The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-03-09
THEY CAUGHT A TARTAR.

that neighborhood Her name. as she
signed it to legal documents, was Cath
arine Davis, and at the time Of my
| story she was alb Jut 30 years old. Aunt
Kate and her brother Ben had bought
the farm in Iowa. When Ben died
she continued on the farm, directing
operations through hired help.
Let me first tell you about horse
which Aunt Kate came into possession
of IN the spung Of 1860. One after
noon a stranger came along IL buggy
drawn 10y a fine, large horse which
had been taken Ill He told what
seemed to be a straightforward story,
and Aunt Kate loaned him horse for
three days and put his animal into the
stable to be doctored The stranger
did not return. and after a few Weeks
everybody believed that the horse had
been stolen. Aunt Kate advertised IN
several papers and had the Information
| spread as far as possible, but no one
| called to claim the horse. He got well
after week or TWO, and was then 'ed
| IN farm work for about a month. Then
| he seemed to be taken with a tit of
fury one day and did sncb damage
that everybody became afraid Of him
He was turned into a paddock IN
the rear Of the barn, the door to one
Of the stalls left open, and be was fed
and watered from the main floor OF
the, barn.
Several hOrsemen who came to look
at the animal gave 1t as their opinion
that he was naturally vicious, while
veterinary surgeon thought the horse
| had once been bitten by a rattlesnake
or mad dog, and would be subject to
| spells at intervals every summer az
| long as he lived The stall which he
| entered from ihe paddock was fitted
up on purpose for him. Stout plank
| partitions separated him from the
other horses, and the hay rack and
! water trough were of iron. There was
no way for man or boy TO get into OF
| ont of his stall except by the door and
that opened into the paddock, one
| had to climb npon the fence to get a
| good view of Mad Dick, as he came to
be called. After three months bad
| gone by and no owner had appeared,
Aunt Kate could have sold the horse
bat she refused to, while she could
get no work out of him, she was de
termined to keep him through winter
1t least. | think she reasoned that
the horse bad been grossly abused
and, being a tender hearted woman
her sympathies were aroused. There
we're days when Mad Dick seemed at
peace with the world, and there were
days when he was so furlOnS that nc
man dared show his head above the
fence
On the 10Th of April. 1861, the Gir
who was doing the homework for Aunt
Kate received message that hei
mother, living Is miles away was dan
gerously III. At O'clock in the after
noon the hired man set out to drive
the girl across the country, aud was
told that he need not return until the
next day. Aunt Kate rode with then
AS far as NY fathers house and asked
me to return home with her for the
nlght. | was then boy of l3, anC
such things were considered as only
neighb0rly among nelghhors. L wa:
anxious enough to go, for Mad Dlcl
was g magnet to attract, and Aun
Kate had plenty of hickory nuts lef
over from the winter.
| went home With her. fed the stock
got in the night wood and saw that al
was safe at the barn, and the evening
passed very swiftly and pleasantly uJ
10 . o'clock That was bedtime hOnI
in the country, and Aunt Kate had JUS
started TO wind the clock when | saw
mans face pressed against the kit
chen window at her right baud
There was a curtain, but 1t was no
lowered. 1t was pretty dark nigh
outside. while the light within shont
on the mans face and brought every
features ont distinctly. | was tO'
frightened to cry ont, and Aunt Kate
went on winding the clock without /
suspicion that we were about to have
visitors. She bad just closed the dooI
Of the clock and turhed away whel
the kitchen door opened and in walked
| three strange men. Each one remov
e1 his hat as he entered. and the las
turned and boted tha door.
Good evening, ma'am," saluted tht
one whc had entered first. As it ha
begun 10 rain and is very dark, W
r have called to ask for shelter for tn
night"
They were not rough looking mer
On the contrary, they were yer
we'll dressed, and as for tier faces
s there was nothing wicked about then
" Had they called by daylight, wit
Z any reasonable excuse, no one Woul
D have put them down as bad meL
> While | accepted the mans state
ments as he gave 1t, and was won
, dering if they had team to put NJ
! Aunt Kate instantly sized the trio al
for what they were. She turned pale
and put out her hand TO the cover o
the table, but 1T was only few sec
ends before she replied to the man
Il am sorry that | cannot keep you
At the house half mile below yol
will be well taken care of"
Each inau tossed his hat on q chair
cooly removed his overcoat and sa
down, and it was a couple of minutes
before the leader quietly observed:
Sorry to put you TO any trouble
ma'am, but we are hungry and mus
have a bite 10 eat"
Aunt Kate hesitated for q moment
her first impulse, as she afterward eX
planned, being to refuse point blank
as she knew she had robbers to dea
with. On second thought, however
she concluded that il would be unwis
20 anger them. and in the course Q
five minutes she had a cold lunch o
the table. While she was busy III
men talked among themselves abou
the state of the roads. the weather. &c
and | felt so sure they were ordinar
and honest travellers that | mental
blamed Aunt Kate for not maxim
them some hot tea. As they drew u