, 1881-02-20
sNICKING" HORSES.
Il Cruel Practice That Should Ht
stopped.


The Illinois Humane Society has had its atten-
tion called TO the fashion Of niclling and dock
Ing horses, much in vogue good many years
ago. hui. which fell into disuSc, and which IS
now being revived again quite extensively, 1t
ts said, at the East, and to some extent IN TINS
city, While satisfied tina. the practice is cruel
and barbarous, and utterly indefensible on any
principle Of practical utility the Society has de-
sired to present some cxperttestimony upon inc
subject, and to this end it has requested Dr' N
H. Paaren to prepure the following article upon
10 the Editor Of The Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO Feb. l6.-"Cruel or not cruelg that
the question. That there can be Il shadow OF
doubt as 10 ,shas is or IS not cruel y aI mfse
remarked in the play Of :. John Hult, Justicc
is Justice, Mr. Thornbury.' This is scf-cE'dent,
Sill. what is cruelty to particular object is not
quite sd easily defined as it may be supposed 70
e An ntrocious act OF barburity c:ln n admit OF
feeling in any commonly we!l-rcgulased mind,
and that feeling must be one Of unIuitlgated Ao-
horrencc and disgust. That there are sta;eS o.
garth. u::d that those stages are STU c1hloltcd
and rr,.ct:ccd. even III these days nj refinement,
our ever. t]ny's experience and observation are
quite sufficient evidence Many things are how
eyer taiiy DONE and others left undonc. by
which acts Of cruelty INFLICTED by commission
and omission where none were really ,ntcnusd !:
and nj the same time many things arc done that
bear the appearance Of cruelty that really can
not admit OF such construction when properly
investigated.
in the ma1tcr of cruelty exercised upon animals
IS not by attempts at sl1pprcssing, but by max"
ing public the disgusting facts: p itlstrnGttnR @
posing the hardened delinquent; above all, by
strongly recommending To parents the ludis-
t6is essential brunch Of mvrals. While the So
cietics for the prevention and suppression Ut
cruelty 10 animals by their uutirlng excrdons
nracf5ces It is to be regretted that the punish
ineut they are permitted to iuilict is sn triuiug
that tho desired end is not attained 10 one-half
the extent 1t might be.
Only short time ago we we're apprised of the
fact that nn operation upon horses known oy
the name of ''nicking, and WHICH alfeady many
Of coming into use again. We are not aware
that it is practced in any other city than Chica-
go; hut q beginning seems to have been made mad
For the Information Of those OF our readers who
are not familiar with stable phraseology, 1t may
don UPON the horses tall the object Of which is
to make the horse carry his tail well elevated.
Two or three deen incisions are made on, the
it it depressed are divided, and a portion
of them cut away. The wounds are then
kept open fos several days. q and ,,,ti. the
Iail Is kept in elevation by means OF pulleys
fastened to the, ceiling. and weight attached to
the end OF the rope. The result of successful
operation IS. fhAt the morse always carries DIS
tail erect. The depressor muscles having been
mutilated, the poor horse is forever deprived OF
the use of his tafl in downward direction. and
during the summer months, when flies abound,
he is doomed to endure the suGerings which these
fndct; and, while he may be atie to brush the
flies away from his back and sides, he is unable
to reach them under tho abdomen and between
the hinder limbs Other inconyenienccs might
be mentioned rs result OF this bnrbarnus und
utterly useless operation; bur the fact TINT
the horse thus operuted upon: whether
at work ut rest, must endure the
torture Inflicted by lilies during the summer
months is, In our opinion. sufficient ground for
pronounclng the operation Of n,ckng an net of
cruelty. The operation is condemned ty all re-
specialize authorities on the horse. We hnvc be-
fore us books in the. English, French. German
and Scandinavian languages i'll which we find
this practice condemned rs brutal and cruel.
1t is our opinion TINT the Innn who will cub
ject his horse to be thus mutiiated should Share
the odium which discerning public will moi
fail topronounce against the unprineinlcd brutes
in human form who, for the sake Of fancy or a
small pecuniary g1lis.. do not hestnte to inlict
torture on animal which can feel as ncutely
as themselves. While the better class Of society
condemns this practice. its performance Is wit
messed and sachoned by ring OF fat-hcadcd
uncopccrneu, unfecing boobies who appear tc
be incapable OF moral reflection.
n. H. P!aARES, II. D.