Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-02-13
GEORGIA HORSE TRADERS.
They Have a Gala Time on the First
Tuesday of Each Month.

Did you ever attend a real first Tues
day horseswapper convention and wade
around in the mud and listen TO the
swagger and bluff INDUCED in by the
deyotees of the bone yard? Did you
ever stand around and listen to the
hilarious greeting to one another as
they ride, drive. lead. drag and God
only knows how they do get some OF
the rips into town? Did YOU never
take survey Of the limping. hating
cayalcade of four-for-a-penny stock,
of which you can never see one so bad
but that another is worse, all drawn
up on first Tuesdays to be swapped2
Then, dear reader. you can tolerate a
brief pen picture Of real horse swap
pers' convention, where liquid stimuli
ants are required TO give CAB as well
as cheek to the trader. Judgment is
not so much required, as there is hard
~ bare possibility Of loss in any
transaction that may occur.
How'll you swap9r cries one would
be trader with lmping jade with
both bow legs and knock knees, and
OF such stock the more man owns the
poorer he is.
Right" Is the answer OF another
trader with sway backed, big-iegged
shadow that couldn't chew lump Of
mush.
Come this way and swap for the
gray mare just years old tnone of
them is older than 80 want to trade
her for horse
And If such a trade Is made in three
minutes that same man is shouting
proposition to trade that horse for a
mare or a mule. !.
Whips and spurs are in constant de-
mand to keep awake or induce stir
among the stacks of bones that YEARLY
drag about on exhibition where every
apology is made for any defects that
may be apparent The SPAWN legged,
hobbling skeleton of horse, it is ex-
planned fell through bridge few
days previously and slightly injured
his limb but of course will be all right
in a day or two. The sweenied shadow
is tender-footed, if bare, and pricked
looking horse, doctored up for the oc-
casion, but which in all probability is
not worth the club it would take TO
knock him in the head. is represented
TO be hopelessly afflicted with every
disease that horseaesh Is heir to. BY
,1H 1fn4 H. 10 snn SerN
of the horse is adroitly concealed, and
a go back" as they call it, for cheat
ing. is estopped. because the horse was
represented to have every conceivable
complaint though his appearance did
not indicate it.
All sorts of jeers were thrown out
with the shooting banters that are
heard everywhere, such ass How'll
you swap that race horse for pint of
peanuts?' or How much boot will
you give between that stump sucker
and a bee course?" These sallies are
given good humoredly and received in
the same spirit. Horses are exchanged
for pocket knives pistols, watches. sui
kies, dogs, anything. Last Tuesday
one man exchanged his horse for a
COW, and, saddling her up, he mounted
and rode around, bantering others for
a trade, with as much complaisance as
ever And there is another wonderful
feature about this business. Every
boneyard trader, when his dozen trades
are made and his days work finished.
rptilrne homo at night IN hrap of what
he has made during the day, but the
most astute financier would be greatly
puzzled to figure out his profits. Any
man. it would seem, could discover the
loss incident TO and growing out Of his
possessions. But this is brief account
OF business on the bone yards of Car
rollton on each recurring first Tues
day Carrollton Times