The Penn's Grove record., 1888-07-21
HORSE FLESH EATERS IN NEW
YORK.
A Butcher Whose Gust omers Are the
Park Birds and Beasts.

Park Birds and Beasts.
The man led the way through a pas-
sage from the stable to the other side
Of the building. The passage opened
into q large square room lighted by
spacious open doors on both sides. The
wood floor was stained a dull red. This
is the slaughter room, where the horses
are killed and cut up for the animals at
the arsenal at Central Park, New York.
On a couple OF hooks on n side Of the
o hung portions OF a CARCASS like
the quarters of q beef. At a glance
one who was not an expert in raw meat
would have said this was beef, but the
horse butcher pointed out that the
meat vas meat vas OF a deeper color
and a closer grain than beef. Horse
meat is, he said, as he could state from
personal knowledge, equally as good as
beef when young and tender. There
was a peculiar flavor to horse meat, he
added, that some people liked better
than beef, and the lions and tigers were
fond of 1t, but for himself he preferred
a good piece OF porterhouse steak every
time.
In one corner of the room was a re-
frigerator, where the meat Is kept until
it is required. The skin Of the last
horse who had been killed q few days
before lay on the other side Of the
room. He was a bakers horse, the
butcher explained, and his hair had
been yellow. Everything was as neat
and cleanly anc free from faint as a
butchers shop could be. The chopping
block was washed and as tidy as a
kitchen table. The cleaver, the saw
and the small knives, shining bright
and sharp, hung In their places beside
the butchers apron. About two years
ago the park authorities adopted the
plan of supplying the c%arnivorous anil
mails IN the menagerie with horse meat
instead of beef. The measure was
purely an economic one Director
Conklin found difficulty at times In OBJ
tanning good beef or mutton, and the
prices ranged from twelve to eighteen
cents.
In Europe the animals in the zoolog-
ical collections are fed on horse's flesh,
and he advised the commissioners to
make the trial here. President Borden
became interested and the brick build
ing was fitted up as a stable and butcher
shop, with o result that has justified
the outlay. From $40 to SIS are paid
for horses, the butcher is hired by the
Park Board and the actual cost of the
meat is now three or three and one
half cents a pound.
About two horses on an average are
killed each week. They are rarely old
horses, as might be supposed, but
usually those which have given out
from some cause. Before they are &C
cepted a veterinary surgeon makes a
careful examination Of the animal to
ascertain If it is free from disease.
There is no difficulty in securing all
that are needed by the city, and
usually two or three are kept In the
stalls, some Of them to be fattened be-
fore they are killed. From the ceiling
near the centre OF the room a rope hung
down from heavy staple. The horses
are led through the passage from the
stable into the slaughter room when
they are to be killed.
"How 10 you kill themp" was
asked.
The horse butcher picked up a short
handled, heavy hammer and said:
"HOrses die easy. When l bring them
out here l ties a cloth round their
heads, so that it binds them, and they
are so quiet you IA do anything with
them. Then l fasten this rope from
the ceiling around the brute's neck, and
one heavy blow from the hammer is
gener'ly enough. If you would like to
nnran avnrnd To Yonrrnx4 Yonrpinn ItI
show you how 1 do 1t. 1t is b%ootcherln'
day tomorrow and old Dobbin will
have to go; that's the gray N you saw
in there"
The reporter declined the invita-.
ton.
"Makes you kinder sick, 1 guess
added the butcher.
"Well, l didn't like it myself when |
began, though l was used to butcherin'
cattle, but horses 'peared 30 different.
You get used to 1t. though. The worst
is when some horse that's done good
service gives out, and the people who
bring him here feel SO bad to give him
up. But they say they would rather
have the horse killed than to sell him
where he may be starved or beaten.
| Sometimes a woman comes up crying
and makes me give back the horse.
Once I had a little bay mare that the
surgeon operated OF and she got well.
You never saw anybody 80 tickled In
your life as the lady and the children
were when I told them, and they took
her back again. Most of the animals
are pretty badly knocked out when
they come here. Them stone pave
ments is killin' on horses. 1t gives
them the '%quitters.' a swellin' around
the ankles, and they amt good much
after that. Now, there's an animal in
that wagon out there, in which Pm
going to take the meat over for the
lions dinner. You never saw such a
shadder as that big horse was when he
was fetched in here last spring with a
bad hoof. He looked sick and l kept
him a month, cause l thought he
wouldn't be good TO feed the animals,
though the doctor said he was sound.
Then his hoof began to heal and he
picked up. Now you q jest see that
elephant and as healthy"
The horse meat was piled into the
wagon and the rescued horse proved
his good character by the gait which he
took In drawing the vehicle through
the Park to the arsenal. The keepers
divided up the joints of the ''baker's
yellow horse" among the hyenas, the
lions and the tigers, who crushed the
bones and polished them with gusto.
To the eagles chunks Of flesh weighing
a pound or more we're thrown and were
quickly dragged away by them in theil
talons.
1.-THE bones" said the horse butcher
pointing to several barrels, ''are saved
and 60 to the bone man They ART
pretty well cleaned when he gets 'em
Last month l had a horse that hat
been a trotter, but l couldn't git any
flesh on his bones. He was a tough
one and no discount. / dulled my
knives cuttin' him up. Them lion!
chewed on him till their jaws was tired
and hung down. Mr.. Conklin says u
-an, kkDhat blvd ~ aaat ara NOS, o.lu,r,