St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-12-03
LEADS THEM TO SLAUGHTER.


y BOIL Uoo0 10 DoOoy CAttSo noa I0o0
rens at . lracking-Hosss.
''Come. Phil" >"
A handsome cighteen-hundred-p pound
specimen of the bovine species which
has been moping lazily along the drive
way pricks mp his ears in quick Ne.
Spouse to tho call and trots mp to his
master with . promptness that would
be commendablc even in . pet dog.
The call came from Head Driver Muir.
ply, or one of his assistants, and Philip
knows well enough what it means
''G'long over to F." shouts the driver,
and at the same time he points up the
slley in the direction Of section "F."
The motion Of the drivers hand is
superfiuous, however. for Philip knows
as well as anybody where "F" is, and
he gallops OF up the narrow driveway
more like an educated canine than the
huge. lazy steer that he Is.
There Is an interesting coincidence in
connection with big Phil's history. His
name. unbridged. is Philip d. Armour.
This also the name of the proprietor of
the packing-house at which the cloven.
footed Philip is an important function.
ary. Driver Murphy, however. blunts
the point of the coincidence by his ex-
PLANTATION that the steer was honored
with the name of his noted owner in
order to give the animal due appre.
citation of his extraordinary prowess
and responsibility.
While Philip has risen from obscurity
to pre-emincncc, and has become tho
king of his kline. he has also degcnerat.
ed morally from an innocent and guile.
less country OK into IN arch-hypocrite.
The gruesome Offices of hangman fade
into insignificance when compared with
those of Philip.
His daily labor is to entice the in
nocent cattle from their pens by his
peculiar magnetism, and lead them in
. wild dash to their death. AS the
drivers swing open the gate Of a pen
and rush drove frightened. trembling
steers out into the driveway. Phil gal
lops boldly mp, and. swinging in ahead
of the herd, assures his bewildcred
country brothers that he is master Of
the situation: that he has come as their
delivcrer. and that il they will follow
him they will he browsing in clover
fields and drinking from springfield
brooks before the sun sets.
The unsnspecting cattle instinctively
fall in line as soon rs their eyes fall on
the handsome and intrepid Philip The
herd troops away down the alleys. fol-
lowing closely every turn Of their
leader rs he dodgcs in and out among
wagons and sheds and heads straight
for the broad ''shoot" which leads mp to
the capaciOus slaughter-pen. When
Phil approaches the Shoots he has
urged his followers into = mad stam-
pedc. Quick rs fash the leader whirls
to one side at the foot Of the approach.
and tho herd, carried on by its
own impetus, charges madly mp the
ascent and into tine waiting-room Of
death. Philip has sent another hundred
Of his kin 10 their doom. The big gates
close behind his victims and they are
led into the slaughter-mill one BY one.
almost as fast as one can count them.
to come out hayed. drawn and quar-
tered for the butchers block.
Philip knows no pity, no rcmorsc. His
conscience is seered and callous. As he
avoids the Slaughter-pen By IN adroit
turn and sends his followers ON to their
death he drops his head between his
knees. and seems to chuclIle with ghoul-
ish delight rs he listens to the clatter
of his victims hoofs as they Chamber
pell-mell up the fatal shoot"
To stay the butchers knife from his
own neck Philip has betrayed one hum
dred thousand fellow-crcatures which
looked to him for guidance. Perhaps it
was through Difference to the consum-
mate villainy Of such beast rs Philip
that old Beclzebub took to wearing
clovcn hoofs. TimeA