The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-14


 ing-tables there, and lively business was done. I lent Simonson fourteen hundred dollars when he was supposed to be worth at least one hundred thou sand dollars, but when he died 1t was lound that all his property was mort gagged. From his place, where l worked three years, I went to the old Bulis Head Hotel. That was in lS4s' The neighborhood at that time was not built up between Twenty-thlrd ana TWentyfifth streets, put consisted or open fields, except where occupied py cattle-sheds. A paint shop stood on the corner of Twenty-third street and Third avenue, and little higher up the ave nue, here a big hardware store now stands, there was a coal-yard.
 "I stayed at the Bulls Head, as bar tender and bookkeeper, for twenty four years. Its frequenters in the early days had great times whenthey had soid their cattle or horses and had plenty or money in their pockets. There was no gambling in the hotel, except quiet po- ker games in private rooms, but the guests went to many other places for d. version of various kinds. Heavy drink ling and skylarhing, such as running foot races around the block, were com mon, but there was not much scrap ping The hotel bar used to be closed at eight D. m, as there was not enough business after that to make it worth while to keep open. Why? Because most of the men had gone to all-nlght resorts, all of which were then down | town.
 "ln the old days of the cattle-market people used to drive cattle, sheep, aid even turkeys, from the far west to New York over the country roads. They would come in with green baize wrapped about their legs, and some wearing coonskin caps, with the tails hanging down. Even in those times there were the beginnings of a horse market where it now is. The owner of drove of cattle when it was on the way, had to ride horse, and if it was large drove he had several assistants, also mounted, and the horses were all ways sold here. The Bulls Head Hotel then, and for many years, received wo- men as guests only when they were the wives or daughters of known patrons. Meals were served only at regular hours, announced by the ringing of a | bell on the roof which could be heard not only throughout the house, but at a considerable distance from it. In course of time this bell was replaced by big gong.''
 | X veteran horseman, who lived at the old inn in the sixties, tells anecdotes which show that the closing of it's bar in the early evening was then an obso- lete custom. Horses brought high prices in the years during and soon af- ter the war, and money was plentiful all around. After profitable sales, many of the dealers were wont to celebrate their success with champagne, and to "keep it up' all night On such occasions they l were accustomed to banter one another into swapping some of the animals still in their possession, with the result that two or three horses at a time would be led into the hotel barroom and paraded up and down it's length, to the apparent I danger of the flooring. "When this I trading was started in the evening" said the veteran, "the bar was likely to be kept open until daylight and I have known men who had swapped horses all night to have in the morning the same ones that they started with.
 Tt was easy to make money on horses in those days, and I'll give you a little incident from my own experience by way of illustration. Early one morning, before breakfast, I met a country dealer who had brought a string of horses to town few days be- fore, and we went over to the old Elm pire Hotel, which was opposite the Bulls Head, to take cocktail. He says to me: S., I've sold all my horses but two, and they're the best of the lot I want to sell them right off and go home to-day, because I've got a telegram that my wife is very sick. He showed me the telegram, so I knew he was telling the truth, and when he told me which of his horses he had left knew they were good ones, because had seen them. had three one hun dred dollar bills in my vest pocket, and when he asked me to make him an of fer for both horses, took out the bills and spread 'em on the bar. You're joking says he. No, I'm not says I that's all the money I've got. If you want 1t for the horses, you can have it; but I've got no time to talk about it. ] must go back to the hotel and get my IplCcthlcSl. WCii, VI SOulSC, uc dTSuGC the matter and said the offer was -idic ulous, but told him it was the best could do, and he could take 1t or leave it. The sight of the money on the bar was too much for him. under the cir cumstances, and finally he picked it tip Then we went over to one of the sta bles, and he points out the two horses to the man in charge, and says: Them two belong to MT. S---.' I went and got my breakfast. .s
 Well right after that went back tc the stable, and a man came in who looked at one of my new horses and showed he had taken a fancy to him He asked my price, and said, seven hundred dollars. He diekered some, but stuck to my figure till he finally ad- mitted that he wanted the horse badly to match one he owned, and pulled out six hundred dollars, which he said was all he could give. took the money. A little while after he had gone, another man came in, looking for a good horse and l sold him the one had left fo1 five hundred dollars cash down. So | you see, on a little deal made on only two horses before breakfast, I cleared Ian even eight hundred dollars before noon.
 I. H. Dahlman is the dean of the horse-market dealers, having come tc the place fifty years ago. when it was