Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-03-29
REFINED TORTURE.
Hit the Horse When He Is Down, For He
Has No Friends.

Has No Friends.
Slip, slap.
! A tug at the reins-yank, haul pull and
jerk.
No use-down he goes, broadside, with n
snort of fear and grunt of pain.
The icy asphalt, when it starts in to be
slippery, knows where it is at.
A crowd at once gathers. A sympathetic
lady in spectacles solicitously inquiries:
What's the NATTER"
only n horse down, num-" volunteers Il
bystander.
Yes, that is all. Only horse down. Poor
creaturel Have you ever critically observed
this simple and familiar metropolitan sight?
MOI There's lesson in it,
There are always a dozen men ready to
assist in getting the fallen animal to his
feet.
The man with the faded ginger hat and
antiquated coat grasps the horse by the
ears. Hold his head down, and he can't
struggle to his feet. Keep him down at all
hazards. The ginger hat generally places
one knee on the animals head-sometimes
its both knees. This makes the ginger hat
feel big in the eyes of the spectators The
harder the ginger hat can press the poor
brutes head into the unyielding pavement,
the happier he feels. It's the horse under
meath, anG not the ginger hat. Grind his
eye nearest the pavement into the sharp,
icy particles-put it out if possible. If you
succeed in binding the beast. the more
credit to YOU
The man with the leeward eye seizcs the
horses by the nose. Shut off his wind with
out fail. This makes him struggle violent
ly and affords the ginger hat a golden OPP
portunity to get ii an extra grind on the
horses eye and a pull at the ears. The lee.
ward eye also places his knee on the nose
and yanks the bit so that the ring will fay
the corrugated roof of the horses mouth
down to smoothness. The horse doesn't
like this. The owner doesn't care. horse
with sore mouth eats less.
Strange as il may appear the horse is I'M
easy. Horses are not inconsiderate of pc
lite attention. So the man with the calico
shirt jumps on the animals hip, and Of
course this grinds the hair and skin off t, e
under hip. But no matter keep him down
if it takes an army.
Horses under these circumstances seem
to be unreasonable. The man with the
game leg gets in his work now. He's been
waiting anNiously in the crowd for til
chance The horse has ii raw sore under
the saddle
The man with the game leg grasps the
saddle with both hands, braces his fc-t
against the animals back, pulls and presses
and peels off the raw. sensitive flesh by the
square inch. The end of the saddle ring is
pushed through the hair padding and bores
ebra And still the horse continues to
struggle.
All. now it is the drivers turn. He has
been unfastening the harness and traces,
and all is free
Stand clearr' he shouts.
The ginger hat puts out the horses eye
for good. the calico shirt makes the bare
hipbone and pavement meet, the game leg
pulls off an extra chunk of raw flesh, while
the leewarl eye causes the blood to run
from the lacerated mouth
Whacki Whack,
1t wouldn't do, you know, to let the horse
get up by his own uuaided efforts. So, as
the torturers release their holds, the driver
brings that cruel lash once, twice, thrice
down upon the ribs, that raise welts on the
Quivering flesh AZ big AZ a mans finger.
Now be is up, nervous, tremb bling, excited,
sore and lame No matter: he is only a
horse.
Who cares?- Washington Star