The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1897-07-24
THE HORSE TRADERS.

THE HORSE TRADERS.
now the Country Dealers Got tho AM
mails the City Man Wanted.
II have been trading in the big
horse markets, like the one here In
st. Louis, good many years, and
it was only short time ago that /
found out that the country horse
trader can give the city chap cards
and spades and then beat him at
his own game" said Frank Pome-
roy Of Kansas City. "Your inno-
cent farmer is not half so innocent
as he looks or pretends. This con-
clusion was forced on me while l
was attending sale of horses on
county court day at one Of the best
known county seat towns in Mis-
souri,. had gone there for the pur-
pose of buying number Of horses
of certain quality for customer in
st. Louis. I wanted good looking,
gentle stock between the ages of 3
and years, broke to both saddle
and harness. Twenty or more ami
mails that met the requirements of
age and looks we're trotted out be-
fore me, but none of them did I
buy, because invariably when I ex-
pressed my satisfaction with one
something happened to make me
displeased with him. In each case
I was assured by the owner when
the animal was first brought out
for inspection that he was gentle
and easily managed, but when I ap-
piled the test found that just the
contrary was true. When the horses
that pleased my fancy were started
out for canter in order that I
might see their gait and style, they
would begin to rear and pitch mad
" and try to throw their riders. I
thought, of course, that the honest
farmer had tried to deceive mo and
congratulated myself on having
caught him at his trick. The own
ers appeared to be as badly sur
prised by the unexpected antics Of
the animals as I was, but I, of
course, thought this was only part
Of their little game. Several Of
them protested earnestly to me that
they could not understand why
their offerings were behaving so
badly, as at home they were so do
Gle and tractable that a child could
ride or drive them anywhere.
II came back to st. Louis from
that sale empty handed. Not until
week after did I learn the trick
that had been practiced on me to
beat me out Of my purchases. I met
at the sales stables across the river
one Of the country horse traders I
had met at the county seat sale. He
laughed when he cav me and coolly
told of how he had put up job on
me when I was in his town. He ex-
planned that the horses I first select
ed,and then refused to buy were in
reality as gentle as their owners
had represented them to be, but
that he and his partner had discov-
cred a chemical liquid which when
poured on any part of horses an
atomy covered with hair would in
few seconds after it's application
soak into the hide through the hair
pores and cause such intense pain
as would make the gentlest horse
pitch and rear like a wild pony
when first saddled. These rascals
found out that there was a demand
for the horses I had selected and
concluded to beat me out of them SO
they could buy them at lower fig
ure than I had offered. They
aneaked around when the owners
were not looking and dropped this
liquid on each Of my selection just
In time for the fluid to take effect
on the animal at critical time. I
threw up my hands when this ex-
PLANTATION was made and took off
my hat to the man who made it. -
St Louis Republic.