The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-16
A COW IN ABMoR.
The Ingenious Invention of a Citizen
of South Dakota.
From the Ne,s York Tribune.


of South Dakota
From the Neis Yorb Tribune.
A late copy Of the Buffalo Gap Is. d.
Mirror gives an account Of an ingenious
invention of a citizen Of that place, Block
lit Ferguson. We learn from the Mirrors
excellent account that Mr.. Ferguson is a
blacksmith, having a shop in Cheyenne ave.
nue., and living with his wife and family in
the suburbs. He has long been known to
his fellow -townSmen as most ingenious
man and has been responsible for several in
ventions Of more or less merit, among them
being a safety dog-catch on mine hosting
apparatus. We claim no expert knowledge
ON mine hosting machinery, but we should
say that dog-catch must be a very impor-
tant thing about the mouth of the shaft.
and il cannot be pleasant to have dogs con-
stantly tumbling down on the miners.
But Mr.. Ferguson's present invention is
something as far removed from mining as
possible. He has lived on the frontier
Though born In Connectiout and been
through several Indian disturbances. In
thess he has always lost more or less stock,
for, though never a stock raiser, he has been
in the habit of keeping a COW and some-
times calf or two. These the Indians have
invariably swooped down upon and killed.
Buffalo Gap is situated only a few miles
west of the Bad Lands, and when the late
trouble began it instantly occurred to Mr..
Ferguson that it probably meant the loss of
another COW, as he owned one of
these useful and nutritious animals. The
thought was depressing, and he began to
cast about for some plan TO prevent the
coming sacrifice If possible. While turn
ing the matter over is his mind MIR. Fergu-
son happened to glance in an illustrated
copy OF Don Quixote." He had scarcely
him, why not make q bullet-proof armor for
his COVE To think is to act with Blookitt
Ferguson, and inside of thirty minutes he
had the patient beast in his shop and was
busy hammering out thin plates for her
back.
Mr.. Ferguson is a rapid workman, and
at the end of weeks tims be had the COW
clad in complete mail. Her body was COW
cred with large plates, and her neck, head
and legs with smaller ones. all carefully
articulated so that she could walk, lie
down, and indeed perform all ordinary
movements with ease. In the helmet holes
were, of course, left for eyes and mouth,
though these were no larger than were abb
solutely necessary, and had she been as
bibulously inclined as the knights of
Branksome hall she would have drunk tie
red wine through the helmet
barred" Unlike the ghost of Hame,'s
father, she wore her beaver down.
Her horns Mr.. Ferguson had tipped with
sharps steel poiats, thus rendering her
armed as we'll as protected. Nj. Ferguson
had considerable difficulty in deyisiug a
| suitable covering for her tail Plates were
found out of the question. Finally, how
ever, he hit on the plan of winding her tail
with wire, like a garden hose, and he found
that 1t worked admirably, interfering but
little with its flexibility and affording rea-
| Sonable protection. The complete armor
weighed about 800 pounds. When every
thing was finished the COW was led out TO the
Ferguson homestead and allowed to Craze
about In the neighborhood on the dry prairie
grass, there being but little snow, She
soon became accustomed TO the coat Of mail
and paid no attentiopito it. r. Twice, % day
she would go into Bu sEalp Gap to dsink at
the town pump, ana 1T was an : int erssLing
sight to see her eot3es lkipg daWR, the
center OF the ,na1Ii strseti clan sing her
arrnor and occesi9f8sslA1Y SY feAj IA Ateel-
| co 'ered sides with her gardea Taase sctail.
The other towRyep Wv ga1H fesze wide
bsEth after having cprEedeat heNfeSA earced
jhefns.e And the dneat iwper tant part Of
the whole affair isJt@t ,esearsner vaas not
found wanting. 5hsd bod hadait iSa but
two n days wheba shgssy SaDrt,1 rand
some twenty sh0stiles lbo1e ssdown
on her and began firing, II is estimated. that
they wasted $50 rounds of cartridges on her.
She scarcely moved during the lombard
ment, but stood and oontentedly chewed her
cud and occasionally switched her, as it
were, insulated tail. TIE Indians finally
retired disguised. Several other attempts
were made on her, all equally unsuccessful.
She was the only COW in the neighborhood
that was not killed. Since peace has been
declared Mr.. Ferguson has removed the ar
NOR and laid it away for the next outbreak.
| We trust that the reader will not think
that we have devoted too much space to MIR.
Ferguson's COW armoF Though a small
matter, it seems to us both novel aud inter
esting. We believe. too, that the reader
will be glad to know that the Mirror, in
closing, says that Mr.. Ferguson will ex-
hibft the COW, clad in complete steel, at the
coming worlds fair in Chicago, where we
may all hope to see the instructive aud en-
PERTAINING sight.