The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-04
GOATS ARE THEIR CURSE.
Give Baggnsemen More Pain Than
Anything Else.
From the New York Press.

From the New York Press.
Did you ever know" sighed the bag
gage master as he absentmindedly stove
hole in the starboard bow of large Sar-
atoga, that goats were the curse of
baggageman's life? Wouldn't believe it.
would you; but it's So One goat will
cause more grief and desolation in bag
gage car than a pack of wolves. There
are lots of them on the road, too. a great
many more than you would naturally sup
pose. You see they travel around with
minstrel shows and Uncle Tom S Cabin
companies. Why, THE losses by goats
alone on this road last year was so great
that the company issued a general order
that no more of the beasts should be car
RED over the road for love or money
MY first experience with them was when
| was running over the Great Northern
between Minot and Calispel. The goat was
playing low comedy in a variety show
but he didn't look it. He had a sad, MOURN
full face, and the whiskers on his chin
quivered every little while just as if he
was thinking of some terrible sorrow that
had blighted his whole career and made
life hollow mockery.
He was so quiet and gentlemanly that
l didn't pay much attention to him. Just
tied him TO a trunk in the forward end of
the car and left him alone with his sor-
row. Whenever l glanced over his way
found him chewing thoughtfully and look
ing at me in such a reproachfm way that
felt like apologizing to him.
The trunks in this end of the car were
all billed for the junction about ninety
miles from Caflspel. Some of them were
going north and some of them south, and
no two of them were checked to the same
place. Well sir, what do you suppose
that miserable old hypocrite was doing
all the time he looked so blue and down
in the mouth? Eating check straps! You
won't believe it, but it is a fact that that
onery beast made good square meal
off of them straps. There was sufficient
slack to his halter to let him walk pretty
much all around his end of the car and
he just broWsed among them trunks nib
bling away at some trunk bound north
until he got tired, and then he'd switch
off and sample the flavor of a south
bound piece. When 1 discovered him there
wasn't a check left on one of them trunks
All of them were hopelessly scattered on
the floor. We held the train thirty min
utes at the junction trying to sort 'em
out, but it was no use. l suppose some
of that baggage is wandering aimlessly
day.
Goats" continued the juggler of bag
gage after he had permanently crippled
a small steamer trunk, ARE extremely
fond of bicycles, especially the rubber tires
and cork handles. An Uncle Toms Cabin
company was travelling over our road a
few months ago, and among the proper
ties were two goats that were used to
haul little Eva around in the street pa
rade. They were both to a small buggy
and alongside of them were two bicy-
cles belonging to a man and his Wife
after my other experience l should
have known better than to have left
them within eating distance of the
wheels, but | was busy asserting my bag
gage and didn't have much time to think
about them. They must have begun their
bicycle table dhote right after we got
under way for when the couple came
after their property there wasn't enough
rubber tire left on either wheel to pad
a crutch. The handle bars were all chew
ed up too, and the company had to pay
$50 for that little banquet, and it never
even phazed the goats
Il have Travelled with all sorts of Gu
rious companions since I've been in this
business, bloodhounds, donkeys, parrots
and corpses, but spare me from any more
of them beasts with Harveyized stom-
achs and constituencies appetites."
The sale of the Wakefield stock. which