Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-05-17
HORSE FLI~H FOR FOOD.
The Horse Slaughter-H Houses of Paris
Eight Thousand Horses Year
Slaughtered for HuInan Food.

About mile outside the fortiiica-
tions 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 to be
little ashamed Of; as they never speak
OF the ''Abattoir des chevauX de Hali-
mentation," the sign that is printed in
large letters on the side of the red-tile-
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,
Ike all other disagreeable things, they
probably think the less said about it
the better. One thing is certain, that
II 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 a lifetime of
hard service, hoofs worn out, joints
weakened, swollen and out of shape
pulling heavy loads over slippery streets
on smooth shocs-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 coniided to their care-a
| horse hospital, asylum for the blind and
| aged, and 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 30
| 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 reeled 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 GO
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 la cayuse, SO
he sold him to the Pantin abattoir for
| 80 francs.
They slaughtered on an average
about twenty-five per day, or 5000 a
year.
The first we saw killed was the only
decent one Of the lot--a large Perch
eron 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 useless-only a
plug now-but his eyes were as clear
and bright as at 2 years old, and he
still carried his head as high as the
proudest OF thoroughbreds as he
unhesitatingly followed his butchers on
to the floor where he must die. One
placed leather blind before his eyes,
another drew his long, thick, curly
foretop back from his broad forehead
"a forehead that showed much intel
ligence and strength-while q third
stood before him with short-hancled