Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-04-09
DroYers journal.

About mile outside the fortifca
tons in the little old suburban village
ofPantin is located the abattoir, where
the horses that are eaten in Paris are
slaughtered, and judging from the
foufscora 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 oeef is about the only
thing that the better classes of French
do not care to talk about, and about
the only thing among their many
customs and peculiar institutions that
they appear to be little ashamed Of;
as they never speak of the "Abattoir
des chevaux de TalimentatIon, the
sign that is printed in large letters on
the side of the red-tile-roofed
slaughter house of Pantin. From the
answers received to my inquiries as
to where this establishment was
located it appears that but few Paris
ians know anything about it, and,
like all other disagreeable things, they
probably think the less said about il
the better. One thing is certain. that
if many French people who occasion
ally eat the fillet Of horses ard declare
it to be delicious were to visit the
abatt0ir they would never eat any
more.
With now and then an exception,
the horses killed are all about alike,
all Grips" blind, manned, battered
and bruised, and SCARED with life~
time OF hard service, hoofs worn out,
joints weakened, swollen and out of
shape pulling heavy loads over slip
perry streets on smooth shoes faithful
brutes, worked until they could no
longer earn their daily rations, and
then sent here-if sick at the time
to remain few days in the care Of
men who are bigger brutes than the
creatures confined 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. Tie foreman told me they
pay 80 francs apiece for such as the
poorest &c the stable or that stood IN
the courtyard on the outside-a poor
end of the tramway as they led him
between two others to keep him from
falling, as he reeled and staggered at
every step, I asked the foreman what
they were going to do with him. Oh!
he will be made up into Lorraine
sausage" The price paid for what |
judged to De an average one was so
francs, and for the best 100 francs.
An acquaintenance said he bought
saddle horse for which he paid $500,
but ne became unmanageable. would
buck, kick, bite and strike ala cayuse,
SO he sold him to the Pantin abatt0ir
for 80 francs.
They slaughtered on an average
about twenty-five per day, or 5000 a
year.
The first we sew killed was the
only decent one ia the lOt-a large
Percheron stallion, not so old but
there were still some dappleg on his
broad hips; ne was, to ali appearance,
healthy and all right, except that one
foot and pasterla had rendered him
Useless-0plT q plug n0w-but his
eyes were as clear and bright as at 2
years old, and he still carried his
head as high SIS the proudest Of thor
Oughbreds as he unhesitatingly fol-
lowed his butchers on to the floor
where he must die One placed a
leather blind before his eyes, another
drew his long, thick curley foretop
back from his broad fOrehead-a fore
head that showed much intelligence
and strength, while d third stood be-
fore him with sh0rt-handled ten,
pound hammer, who, with a swift
overland stroke, SO deadly sure that
the high royal head struck the floor
before his body. Life was strong IN
him and he died hard, but two or three
more blows ended his struggles. It
seemed almost ike murder. We con
fess q feeling Of pity for these poor
creatures-man's best friend-but
here, In q 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 out
blind, So old that he was as white as
snow: MS ears bent forward SIS he
hesitated in the, TO him, eternal dark
ness, and did not move fast ea0ugh,
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 shivering
with pain. One blow from the sledge
pat him beyond the reach Of his tor
mentors.
A hole is cut in the skin in the in
side OF the thigh, the length Of the
steel that the butcher carried was run
forward between the skin and the
body, the nozzel Of q bellows inserted,
and after about five minutes of pump
ing the skin was as tight as a drum
the SHINING is necessarily slow-like
sklnning q hog or a beaver, as the
hide sticks close. The whole legs and
hoofs are left on the hind quarters,
the fore legs are cut of st the knee,
but SO as hot to allow any deception
-one-half the head is left on each
fore Quarter