayed before
/ Sometimes he would stilien all his limbs
and contract his muscles and stand fol-
! i've minutes like bronze statue. Some
| times he would drop down on his fore
knees and, sinking his head down be-
| tween his legs, remain in that uncom.
Portable position for several minutes,
/ flashing the air with his tail. At other
! times he would throw his head up and,
opening his mouth TO its widest capacity
would shake all over. OF course the i'm
| preston was that he was in pain but il
/ looked so much like downright, Jolly
good horse-l laugh that those who stood
/ by would laugh in sympathy. A later
| symptom was the manifestation of an in.
cllnatlon to get one fore foot into his
manger. His legs were tied together al
| the ankles, but he refused to eat until he
/ had been united. ,Ihen lie would imi
| tate the motion of the rocking-horse
| balancing himself alternately on his fore
and hind legs.
Mr.. Short was bewildered. Here was
a new disease to him, breaking out in his
stable, whether infectious or not he haC
no idea. He looked heiplessly around
! upon the hundred or more stalls and
! their contents, and began to speculate
upon the effect if his hundred animals
! should become similarly afflicted Then
the gave the cause of his bewilderment an
extra kick in the ribs; and then sent out
for horsemen. They came in crowds
and they came from all directions
TO examine the phenomenon. They
! pulled his mouth open, looked in, and
| shook their heads. They pulled his eyes
open, and shook their heads. They
| roked him from tine root of his neck tC
/ the stump OF his tail, and shook their
heads. They lifted up his four hoofs, one
after the other, and shook their heads
anu tHCu Iuty ali lOUheu at eaCl OtneI
and shook their heads. The horse was
IN perfect health, they all agreed upon
| that. The most minute investigation a
horse ever went through failed to reveal
any bodily disease. Finally an old fel.
low delivered his opinion:
! shouldn't wonder if the blamed boss
/ was crazy"
| Then they all fell back four or five feet
I and watched him.
| 1t may be that the existence of reason
! ing faculties is essential TO support in.
/ sanity, but if that is the case the exist
ence of the reasoning faculties in the
mind of the horse is no longer debatable
| For that horse is as clearly and unmis-
! takably insane $50 the horsemen saw as
was ever human being. In their view
/ ii is as clear case of mental alteration
as has ever been known, and they are
now watching the lease" with more IN
terest than even they ever manifested in
a horse before.
During yesterday quite a number of
people visited the stables and were per-
mltted TO examine the horse. To-day a
sort of caucus of professionals will be
held on him, and an effort will be made
to locate the ditticulty.-St Louis Globe.