New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-15
- FIRST MONDAY" IN TEXAS.
A GREAT DAY FOR HORSE TRADING.
A ENTHUSIASTICALLY WESTERN SCENE TO
BE FOUND IN ALL COUNTY SEATS
OF THE BIG STATE.

realizing that he was In Texas. On most days.
the public square has nothing peculiarly or typi-
caly Western in its appearance. The electric cars
pass back and forth a wel-dressed crowd OF
people transac, its business affairs, and things
move on in general much as they would In
prosperous town OF 20G0) inhabitants In any OF
the Eastern States. Things are little lveler, but
the crowd OF wagons loaded With bales OF cotton
would be the only feature OF the scene to strike
an Fastener as new
To-day however things are quite different 1t
Is horse traders" day. II is STRAY sale day
BY an unwritten law. the first Monday In every
month is set apart the day on which all the
stray horses and cattle thai have been duly taken
up" posted" and kept" shall he taken 20 the
comfy seat and auctioned of. To-days scene IN
Sherman has been repeated on more or less ex-
tensive scale in every county in Texas. Early
this morning men begar coming In TO town Jogging
along horseback through the black mud. and
leading strings Of from TWO 10 ten ponies or All
conceivable degrees OF disreputabeness OF appear
ance only very few OF these were strays. They
were merely brought for sale or trade along
with the strays The veriest "tenderfoo; can
at i glance why the owners Of these ponies
should to sell them. but it is an unfatnom-
able mystery 70 him why any earthly man should
buy them. BY o'clock the square pre-
sents a lively appearance BY 10 o'clock the whole
space is covered by densely packed mass OF
struggling squirmlng kicking fdgeting Texas
ponies. Scattered about in this mass. and matter
OF decidedly secondary Importance are the owners
OF the ponies The outskirts Of the crowd block the
electric cartracks bu; the do. in some manner,
after much commoton. occasionally get through.
THE TEXAS PONY ON HAND.
There is not a bale Of cotton in sight The king
has been relegated the for the day, and the
Texas pony the most abused and insulted speci-
men OF a much-abused and despised race, Is TO-
day having his innings. The attempt Of the ocy-
Gle and the trolley besmirch his fair name
| are for the day forgotten. To-day. all over the
great State Of Texas the pony is once more king
Shortly after 10 o'clock the auction begins The
auctioneer is a short. heavy-set old gentleman.
with a voice such It would have made stentor
turn green with envy to hear. He is an important
functonary but is unexpectedly designated by
the plebeian title Of "Slmmy.' BY means or sheer
muscular force. and the vociferous use OF language
which | respectfully request to be excused from
repeating Mr. Simeon Johnson finally succeeds in
getting a small space cleared OF the crowd ana
then the auction has fairly begun.
BY provision Of State law, the man who has
taken up the stray has the best chance to retain
the animal He Is allowed TO make an offer for
the animal AMI Il the offer strikes the auctioneer
as a fair one the animal Is considered sold with
out any further bidding. This however, is prac-
ticaly a dead letter. The who has taken up
the stray and kept him the prescribed length OF
time generally does want him He generally
knows him too we'll
do you want 10 buy good. safe moss. partner
asks one man his stray is being auctioned off.
If you do, here's just the fellow you want-sound
as a dollar. plumb gentle an dirt cheap
The man addressed is n richly atcired gentleman
who looks as If he might be Fastener making
his first tour Of Texas He is watching the auction
with undsguised interest. Doubtless the Texan
sizes him up a good sell pony 10.
Il don't know" responds the stranger, eyng
the beast trihe obviously. "Can-can lady ride
him.
Ride him" snorts the Texan contemptuousy.
Course you can. jus, get him and try
The stranger IS discourteous enough 10 refuse this
kindly offer and muiters something about not
being used horses.
PROVING HIS GENTLENESS.
You amt? Well. just watch me ride MIN for
you. Here some OF you fellers, help me a minute
with this boss
Taking the halter from the hands o. the
tioneer. he leads the stray where Tho crowd
l. less dense In response his request several OF
his friends follow him. Two hold the halter.
and TWO others attempt get a saddle on the
ponv's back. Af;er minutes OF frantic
struggling the par; of the pony and the four men.
the animal is finally sadGied. Then all four men
hold him b. main strength while the owner mounts.
The animal jumps up and down several times, darts
frs. to one side and then 10 the other II UNI
decided which way and finally takes
notion TO run like scared rabbit in the direction
by which escape seems the most Likely. Suddenly
he runs into wagon and falls down. However.
the rider still stays top. and by degrees sue
ceeds getting his wee mite OF steed back 10 me
starting point
There, he exclaims triumphanty he jumps
TO the ground DIDN'T | tell you he plumb
gentle
|, is obviously unreasonable to expect any further
proof Of the animals genteness than this, but
the Fastener is obviously unreasonable. Per-
haps he Is a bicycle manufacturer and hence pref
udiced against horses At any rate. he fails TO
appreciate the animal in question and cold blood
eily allows him 10 he bid in by a regular trader
for the patry Of 81 -. Half Of this goes to
the county. and half the who took up
the stray
\ HORSE Is \ HORSE TO THEM
One thing that impresses the stranger watchin.
| the scene OF a Texas first Monday is the alb
! solute unconcern OF the traders TO the moral
/ character OF the beasts they own. The genuine
trader never asks II an animal Is gentle. He never
| cares. The Texan who assured the Fastener THAI
the pony was plumb gentle not lying He
was merely proceeding the principle commonly
accepted among traders that all Texas ponies are
I gentle The average Texan has the belief firmly
fixed in his mind that any horse can be made 10
perform any service required. II one man cannot
| harness a horse perhaps two can: and II two can
not certainly twenty IL IL only question
| or how much force IL takes. or course the Texan
/ knows In rather vague fashion that the animal
/ may have personal preferences In the matter
! but he never worries his brain as TO what these
| preferences may be.
Glad TO see you. Tom" exclaims one of the
! traders toward evening as ne accidentally
count tered OF his acqua.ntances in The crowd
! I've sold every hoof I've got-even my buggy
! ponies see you've got quite string OF en-
| Lend me something 70 work my buggy, an then
you ride home with me-
"All right, Bill Let's Try them TWO, there
Have they been iriv before?
Dunno. jus, bought en-" answers Tom. non
/ chalantly. we can soon find out. though
! Then they starr to where Bits buggy has been