The morning times., 1897-02-14
DO HORSES WEEP?
Two Well-Authenticated Cases
When They Have Shed Tears.
(By ]. McLeon French.D

WheH Il hey Have Shed Tears
(By ]. McLeon French1
Dr. Nathan Leavy, an eminent veterinary
surgeon of New York, has for many years
made a special study OF the nervous sys-
TEN OF the horse with view of over
coming by a course OF treatment certain
traits Of bad temper, OtStinacy and Shyness
y few weeks a 20 he made what he believed
at the time 70 be the renIark kahle discovery
that horses are not alone susceptible to the
Eeenest sense of affection and of grief. as
we all know, but that they are capable OF
giving expression to their feelings after
the orthodox human fashion by the she'd
ing of tears
young thoroughbred mare with q
foaI about "a week old had become 80
jealous and vicious that it was danger
GUS to approach her. After a stable at
tendaHt mad been seriously injured and
new lUx stall splintered into match
wood, the owner gave up the attempt to
bring her 20 a sense of reason and handed
her ovcG TO the surgeon for treatment
He studied the pedigree and previous
character OF the animal, which. although
OF highly sensitive and nervous dispo-
sition, had Lever hitherto shown signs IF
any particularly wicked tIaits, and deter
secured her in such a way that she could
do no damage TO herself or to others, he
separated the foal from the mother.
At first She made things rather lively
by giving free vent to her rageir paroxysm
OF vicious snOrting and plunging, but as
time went by lour by hour and she grad
ually became exhausted with her frantic
efforts, her fury subsidized into a sort IF
taciturn submission, and her pIaintiye
whinnying became pitifUl- After two
days of solitary confinement even this
ceased, q sullen gloomy melancholy settled
over her When the doctor paid her q
visit one morning ne was not a little
surprised 10 find her with dropping head
and spirits evidently crushed, while occa-
slonally large cppiOuS tears ccUrsed down
| her cheeks TO the ground.
Another well authenticated case was
| cited in q recent issue of the A Admiralty and
| Horse Guards Gazette. II was during the
| Crimean war, and an English battery Of
| artillery were advancing upon the heights
! OF Alma They ran foul OF Il Russian mask
! ed battery. which opened fire upon them
with terrible result. Men, horses and guns
| were mangIed, shattered and thrown into
! confused heap upon the plain. The few
who escaped lost no time in getting outof
| harms way, but after the battle a soli-
| tary horse. which by some Unaccountahle
means remained unhurt, was discovered
| standing by that melancholy pile of ruin
and death. gazing intently. with dropping
| head, upon an object lying under broken
| gun carriage The object proved 10 be
the crushed and mangled body OF young
| artillery gunner, the late master OF the
! faithful brute.
| A trooper was sent to lead off The ami
NAL, and with greatest difficulty. only suc-
| ceeded in getting him some distance away,
| when suddenly he broke loose and, wheel
| ing about, disappeared in the darkness that
| had set in. Next morning he was aghin
| found by an ambulance corps, continuing
| his faithful vigil, and large, heavy tear
| drops were seen to fall from the eyes OF
| the poor brute, who steadfastIy refused
to move until the dead body OF his master
| had hpep horne