Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-03-26
March Court Scenes.
THE CROWD IN TowN-THE CROWDED
HORSE YARDs-HoRsE BUYERS ON THE
GROUND,

HORSE YARDS-HORSE BUYERS ON THE
GROUND,
&C., &C.. sc.
On court day, last Monday, usually the
best attended court of the year, the crowd
was larger that we have ever seen on
similar occasion in Staunton. and it was
frequently remarked during the day by old
citizens Of the town and county that they
had never seen SO many persons here be-
fore. The streets and even alleys were so
blocked up with vehicles and horsemen
that team could not strike trot until
several squares from The court house, and
at the principle street crossings, foot
men had to use as much precautiOn
as if they were crossing Broadway,
New York. The Virginia, American
and Commercial Hotels were all crowded.
The restaurants could not accommodate
the overflow of the crowd with dinner,
and numbers of hungry people after wait
ing for vacant seat at a table until their
patience was worn out, had to fall back
on the lunch counters and snack boys or
fill up with cheese and crackers from the
nearest groceries. The stores all did
lively business, several Of them having an
extra force of clerks on duty and all kinds
of business from the merchants down to
the orange boys and not excepting the
newspaper aud job offices were booming.
While all trades were lively, the heaviest
trade OF all was the horse market. Sever
al horse buyers from Richmond were on
baud with big rolls Of greenbae4 S -andt twa:|
or thee active Augusta horse men We're
also in the ring. while private buyers,
traders, and jockeys added to the
excitement and brought the scrubs and
old hacks, tue ring bone and spawned in
to the ring.
THE HORSE MARKET.
Early in the afternoon our reporter /
strulled around through the livery stables
and down auong tile hitching yards and
took i'll one piiase OF d court day crowd
Which Was novel and Interesting. After
getting a sight OF the horses stabbed and
hitched, one could have some idea of the
slz of the crowd, and, seeing the supply
OF horse flesh to draw from, would not be
surprised at the activity of the horse mar
ket on the streets.
On close estimate, there were 200 hor-
ses feeding at Burke's livery stables, and
after using every stall and all standing
customers who came late.
/ Thornbulg had his stables and yard full,
not less than 100 IL, and early in the Gay,
WAS turning off for lack of room.
George Platt's stables, with a capacity
of rs, were full before Il o'clock, and late
corners could not get in.
At Boards livery and hItching yard not
less than 200 horses were accommodated
and applications for more.
Henkie & Co. who had four hitching
yards, were full everywhere and count
ed $50 provided for, while one of the pro-
prietois said he stood at his gate and turn
ed off at least a hundred more.
And Henry VEINS old stand had LEO,
filling every stall and occupying all the
hitching room liz both of his yards, and
more room needed, and at the old stage
yard on Augusta street, about $50 were
hltched.
Here were 1925 horses accommodated,
and every body turning off late corners,
who were stood in private stables and out
of the way corners and alleys. With these
figures for basis, allowing for the usual
proportion of wagons, buggies and carri-
ages, carrying from two, four and six per-
sons, the large number who came from
:hree different directions 10y rail and the
hundreds Of pedestrians from the vicinity
of the city, our readers may make an esti-
| mate of the crowd for themselves. as we'll
as we could do it for them. There is no
doubt that it ran up into the thousands.
JOCKEY ALLEY.
From II clock until P. M. the scene
in Irish Alley (which ought to petition the
City Council for change OF name, was
most interestln& to careless spectator
and really exciting to those most concerned.
The horse buyers with whip in one hand
and d roll of notes il the other were the
centres OF attraction and every few min
utes horse was bought, paid for and trot-
ted off by the new owner. Prices ranged
from $40 to 800, though one sale was re-
ported rs high as $125. The average was
500 to s75 and good horses, but not fine
ones, we're bought at those figures. The
quickest trader Was Mr.. Odenheimer, OF
Richmond, small man with gray suit
and long whip, who was seen one MIN
ute at Bhrke's. the next at ThOrnburg' S
and the next in the alley. Five minutes
to make trade or decline was all the time
he wanted. AS our reporter passed him,
young man trotted up son a good bay
mare ana he saw sample of his trading.
Here's the mare" "Well, what do you
want for her?'' ''I'll take ninety-fve dol
lars" IF no less money than that will
buy her you needn't get off. Why didn't
you say one hundred and ninety and leave
room to .sall ?. Will eighty buy her?''
mo. but eighty-five will" Jump down,
take off the saddle, lead her up there!
| Whack comes down the whip on the
mares rump, boy trots off up
the street with her and back again.
"Will you take eighty?" ''No, eighty five. D
..That's your lowest % "Yes." WELL
walking off, Il don't want her stop, trot
her UP again. Young man sure OF a
trade trots her up and back again, "What
do you say, eighty -fve?'' Eighty. Eigh-
tytwo and half.'' "Elghty-fye is the
losest.'7 "AIl right l don't want her, y
and walks off to another man. This the
nag ?" Eyes" whats your figures p
..Ssventy-fve.' "Say one hundred and
settle the thing, ! want to buy horses not
to talk s'Well seventy then ?" "Il
give YOU sixty sCan't do it, say sixty