Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-14
A Victim or Circumstances.


Yesterday afternoon lot of horses be.
| longing TO somebody on South Hill were
strolling down Boundary street, near
| Angular, at the same time very digni.
| fed clergyman was walking along on the
sidewalk. The street is very muddy, and
presently the horses got tired of it, and
accordingly filed across to the plank walk
and promenaded along, single file, right be-
| fore the dominic. Mares colts, in all there
were just thirteen of the animals, and they
| walked along very solemnly, but making
Il terrific Gathering on the plank, while
the clergyman followed, quietly amused
| at the nonchalant manner with which the
| horses took possession Of the walk. Pretty
| soon he heard tremendous shouting and
n few screams ut the head of the process
| sion, which came To Il dead halt, and the
| minister became aware that two women
were trying to ''shoon the horses into the
street by shrieking and making threaten
ing gestures with their parasolS, while the
| shouting came from a man in his shirt
| sleeves ON the other side of the way, and
| his remarks were addressed TO the Cos
| peler.
Drive them horses ofen that ar side.
walk he yelled. "Aint you got no more
sense than that, We son Of rancherg Get
| them horses out into the road, or I'll wade
through this mud to We, and bury We in
the gutter"
My friend, " meekly began the minis.
| ter, you labor under an erroneous"
Labor nothin'" yelled the man.
Don't We know no bettcr'n 10 drive "A
lot of horses along sidewalk. and chase
women an children off into the mud
| Now jest hump them cattle out into the
street, or I'll make 1t hot for yer
"My good sir, the minister cndeavored
to explain, you are hasty oyermuch. /
am not driving -"
"Dh-h.hl ye outdaciOus liar" yelled
the man. GAS though ! hadn't ben
watchin ye ever sence ye came around yam
corner, drivin 'em along the sidewalk be.
Gaze We was too nice 10 walk in the mud.
A swcetscented drover you are. Yer too
| heightened fer this town, my duck, an IL
ye don't git them horses into the street
and mosey out o this before | come acrost
10 we, ven never drive another woman
and her baby into the mud agin, | kin
tell ye.n
The astonished preacher began to ex-
postuIate once more, but the man was out
of patience by this time and strobe through
the mud toward the terrified gentleman,
rolling his sleeves up and swearing ter
riflcally as he came, big with the impOr.
lance Of being the champion Of two women
and baby against foreign droyer. The
minister had made up his mind TO be
| smashed, but Providence took care Of him,
| as il does Of ministers and editors and
| other good men. Ad0g which lives down
| near the grocery, aroused by the clamor,
| looked up and saw the horses, which were
| standing quietly listening 10 the quarrel,
| and in "A second he was over the fence
barking and swapping at every pair Of
heels at once. The frightened horses
| snorted and, wheeling off the sidewalk,
charged madly across the street, sudden.
| ly pulling up and wheeling In different
directions as they met the man, and when
| they galloped away the preacher saw
a sight that filled him with horror. Those
horses in their frenzied plunging had
| slapped chunks Of mud az big AS nail.
| kegs all over that man. They had plas-
| tered him from head 10 foot; his ears
were leyelfull OF blue mud and his shirt
was a mass Of yellow clay, and he was
digging this Shiny mud that grows in the
wagon-ruts out OF his eyes with both
hands. Every time he spit he blew out
pieces Of mud as large as turnips, and he
spit, as near AS the minister could esti-
innate, ninety-fve times minute. He
was trying 10 say something, but the
angels above could never guess what.
There hasn't been such muddy man in
town since the night dear old Blake chased
the policeman. The minister, grateful
Tor bis proyidential rescue, did not tempt
Providence by offering 10 scrapc his en-.
envy off, but he fed in dignificd haste, and
only heard the women pause, in the midst
Of their Mortified pity for their champion,
TO speak Of the flying minister as hor.
rid, ilI-mannerly horse.rader." He only
checked his speed one moment TO watch
the dog which had created the stampede
stand for second on three legs to look in
wild amazcment at the apparition IN the
street, and then turn In abject terror and
fly 10 the privacy Of his kennel with pite.
| Gus howls And the minister marveled
| greatly on tie intricacies and uncertain.
| ties OF circumstantial evidence. -BuyEiysyi-
ton (Iotsa) HawkEye.
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