Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-20
HORSES FOR A TRIFLE.
OLD MACS DOCTORED UP BY JOCK
EYS AND SOLD FOR A SONG.
Gotham's Only Open-Air Horse Market
All Sorts of Deceptions Practieed Upon
Unsuspecting Ones-Horses Sold and
Owners Also-Bergh's Men at Work.

Unsuspecting ones-Horses Sold and
Owners AIso-Bergh's Men at Work.
1t is related of one of the men of early New
York that when he drove a cart he one day
expressed a rash determination TO take so
cents and go over to the horse market and
buy horse. Whereat neighbor chided him
for his want of thrift, saying: While YOU
are at it why don't you take 81. 50 and buy
good oneir
He took the advice and bought a frisky
steed for S145 he had driven about three
blocks from the market with his bay when
the horse fen down, refused to get up, and
lay there in the street and died Seeing
which its owner put his hand in his pocket
and exclaimed Indignantly: Here, John,
here's 20 shil:Dgs; go back and buy roarer,"
The market where such bargains were
driven when New York of to-day went to
infant school. was on Fourth avenue, at
Eighty-sixth street. Upon the city statute
booA there stands still an ordinance, that has
never been repealed, forbidding 'the sale or
offer for sale at auction of any animal OF
animals in any public street or place, except
in the Fourth avenue, at the corner of Eighty
sixth street, under penalty Of $40" The
IeSflflsiS OI lIdi T1tl.-T exclusive
neighborhood would probably be stricken
dumb with anazement at any attempt to
obey ii to-day.
GoTHAM's oPEN-AIR HORSE MARKET.
Many years ago the Central railroad tun-
mel drove "the animals away. the cattle
westward to the North river, and the horses
east as far as the foot of Seventy fourth
street. There, in a classic locality known
variously as the ~Slaughter-house, from Ger
tain not unfamiliar scenes of bloodshed that
occur periodically within its precincts. ''the
Rocks and the Skin market" Gotham's
only open-air horse market is now estab-
lished Perhaps athe Rocks" has some hidden
reference to the money weekly wasted and
wickedly won here twice week; perhaps il
refers 20 the character of the ground Which
ever Is the fact, at any rate the title of
'.Skin market is not misplaced. FROM first
to last more people are metal boricaily and
more horses actually skinned at '-the Rocks
than probably in all the rest Of the metrop-
oils put together, the bunko denS and the
o;ral dock not excluded. The halt, the blind,
the deaf of the equine tribe comes here. n
temporary cure wrought upon them by the
Jockeys art and then sold and bought for
song The father of lies pitches his tent in
the market twice q week-on wednesday and
Saturday afternoons-and does n rushing
business
A reporter who looked at the market dur
ing business hours Saturday found Mr.
Bergh's men there, s:rolling about and criti-
cally examining the animals offered for sale
One rather handsome beast was auctioned
off in a corner and hung fire at go. \
critical examination by the buyer would have
shown it to be hopeleSsly foundered and not
worth - cents for active Use. Scattered
about the yard were trucks loaded with stone
and carts of all kinds. The stone-trucks are
the standards of the market by which a
horses ability to pull when hooked ;!pr is /
judged Between them men we're galloping
horses up and down, ostensibly to show. off /
their points to groups of critics gathered here |
and there; really in most cases to keep them I
from getting stiff and sore from unwonted |
rest. 1t was plain that some of them were |
kept going only by force of habit or be I
cause they lacked the strength to make the !
effort necessary to stop. Il was a question 4
of time merely when they would drop. like 1
Jakes $50 purchase, and stay where they /
fell
BOUGHT AND SOLD BEASTS AND OWNERS.
One horse that strobe gingerly about with a I
peculiarly light and airy step and was the .
object of hot contest between two men in /
jumpers before it was knocked down for Sl7, /
had been ruined by use on hard payelnents,
until absolutely worthless for any but the |
lghtest service in the field. Its forefeet were
sore that putting them to the ground
was agony to the poor beast whence the
popularity of its step. 4 piece of soft leather,
fitted under the shoe, betrayed It's condition.
but the buyer did not see it, and thought he
had secured bargain.
Some horses were brought ina very few
about which there was no pretense Their
working days We're clearly over, ami they
came to be handed over to the skinner for
the value of their hides. SINNERS from .Jer-
sey and Long Island were in attendance 20
appraise them, GA the basis, perhaps, of the
extent Of tanning their hides had received
in life with the whip. From 81 to g was the
price they brought. Some of those that sold
for 81 to 81, to do many hard days work
vet, with plenty of abuse and short feed
were no; much better
As twilight approaches on sale DAYS and
long contested bargains are struck, there are
little fights in sheds and corners between dis
appointed traders, which the policeman on
duty does not see. at least not officially
Black eyes and bruised noses are usually the
worst outcome of these scrimmages. Then
the hoodlum is in his glory, and is amply re
paid for his long afternoons tame wait. The
tavern at the head Of the yard fills up rs bar
gains are ratified, and the procession Of
bought and sold, including beasts and their
ovnc-s. moves westward toward the avenue
where simultaneously the oatSidc jolbery
ceases As the bo9m is made fast behind the
last goers, = little knot OF men nlayhap is de
ss-riel down at the waters edge; behind the
shed, and a p;Stolshot rings out welcome re
lief To some WORKOUT beast tina. has been
repaid with ingra,itude for life Of hard
worf - men are a. vel t'srr- -