Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-01-31
a TOUGH OLD HORSE.
A Tougher Story By the Oldest Man
In America -. Fk
Eye voaldn,s think Ter Look 4 M

a 'io Noutuut tuink tor lO1k - me
that ] am the oldest man in America.
would ye2" said Acurious looking relic
IN the Chsrlestown Navy Yard, We'll
I've knoved this place when it was all
woods. Me'n' the oil boss is old
ehnms'n' stand bys ronnd here. and
erpout oil that's left OF the old crew.
Come With me, an I'll show the hoss
TO We.
The extreme end OF . moldering
wharf in the shadow of o prodigious
hulk grosning and creaking at its
rusty moorings on the summit of q
pyramid OF cannon balls stood the old
spectre horse. His evil and speculs-
tive eve looked down with q question
ing glare which haunted the writer
for many day.
THAT hoss has got a histry that
jumps over anything ye ever heard, +"
continued the old man. when Un-
Gle Sam fust staked out this spot for q
workshop the Old critter was bought
by the government of man by the
name of Turner, down at Weymouth
Londin. Wall. that boss drawed most
all the stone used in the great wall
around this yard. Drswed EN- from
Quincy. Watertown and Cambridge,
on drag. In 1929 a spar fell from a
swing grove and sprung bis backbone.
Old Perry, tnst's bis name, never
seemed hlsself after that. An order
come on from Washington, sort of
putin the faithful critter Oh the re-
tired list in 1882. Thirty years ago
the appropriation for his fodder was
stopped. but he wandered about eatin'
sawdust anu tsrred ropes. In 1876.
when Polk WAS president, an order was
sent Oh here ter Kill the beast. But
ye can't destroy sperrit. The Gov
ernment has spent morn fifty thous.
and dollars ter heave that old brute
inter eternity, and they can't do it,
and the aged man wildly pounded his
weather beaten tarpanlin hat against
al anchor stock. "A sQad of marines
was ordered out one day ter open fire
OIL the poor animal, but it didn't do no
more gooi'n THROWN pea beans sgin
the walls Of the universe. Then they
opened cannonsde on him with heavy
guns. out his old aide was too tough;
he snorLed, and, breaking from his
anchorage, kicked the life out of the
gunner and went grubbin' ON an old
hempen hawser
"ln 1853, under Fillmore's admin
istration the commandant here was
ordered to git rid of the old hoss. If 1t
beggarcd the nation Tnen gang Of
workmen pushed him overheard inter
the dry dock, where he stayed two
weeks. Then he got kinder lonesome
and ugly, and I'll be eternally cussed
if that old ghost didn't turn his hind
huffs ag;n the solid granite vail and
kicked out whole section of stone.
lettin' in the tide. water, which flosted
him up liner the yard where he run
whinnerin' in devilish glee. That
hole IN the wall cost the government
$50, 900. Then they took him inter
the saw shop, aud tried ter split him
up bnt as soon as the saw struck his
hide 1t broke inter splinters, KILN
three men AMI wouudin' two more
Then they took him inter ohe of the
machine shops and tried ter drill er
hole in him SOS they could git gun
powder inter him ter blow him up,
but the steel urllls was twisted off and
the old cuss went off onhurt. When
Frank Pierce was elected president the
old boss business was brought up be
fore Congress again and Zsck Chand-
ler. or Cotton Mather or some of them
old Congress chaps. said they'd fix the
darned hoss, and the ship Constitution
was ordered to carry the brute ami
sink hun do VII of Pint Comfort. IT,
was hlsted on board and throwe,i
overheard as ordered. but he was back
ter Challestown before the old ship
got back, and here he is and here he
will probably stay as. long as
the world stands" And the
old man turned wrathfully away anu
disappeared.
Il IL : j d 4