The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-18
Smart Horse VS.. Jim Kew.

New York, Aug. 17-One of party o.
men in DR.. Fields stable IN East Twenty.
| NTH street yesterday afternoon asked q
horse what his name was The answei
| came promptly. Jim Key" The ANNA
being a native OF Tennessee, and visiting
| In this city. the subject Of politics arose
Jim Key said he was silver Democrat anC
had not voted for Mckinley.
| OF course, the horse did not speak. Tha
would be too great a feat even for jim
Key, TO whom, however, almost al thing:
else seem possible but he made known n:
I name by spelling il, and discussed Presi
| dent Mckinley by first picking out his
name and then discussing him by mega
| tive and affirmative shakes OF the head.
| Jim DID all this behind a wire screer
and under festoons of five thousand rab-
| bits feet. Not that Jim takes much stock
in the potency OF these decorations, but his
master, DR." William Key, believes thai
| without them all the fates would be agains
| him. The doctor" pins particular faitt
in the rabbits foot he keeps in rusted iror
| pot, unearthed in a remote spot in tbs
| South with $3.50 in gold in 1t, and which
, has been blessed by Schlatter. the Divine
! Healer
This faith tells for itself that ''Dr. Will
nam is coiored. He is venerable now. H.
was the property before the war OF Johr
| F. Key, at present OF Washington, anG
when freedom came TO him, having beer
a 'voodoo'' celebrated among the negroe:
around Shelbyville. he established himself
in the patent medicine line. That is why
they call him doctor.
1t is interesting 10 know that ''Dr. VII
liam" is reported to be worth $4,000 DIR
William" alive to the value Of assembling
auditors TO whom he could expatiate on the
marvellous virtues of his medicine, got ar
Arabian mare, trained her TO do wonderful
tricks and exhibited her in market places
throughout Tennessee. II was a success
full project, and TO il the Doctor" owes
his wealth. When the mare died eight
years ago she left an only son, Jim Key
whose father was a Hambletonian. ''Dr
William took Jim in hand at the age OF
two months TO train him in the footsteps
of his mother. He says Jim is smarter than
his mother ever dared be.
The Doctor" is so attached TO the ami
NAL that he hardly ever leaves him. and
sleeps at night in the stable close TO the
animals side.
Jim was displaying his achievements al
the Nashville exhibition when A. r Rog-
CTS, OF NO. 10 sane, saw Il!IH anu
arranged for his purchase. Jim ard DIR.
William" arrived here last Monday, and
yesterday Mr.. Rogers invited a few men
to a private exhibition of the animal be-
fore removing him 10 his country place, in
Orange, y. j.
Or William" with a short whip in his
hand stepped into the center of the exhibit
ton place, which was about twenty feet
nd la1 m I'm The hnrSa n
out halter or any piece of harness, came
from the rear and took his place beside
his master. So perfectly is the animal
trained that the trainer does not touch him
with hand or whip. First of all. DIR. VII
liam told Jim TO begin the day by ringing
the rising bell TIL horse went to a corner
opened a box with his nose. took out a
bell, rang IL and replaced 1t In the box
Told to announce breakfast, ne took a
smaller bell from the box, rang and re-
turned il.
''Dr. William" next carried on a CONVEX
sation with Jim, the latter answering yes
or no by head shakes Then dozen coins,
from a penny TO a quarter, were placed on
a shelf by the spectators. A cash box with
a bell register was strapped 10 Jim, who
was told 10 get a dime and register II. ThS
horse picked out the coin from the others
and carried il IN his mouth 10 his master,
ehtn bending down and seizing the strap
attached TO the register, rang the bell
twice. For a nickel he rang once, for
quarter five times, for a penny not AT all.
He did not once make a mistake in Sc
Letting the coins named 10 him or in reg
istering them properly.
He took coins from the ledge, carried
them across the exhibition space 10 a cash
box, opened the drawer, registered the sum
ne was told to leave there. picked out the
correct change with his lips and returned
with ii to his master.
A telephone against the wall rarg Jim
walked over to it, took down the receiver,
apparently listened 20 somebody al the 9TH
er end, hung up the receiver and rang off.
He played an organ by turning a crank.
making his head move in a circle, a mo-
ton said TO be most difficult for a horse.
He went 10 letter box against the wall
with thirty pigeon holes in 1t. got the pa
pers from any box mentioned by number
carrying them 10 his master. He walk.
over TO pail of water and picked silver
dollar from the bottom without drinking
any of the water.
Jim was asked al this point II he would
like a drink out of Griffin's bottle. Griffin
Is 'Ir. NlIi3m $ assistant jim nodded
his head Yes" and, going 10 the rear OF
the ring. nosed around in his straw until
he found a black bottle. This he carried
to his master, who held il while Jim drew
the cork Then the horse took a drink
with apparent enjoyment
There's a man here who wants 70 buy
you" said 'Dr. William do you want
to leave me?"
NO" answered i'm. His master assured
him the only way ne could keep from being
sold was TO pretend that he was unsound.
whereupon jim lmped painfully around
the ring.
The mans gone" sad "Dr. william
Jim pranced sayly. and. asked IL he was all
7! ght, now, nodded his head in assent.
He went 10 a blackboard and wrote az
ter this AMI performed other tricks, his
stock seeming limitless. Jim can perform
one thousand feats. according 20 ''Dr. VIII
lam" who taught him all OF them, using
- H. IL