Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-22
THAT DEVILS HORSE IN TEXAS.

Please allow me, as an earnest friend of
THE GAZETTE in general and your agricult-
ural department in particular, to advise
that you go slow with reference to that
devils riding-horse. Your Florida CORE
spondent knows a thing or two, he does.
He, like myself, probably, don't examine
little animals with microscope, as you do,
neither does he describe them in Latin after
the manner of you buggists, but he has been
there, all the same, evidently. We plain
people get right down to them with pair
of sticks, and hold them down until we
have found out something about them.
The DEVILS horse is an insect about four
inches long, and looks a good deal like what
one would suppose the rider whose horse
he is looks like, only the "horse'' has no
big spear on his tail, neither has he any
horns. He will spit right into your eyes
and hit the mark every time. 1 know this
for have tried him. Now, you ask that
Florida fellow if he is not referring to a
quadruped-Of course you are thinking of
skunk. l admit that a skunk will throw
something, too, for have also tried that
particular kind of horse.
The Skunk'S name is chicago in Latin
our devils riding horse is not chicago If
you really desire it, will send you both a
DEVILS riding horse and a chicago, in order
that you may compare the two and learn
for yourself which is which. OF course
cont understand that l propose sending
is putting up big circus tent for Column
bus, but one of our own miserable little
double-acting centrifugal, aromatic NAM
malS--but you can guess what l mean and
save further description, even though you
never leveled your microscope on one of the
interesting creatures. But, my dear sir, al
low me to insist that you be careful how
you monkey with the DEVILS riding-horse
shall send at your request, else we are liable
to have blind agricultural editor to sup
port. Monkey with the other as much as
you please, but be careful of the devils
riding horse. S. ToLIvER.
Vernon, Tex.
Each mothers son or daughter among
our correspondents who writes US on this
thrilling subject threatens US with one of
those things. 1t would seem that there
might be quite little regiment of them
now on the march towards Fort Worth.
We may have been somewhat nervous over
it in the past, but they get in with such
marked degree of hardness that our spirits
are now reviving under the feeling that
possibly none of them will ever get here,
after all. And this feeling has so aroused
our courage that we this day say to you,
Mr.. Toliver, send on your DEVILS riding
AOISCS WAlSh put OQU pOoPAS . y dAC
ready for them! In the lang uage of the
pegging-out Mark Antony to Cleopatra:
They are coming-bring my falchion--
Let me face them ere diel"
or words to that effect.
Yes, send US devils riding horse. If
you think there is any really great danger,
it would probably be best to send the crea-
ture under lock and key, and throw away
the key before you start it. If it should so
happen that you cannot send US devils
riding-horse, then send US mustang pony
with good habits, or even burro. Send
US anything in the horse line that you may
have to spare, with the exception of CHI
cago. We don't need chicago, for we
have our doubts as to what it is, owing to
the fact that no such Latin word as chicago
has yet reached the United States. The
other name that you associate with your
chicago has something Of familiar ring
about it, we must admit, but, then, it will