The age-herald., 1897-09-19
SNAPPED HORSES AND DOCS CoIIinsyilIe Had an 0ld- Time Ex-
 changing Convention. TRADED BETTER FOR WORSE 6raye-Yard Nags, Swaybacks and All Sorts of Animals formed Gay Managerie-Quaint
 People and Curious Doings.
Special to The .Age-Heald.

Special to The Age-Herald.
 CollfnsviMe. Ala. Sept. 1S.-"Who wants ter swap?"
 From moln to night that cry was heard on every hand in the little town of Collnsville yesterday, for the month- ly Colhnsvlle convention was in session. Until July, 1895, it was the habit of the farmers of DeKalb county, Alabama, to make attempts at barter whenever they chanced to meet on the road or in town; the banter of the pjrospeotive swap was even heard at funerals and revivals. and such would have been the case unal this first year of Mark H1n- mas reign had not a rsformer arisen in the person o9 Greenb Try Hunt, farmer who lives on Lookout mountain, atont Hhree miles east of Collinsville. With a view to preventing swapping" disputes s and saving the trne then wasted daily in frui Hess dlckering, Hunt secured the co-opeiation of others and in July, as95. formed the monthly horse-swappiag con- vention of ColFnsvHe, of which he was elected president, a position ha still fills. Since then a convention has been held by the swappers on the Saturday befo e the third Sunday of each month in every year. with exception of April, May and  June.
 President of the Swappers Hunt had just ridden into town on Friday night so I hunted up the distinguished off, cial and found a long, lank, good-na- tuned individual sitting on a thin horse in front of the postoffice, looking very much like a split toothpick astride of Q chip.
 Going to write up the swappers coll venion, are you?" he cried jocundlG when I had introduced myself, well, there's about fifty uv 'em camping around m yhouse already and Hattie, that's my old woman Out I wouldn't have hsr know for the world that 1 called her oldl says them and their horses will eat me out of house and home and I'll be buying corn for $1.5o a bushel next spring. Barn full of horses. fence lined up with mules, houss full of men. and old plugs, I mean the swaps, not the men. All from Chero- kee county, too"
 At this point I stopped his confidence on the pela that my supper awaited me, and left him with his assurance: You'll see lots of fun tomorrow, stranger"
 Yesterday morning I rose early, but the prospective swappers must have risen earlier, for at sunrise their ad- vance guard rode into Collinsyille. Thereafter they arrived in detachments some with no animal but That they rode others leading horses and others in wa g6ls with brutes plodding bzhind. Through the outskirts of the town flows a small stream fed by springs, and on the banks of this they congregated and as sclemnly as the democratic minority voting against the Dingley bill began the work of the day.
 With the exception of few good sad de horses and work mules, the animals they had brought with them were the sorriest looking lot of brutes that mortal man ever beheld. Sore backs, spavins, ring bones, big jaws, big heads big shoulders and elephant legs were con spicuous on every hand. Those that had not the heaves had the botts. Every man had beast that he wished to swap for almost anything, being con- ylnced that nothing could be worse. In and out through the sorry collection rode swappers, crying "who wants to swap?" chaffering and dickering, while the elders squatted on thedr heels, ex- pectorated and talked about the war. Talk 1t fast" 'itrade or travel" you'll have to grease me-" and similar stock phrases of swappers filled the aid.
 "All day long the swapping went on, becoming more lively and earnest as some moonshine whisky "got in its deadly work" The traders were numer- ous and each generally resulted in each party to it trying to get rid of his new acquisition immediately. President Hunt was ubiquitous, and by virtue of his office, was by many entrusted with the clr Of 1,-i four loo rod o,,,-;- osities. He made many Imaginable trades, which caused his clients to heap much abuse upon him, but he kept on the uneven tenor of his way unruffled and unscathed.
 Tiled Ter bin shot long ergo if he wusn't so doggoned thin that no bullet could hit him." said man named Will. Hams to me. Hunt had traded Williams sore-backed horse of uncertain age for a knock-kneed mule and a wagon which only stuck together because 1t did not know which way to fall apart. The mule was so knock-kneed that it really leant az inst itself when 1t was not leaning against a fence, which latter seemed to be it's chief ambition. G. W. Broom, who secured the ore-backed horse, went off in high dudgeon when he discovered its infirmity.
 It is on record in the annals of the swappers that on three occasions blind horses have been traded for blind horses each trader being deceived, but such comicality did not occur yester- day. However z. T. Brock traded a mule for horse of Vallon Hicks. Both were saddled. The deal consummated and the saddle removed, it transpired that each animal had a sore back.