Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-26
MANS INHUM
AN EARLY MORNING TOUR BY Mr..
BERGH'S OFFICERS.
Looking After tho Physical Welfare Of
the Animals of the Great City
Incidents of Interest-A
Word in Season.
New York Herald

New York Herald.l
The vast majority of the population of the
metropolis is asleep when, at half-past a.
m, tue stable gate of tine society's building
is thrown open and "Old Gray" harnessed
60 the red four-wheelei bushes, wagon,
with the official seal on the side. darts into
the street Superintendent Charles Hankin-
son hold the reins and accompanying him
are three OF his ofIicers They ar, on their
early morning tour of the great city to fer
ret out and stop the cruelties Of man to ami
mals of every kind. ~Old Gray" knows the
route, and, striking ons of the great East
side avenues, turns hi, BAD northwarl AMI
speeds along in the direction of the Harlem
bridge. A the wagon nsari the car-stable5
it is storp,i 4 car comes rumbling on with
a hal:-awake driver and Imping team Of
old "piugs."
stop" cries the superintendent to the
driver
what forl' is tine sleepy reply.
Those horses are lame. You'll have to
turn them out and take them back to the
car stables
swell, boss" says the driver, who, from
being often lame and sick himself and yet
compelled to work, has sympathetic
feeling for the poor horses, "rve been look
in out for you and, to tell the truth, I'm
glad I've met you. didn't want to go out
with them. Ill take them back"
A little further on an ill-natured fellow Is
caught whacking his famishe1-looking horse
over the head with savage earnestness.
Scarcely before he knows Of their presence
the society's officers have wrestei the whip
from his uplifted hand, and before they
part from him they give him emphatic
warning not to repeat his act Of cruelty.
The saloons are by this time opening, and
the bartenders are out on the sidewalks
sweeping broken glass into the streets
"Old Gray" is refined in in front Of the fore
most Of the offenders. The man has just
completed his sweeping.
do You know that there is lot of broken
glass in that rubbishi' asked the superin-
tendent
Il CUES, So" indifferently.
you'll have to pick the glass out of the
street and throw it elsswhere,'
The bartender would much rather fight
than undertake the task, but he looks first
at the official seal and then at the four off,
GERS, and finally, with many mutterings,
does as he is hidden. All the other offend
ers are treated in the same determined man
ner. Some of them understand the mean
ing of the law; the ma ority do not know
what to make of it at all The superinten-
dent has driven away from the last of these
indignant dispensers of liquor when his at
tention is attracted to @plu ugly" who is
strolling along the street with q dog with
almost as little claims to good looks as him
self. An unfortunate cat crosses their path.
@Sick EN- cries the plug ugly. The dog
dashes after tabby. His master is in the
hight of his enjoyment over the imminent
risk that the cat runs Of being overtaken
and ill-treated, when some one grabs him by
the coat-collar. He turns around in aston
ishment and is face to face with the off,
Gers.
Gall back that dog says the superintend-
ent
Plug ugly takes in the situation at
glance and whistled for the brute, who re-
turns to his side.
Nov, take that dog under your charge"
says the officer, "and don't let me find you
cat-hunting again"
In the distance string OF dirt and con.
tractors carts is seen. There are about |
dozen men on them Suddenly all of the |
carts become driverless.
-The've caught sight OF the gray cries
the superintendent
When the red wagon arrives alongside Of |
the carts the horses are found to be suffer-
ing from sore backs They are taken the |
nearest stable and left there, subject to the |
society's order.
At Harlem bridge = number of express
men are encountered. They have got out |
their working stock of lame and diseased |
horses, and are hurryiny them across the
river at this early hour to avoid coming in .
contact with Mr. Bergh's officers. Surprise
at their tricks, they reluctantly return, at
the superintendont's command. to their
stables.
Across the bridge caravan of farmers
carrying vegetables to market is met
Three out OF every four have broken win1e
horses They are all turned back.
But my team has come from t'other end
of Westchester," urges one Of the more OBJ
stinate of the number.
You cannot go to market with them," is
the reply. Next time set out with good
team and you will fare better.7
The red wagon rattles over the west side
of town, and once more is making its way
through the the thickly populated streets.
Truckman after truckman is caught, either
beating his horse or driving disabled ami
NAL The whip is snatched from him, or
the poor brute is taken away. At Franklin
street, where tho stock comes in, a longer
stop than usual is made. Calves and sheep
are by order Of the officers, fed and watered
In Washington market the calves that are
on their way to the slaughter-houses are, il
crowded, taken out and the load lessened.
The licensed vendors In this and Gansevoort
markets are overhauled, and every one Of
their horses l. examined to find out il 1t is in
good condition. If any sores are discovered
the vendors are made to shift the saddles 30
that they will not come in contact with the
sores.
The red wagon, when it arrives at the
postofiics building, remains there long
enough for the officers to alight and look at
all the horses in the service. II any animal
Is unfit for work it is sent to the nearest
stable, and before the mail can be carried
to its destination fresh horses have to be
procured.
BY this time the superintendent has quite
a collection of whips and has met with
many piteous appeals from New jersey and
Lond Islani farmers who have been half
frig htened to death at their encounter with
him, not knowing whether their offense was
punishable by simple arrest or whether they
ar Q liable to be hanged for it.
The officers work i, not yet ended At
the fish markets if they find turtles tied by
the fins they compel the dealer to unite
them They sec that fowls are properly
bou ed, aud if overcrowled on wagons extra
coops are secured and the fowls watered
and fed 1t is not an unfrequsnt occurrence
for rude men to urge their dogs to bite the
nets which accompany ladies' through the
streets These officers put stop to this
pastime also.