St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-08-08
'DoCToRINGGv HORSES.
Tricks to Which Professional Coop
ers" Resort.
~'.adams'' and Boobies" Transformed Into
Dexters for One Day Only-How
DebiIitated Plug of Horse
HIay BE Rejuvenated.

IF you try to buy an Arabian steed
from cab-stand or from horse
sharper you viii always be solo, re-
marked Central Station detective the
other day to a reporter. The CONVEX
sation had turned from horse-races in
general to cheating at horse-trading,
with special reference to dealer re.
Gently indicted by the grand jury for
obtaining money under false pretenses.
This man is one of the most accom-
plished horse ''copers'' in the country.
He has been arrested innumerable times
for sWindling people at horse-trading,
but has, with one exception, succeeded
in escaping because the law presumes
that man has his eyes open in buying
a horse. His victims are generally
people who are thorough believers in
their own superior knowledge of horse
flesh. Dealers of his ilk are known to
the police and sporting fraternity as
''copers.n Their tricks and methods by
which an old horse or diseased one IS
reiuvenated and s'fixed up'' so as. to
is completed are so numerous that
it would require a book to give an
adequate description of them.
In attracting customers the "copper"
resorts to the advertising columns Of the
daily papers. He announces to 'sbona
fide cash customers some astounding
prodigy of horse flesh which must be
sold for next to nothing on account of
the financial embarrassment of the own
er, the death of the head of the family,
removal from the city, or some such
plausible reason. The advertisement
also sets forth that the animal is war
ranted TO be what is represented lin
fine, the wording of the announcement
is such as to make the average reader
believe in the honesty of the troubled
owner of the horse without the shadow
of a doubt.
The class of horses upon which the
+.coper" operates is known to the
horse-jockey'' by the slang term of
adam II is an aged equine Of some
blood, but sadly betraying the ravages
of time. To cover up the latter tempo
rarily, until the animal has changed
owners and until the price is paid, is the
scientific achievement of the cooper. "
For instance, the horses teeth will slant
outward at a most acute angela we'll
known sign of equine senility. He will
have deep depressions over the eyes,
which also'gives him very ancient APP
pearance, and finally he will show white
hair all over his coat. To get rid Of
these signs of going down the hill the
&scopern resorts to various tricks. By
means of file he speedily reduces the
teeth of the 'Eold critter" to the length
of those of five-year-old, and by a
clever process, called 'sbishopping" he
manages to initiate the dark marks or
cavities which are to be found on the
biting edges of all young horses teeth.
This is done by means of a hot iron,
which burns out cavity in the tooth,
making the latter look like the real
thing, at least to the uninitiated or cas-
nal observer.
Hair-dye of all conceivable shades
and mixed upon scientific principles re-
duces the white hair, which has been
bleached by the exposure of years. to
the prevailing color of the coat of the
4.hoss.r The third process INDUCED in
by the cooper is that of 'gypping or
s.puding the glims." It is as impor-
tant as the manipulation of the teeth,
becauseit gives the features of the ami
NAL youthful appearance. The
sunken cavities over the eyes are treated
in this manner The loose skin, which
in very old horses nearly drops over the
ewes, IS punctured and the s'coper" pro-
ceeds to blow up the hollows either with
his lips or with small bellows con-
structed for the purpose. The fine
punctures close up readily, the depres-
sion is obliterated and in its place q
smooth brow of youthful appearance is
seen.
AS has been remarked, all these at
tempts to renew the sold Adam" are
of a very transitory nature, but they
last long enough to deceive the puE-
y =