The Opelousas courier., 1885-03-21
Killing Cattle and Hogs.
THE IMPROVED METHODS EN-
PLOYED BY PRACTICED
BUTCHERS.
Chicago Tribune.

AiGS VI SdltIC Is usually
attended with an altogether I'M
necessary degree of cruelty.
Not unfrequeutly a number of
heavy blows upon the forehead
OF a beast fails TO even stun it,
but every of the blows in1icts
needless suffering. DR.. Phares
relates a case which illustrates
this "An old polled beef-ani-
NAL was tied and received many
heavy. blows in the face from a
heavy ak welded by the athletic
arms of several parties in sue
cession without bringing him
down. A slender, feeble man,
disguised at the awkward cruel
ties practiced, seized the imple-
ment and with a light blow
downward and forward just back
of the head deprived the animal
of feeling and life as completely
and instantly as though a thun-
derbolt had passed through the
brain. The gaping crowd that
had assembled looked in blank
amazement as if themselves
thunderstruck."
The cause of the instant death
of the animal was that the blow
was struck in the right place
and in the right direction to
reach the "vital knot which is
that bit of gray matter found
where the brain is contracted
to pass from the skull into the
backbone. A slight cut, or blow,
or a single electric spark touch
ing this causes instant death of
all parts of the animal. In some
of the larger slaughter-houses in
Chicago this medulia oblongata
is reached by the sharp point of
q heavy steel lance, given by a
man who walks along a plank
over the heads of the cattle as.
they await DEATH iii the narrow
stalls. This man seldom misses
a blow, SO expert has he be-
come by much practice, but
with a single light touch of the
steel puts an instantaneous end
to all sensation in the beast.
In the other houses Il rifle is
carried by the man on the plank
over the stalls. A bullet from
this enters the brain, tearing its
way downward and instantly
destroying life III that organ.
There can be no suffering; death
is as sudden and complete as
though lightning had struck the
brain. These plans have been
in common use in-these houses
for years. and have been often
described in American as we'll as
iii foreign newspapers; yet now
and again come from abroad ac-
counts of elaborate experiments
and inventions designed to ae-
complish what has been So long
done here easily and ecOiloIni-
cally.
Killing hogs, as usually done
on the farm, is also d disagree
able, noisy and dirty work. A.
few men who think, have been
in the habIr of putting a rife
ball into the brain and imnle-
.diateIy afterWard thrusting y
knife into the heart of the bog,
the same thrust cutting the Jug
ular vein. There is no catching
the doomed porker sby a filthy
hind leg and holding the kick
ing victim while ear-splitting
squeals tell all the folk iii the
next ten counties that there is
to be s~pafe-rib for supper, and
the free feet throw a profession
OF mud and Dl00dr1nI0 the race
OF the perspiring and profane
holder.
The vexed question Of Mary
Anderson's age seems TO have
been definitely settled. III the
Office Of the clerk Of the Circuit
Court at Louisville a reporter of
the Courier-Journa Wasrecently
shown the official record III the
case of the adoption OF Mary
Anderson-or Mary A. Amber
son, as she appears thereby
her stepfather, Dr.. Hamilton
Griffin, who in the character of
her agent has unconscIously fur
nished much amusement to two
continents. The papers are da-
ted Dec, Is, 1875, and described
the a~infantn to be adopted as
~esvfaan xvnarS IF j oa Thav also