Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-06-04
HORSE FLESH FOR FOOD.
The Horse Slaughter Houses of Paris
Eight Thousand Horses Year
Slaughtered for Human Food.

The Horse Slaughter-Houses of Paris
Eight Thousand Horses Year
Slaughtered for Human Food.
About mile outside the fortifica-
lions in the little old suburban village
of Pantin is located the abattoir, where
the horses that are eaten in Paris are
slaughtered, and. judging from the
fourscore of horses on hand, one would
think that everything in and about the
city in the horse line that did not die
suddenly while in harness was sent
there to be killed for food Eating
horse beef is about the only thing that
the better class of French do not care
To talk about, and about the only thing
among their many customs and pecu-
liar institutions that they appear 10 be
a little ashamed of; as they never speak
of the ''Abattoir dcs chevaux dc fali-
mentation,h the sign that is printed in
large letters on the side of the red-tilc-
rooted slaughter house of Pantin.
From the answers received TO many
inquiries as TO where this establishment
was located it appears that but few
Parisians know anything about it, and,
like all ether disagreeable things, they
probably think the less said about it
the better. One thing is certain, that
if many French people who occasion
ally eat the fillct of horses and declare
it TO be delicious were to visit the abat-
toir they would never eat any more.
With now and then an exception, the
horses killed are all about alike, all
.'crips," blind, manned, battered,
bruised. and SCARED with lifetime of
hard service, hoofs worn out, joints
weakened. swollen and out of shape
pulling heavy loads over slippery streets
on smooth shoes-faithful brutes, work
ed until they could no longer earn their
daily rations, and then sent here-if
sick at the time-to remain in the care
of men who are bigger brutes than the
creatures confidcd to their care-a
horse hospital, asylum for the blind and
aged, land fattening establishment at
the same time, and then to furnish
food for the Lord only knows who, and
the less one thinks about it the better.
The foreman told me they pay 80
francs apiece for such as the poorest in
the stable or that stood in the court
yard on they outside-a poor brute of
that kind followed from the end of
the tramway as the led him between
two others to keep him from falling,
as he rceled and staggered at every
step. ! asked the foreman what they
were going to do with him. Oh! he
will be made up into Lorraine sau-
sage" The price paid for what |
judged to be an average one was 60
francs. and for the best 100 francs. An
acquaintance said he bought saddle
horse for which he paid $500, but he
became unmanageable, would buck,
kick. bite, and strike a Ia cayuse, so
he sold him to the Pantin abatioir for
80 francs
They slaughtered on an average
about twenty-five per day, or 5000 4
year
The first we saw killed was the only
decent one of the lot--a large Perch
erou stallion, not so old but there were
still some dapples on his broad hips;
he was. to all appearance, healthy and
all right, except that one foot and pas
tern had rendered him uselcss-only
plug now-but his eyes were rs clear
and bright as at 2 years old, and he
still carried his head rs high as the
proudest of ihoroughbreds as he
unhestatingly followed his butchers on
to the floor where he must die. One
placed leather blind before his ewes,
another drew his long, thick, curly
foretop back from his broad forehead
"a forehead that showed much intel
ligence and strength-whilc n third
stood before him with a short-handlcd
tcn-pound hammer, who, with swift
overland stroke, struck SO deadly
sure that the high royal head struck
the floor before his body. Life was
long in him and he died hard, but two
or three more blows ended his strug-
giles. 1t seemed almost like murder.
We confess a feeling OF Pity Tor these
poor creatures-m s best friend-but
here. in country thickly populated,
where the struggle to live makes all
beings strive there is no time nor place
for feelings of sentiment.
The next WAS one not crippled but
blind, so old that lie was rs white rs
snow; his ears bent forward as he hest
tated in the, to him. eternal darkness.
and did not move last enough, but
willing hands with clubs from behind
forced him forward, stumbling into and
across the drain against the slaughter
house door. where he stood trembling
with fear and shvering with pain. One
blow from the sledge put him beyond
the reach of his tormcntors.
A hole is cut in the skin on the in
side of the thigh, the length of the steel
that the butcher carried was run for
ward between the skin and body, the
nozzle of a bellows inserted, and after
about five minutes of pumping the skin
was as tight as drum-the skinning
Is necessarily slow-like skinning hog
or beaver, as the hide sticks close
The whole legs and hoofs are left on
the hind quarters, the fore-legs are cut
off at the knee, but so rs not to allow
of any deception half the head is
left on each fore-quarter.
When one of the butchers had diyid-
cd the flesh on the back of the broad
neck of the grey first mentioned, there
showed an abundance of fat; the fellow
put his knife in his scabbard, jerked off
his cap, and, holding it between his
knees, parted the neck, inserted his
head, and, with twist and rub up
and down, his hair was oiled to perfec-
ton, and then rubbing the oil well
through his hair he spat on his steel
and knife before sharpening it, and
proceeded with his work.
The wholesale price at the abattoir
varies with the condition of the meat
from 4 cents per pound up, and it is
distributed about the city in wagons
with the French for horse beef "Viande
de chevaline, I" printed on the sides, and
is sold by the retail dealers for from 20
cents per pound for the tillct down to
cents for the poorest parts, soup bones
and the like.-DroUers' journal.
Mark Twai x English.