The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-03-12
BEEE SALT-SACK RACKET.
One OF the Oldest in the Bunch
Taken ia.

Some time within the last day or
two couple OF persons, having with
them couple of mules and Scraggy-
| looking pony, arrived in the city and put
up at a wagon yard. What their object
was no one seemed to know or even stop
to inquire. Yesterday, however, it be
came known what they were doing, but
not until 1t had cost one man S25. The
/ pony was broughtiout yesterday,eyening
! and .It and the mules paraded around
town. Finally they passed the stable
OF MAJ. Wiley j mes, and they bantered
! him for trade and had Il horse-talk
! generally. The pony, which did not
! we gh over eI.ht hundred pounds and
/ showed no very noticeable good points,
! was al last offered for $40, but Mr.
! Jones did not seem anxious to purchase
! or trade. In the course of conversation,
! however, good points and especially
! pulling qualities were brought up. At
! last, as though to tell big tale about
/ the nag, one Of the men offered to bet
| 1t against SO that he could pull three
sacks of salt twenty yards at distance
! from II of three hHndred feet. This
seemed so pTepOsterOus that Mr.. J. tod
| him that he must be anxious to lose his
! pony a few minutes talk was indulged
! in, and at last Mr.. Jones told him if he
was IN earnest, to write out his bill of
sale They went mp to Bart MOore's
store, the bill of sale was written out,
the S25 put up and Mr.. Moore furnished
three sacks of salt and 300 feet Of rope.
! The stuff was loaded on d dray and
hauled down iii front OF Mr.. Jones sta
( bic. After the rope was placed around
the sacks the man hitched his pony to
the other end of the rope, and then asked
M Jones if he could take a
run at II. The latter, think
ing he could never move the
sacks, told him yes, he could
run and buck at it the full length of the
rope. He mounted the pony with the
rope hitched around the horn of the
saddle, took running start and every
body looked on, expecting to see the
little pony, rider and all, landed fiat
whom they reached the end of the rope.
To their surprise, when the little animal
felt the rope tighten it threw its whole
weight and strength against the load,
and walked oil with IL as easily as an
ordinary draught horse does a heavy
wagon. The job was done quickly and
fairly and the man walked off with his
pony mules and S25. He then tried to
make bets IN other parts of the city, but
failed. 1t was a sleek trick and all tho
more not ceable when it took in such an
old horseman as Major Wiley Jones, who
has studiod all the good and bad points
of animals for years. The hoys had
great deal of sport at his expense after
the thing was oVer,but he says the thing
was a fair beat, and that the fellow could
Just as we'll have got d hundred as
twenty-five if he had worked it right
1t has since been learned that the pony
bias been trained to the work and some
time ago won about ia dozen bets in
Austin and let about half dozen i'll
Bolton down Oh the same trick, though
the leugth of rope used here was greater
than at either of those places. The pony
is no doubt winning lots Of money for
the owners. 1t is never safe thing to
bet against mans own game, as was
again demonstrated yesterday by the
salt-sack racket