Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-04

! as SpCrltuAlS, ana alters llkeu 10 neV
the best that there was goin'; and he
alters had an eye TO good hoss.
"NOw, there was Parson Adams and
Parson Scranton, and most of the other
ministers, they didn't know and didn't
care what hoss they had; jest logged
around with these ere pOundin', pot
bellied, sleepy critturs that ministers
mostly hes, good enough to crawl round
/ to funerals and minister's meetn's and
associations and sich; but Parson Will
Jams he alters would hev hoss as was
u hoss; he looked out for blood, and
when these 'ere Vermont fellers would
come down with u drove, the parsOn
he he'd his eyes open and knew what
was what Couldn't none of 'om
cheat him on hoss flesh and so one
time when Zach Bucl was down with a
drove, the doctor he bought the best
hoss in the lot. Zach said he never
see u parson aforc that ne couldn't
cheat, but he said the doctor reely
knew as much as he did, and got the
very one he'd meant TO "a kept for him
self.
"This ere hoss was a peeler, I'll
tell you. They called him Tamcrlane,
from some heathen fcllcr or other; the
boys called him Tam, for short. Tam
was a grct character. All the fcllcrs
for miles round knew the DOCTORS Tam,
and used to come clear over from the
other parishes to see him.
oval this 'er sot up Cuffs back
high, tell you. Cuff was the doctor $
niggcr man, and he was nat lily u drcil'ul
proud crttur The way he would
swell and strut and brag about the doc
tor and his folks and his things! The
doctor used TO give Cuff his cast-oll
clothes, and Cuff would prance round
in 'em and seem to think he was doe
tor of divinity himself, and had the
charge of all natur'.
"Well, Cuff he reely made an idol o.
that ere hoss, reg'la craven image,
and bowed down and worshiped him
he didn't think nothin' was too good
for him; he washed and brushed and
curricd him, and rubbed him down, till
he shone like lady's satin dress; and
he took pride in ridin' and drivin' him
cause it was what the doctor wouldn' {
let nobody else do but himself You
see, Tam warn't no lady's hoss. Miss
Williams was 'fraid as death of him,
and the parson he had to git her sort
o low-speritcd crittur that she could
drive herself, but he liked to drive
Tam; and he liked to 90 round the
country on his back, and fine figure of
II man he was on him too. He didn't
let nobody else back him or handle the
reins but Cuff, and Cuff was dreflul set
up about it, and he swelled and Dragged
about that ar hoss all round the coun-
try. Nobody couldn't put in word
about any other hoss without Cuff S
feathers would be all up-stilf us a tom
turkeys tail, and that how Cuff got
the doctor into trouble.
"Ycsec, there nat'ally was others that
thought they'd got horses, and didn't
want to be crowed over. There was Bill
Atkins, out to the west parish, and Ike
Sanders, that KEEP Il stable up to Pequot
Holler; they was down a-lookin' at the
parsons hoss and a-bettin' on their'n
and a DARN Cuff to race with 'em.
Wal, Cuff he couldn't stan it, and
when the DOCTORS back was turned he d
be off on the sly and they'd hev their
race; and Tam he beat 'em all. Tam,
ye see, boys, was hoss that couldn' t
and wouldn't hev hoss ahead of him
he jest 10Ouleln't! Eff he dropped down
dead in his tracks the next mint. he
aCOutd be ahead, and he alters got
ahead, and so his name got up; and
fellers KEEP comm to try their horses,
and Cuff ID take Tam out to race with
fust one and then another till this ere
got to be a reg lar thing, and begun to
be talked about.
Folks sort o. wondered if the doctor
knew, but Cuff was sly as weasel and
alters had a story ready for every turn /;
Cuff was one of them fellers that could
talk a bird off bush-master hand he
was to slick things over
There was folks as said they be-
lieved the doctor was knowin' to it, and
that he felt sort o. carnal pride, sech
as minister ought MT fer to hev, and
so shet his eyes to what was a-goin' on.
Aunt Sally Nickerson said she was sure
ont; t was all talked over down to old
Miss Bummiger's funeral, and Aunt
Sally she said the church ought to look
into It. But everybody knew Aunt
Sally; she was alters watchin' for folks
haltin's, and settin' on herself up to
jedge her neighbors.
oval, never believed nothin' agin
Parson Williams; it was all Cuffs con-
trivances; but the fact was the fellers
all got their blood up, and there was
hoss racin' in all the parishes; and it
got so they d even race hosses Sun
day.
oval, of course they never got the
doctors hOss out Sunday. Cuff
wouldn't "a burst to do that, Lordy
massy, no! He was alters there in
church settin' up in the doctor clothes,
rollin' up his eyes and lookin' as pious
as eff he never thought o. racin' hosses;
he was an awful solemn-lookin' nigger
in church, Cuff was.
"But there was Il lot o. them felers up
to Pequot Holler-Bill Atkins and Ike
Sanders and Tom Peters and them Ho-
kun boys--used to go out arter meetin'
Sunday AFTERNOON and race hOsses. Ye
see, it was jest close to the State line,
and if the s'lectmen was to come down
on 'em, they could jest whip over the
line and they couldn't take 'em.
Wal, it got to be a great scandal;
the fellers talked about it up to the tav-
ern, and the deacons and the tithing-
man they took it up and went to Parson
Williams about it; and the parson he
told 'cm jest to keep still, not let the fell
lers know that they was bein' watched,
and next Sunday he and the tithingman
and the constable they'd ride over and
catch 'em in the very act
$50 next Sunday AFTERNOON Parson
Williams and Deacon Popkins and Ben
Bradley Che was constable that year,
they got on their hosses and rode
over to Pequot Holler. The doctor s
blood was up and he meant to come
down on 'em strong, for that was his
way of doin' in his parish; and they was
in "A sort o. day o Judgment frame o.
mind, and logged along solemn as a
hearse, till come to rise the hill above
the holler they see three or four fellers
with their hosses gittih' ready to race;
and the parson says he: Let's come
on quiet and get behind these bushes,
: i