The Sunday globe., 1901-08-11

Every dispatch that tells Of one of
De Vets successful maneuNers auus
anywhere from s. to Si5 am acre 10
farm land in the immediate vicinity Oh
Lathrop, Mo. Lathrop is i'm tine htgu"L
of its glory, and the feyvent prayer OF
every man, woman and child or us
200 population is that the Beers VIII
fight for a generation.
The military department of the BTU
ish government has transferred its
Headquarters for the purchase ana
gtabliug of horses for the Iransyaal
war from New Orleans 10 Lathrop, on
tbe darlington road. 40 miles north
of Kansas City. and the activEy when
was noted in the purchase or AoIses aI
the beginning of the war seems 10 lA'
crease with each month. Horses are
being shipped to South Africa from
Lathrop at the rate OF 2oVV q Week
The six veterinarians employed by the
British government brand ana NaCeI'
nate between 400 and 500 horses a
day. and all Of these are kept there IN
stead of at New Orleans. and shlppeu
only as needed to load the vessels
hound for South Africa. To feed these
horses the British government pays 80
cents a head a day and the little item
of feed for the horses alone costs on
an average Of $1,000 q day,
But this is a small proportion Of the
revenue which Lathr0p and the farm
ers thereahout are deriving from the
necessities Of war Before the horses
are Inspected. branded and yaccinated
they are pastured by @ 81. Louls-han-
gas CITY firm, which has a hYe years
contract to supply the British govern
ment with all the horses and mules
required in the South African Wah
This firm. which has already grown
rich has bought something like l,oV0
acres of land near its stables, ana Is
negotiating for more. But the lana
owned by the firm is not sufficient TO
accommodate more than small per
cent Of the 10000 horses and mules IN
stock. and all the available pasture
land in every direction has been rent
ed. As their necessities increase the
farmers, with true Yankee thrift ad.
vance the price of pasturage.
Every boy in town that knows how
to ride can get a job breaking horses
brought from the plains Of Idaho or
wyoming. Every man with a team
can find employment hauling feed.
There are no unemployed who can and
will work. Although the Chicago, Bur
lington & Quincy railroad mas miles Oh
sidetrack at Lathrop, it must DulId
more switches,
The horses supplied the British gov
ernment do not compare with those ac-
cepted by Jncle Sam. The price, TOO,
is about one-half Although the con-
tract between the supplying firm and
the British government is a secret, the
estimate there of the price paid is SO
- head Nearly all the horses now be-
ing shipped come from the ranges IN
Idaho. South Dakota ana Wyoming
Nobody would ever offer them for sale
to the United States military authorl-
ties. They come by the carload al
most daily. From the time the horses
are rHloaded until they are inspected,
branded and vaccinated the entire
train travels at a breakneck speed.
The feed and freight wagons move at
a fast trot, with never let-up during
the day. The horses, when headed for
a pasture, go at a fierce gallop with
horsenen riding like mad to head
them off from diyerging lanes. Now
and then there is a stampede. and a
hundred wild horses dash down Lath-
rop's business street.
The governments equipment for
branding horses is complete. As a
herd is to be branded IL is driven TO a
lot adjoining the immense stables.
The fences run in a semicircle and
gradually approach each other until a
A. vrrf1a 4rnrub a
commodate one horse The lane Is
made of heavy timber and as the
horses enter It sticks Of timber are
rua In front of tLCir fOreless through
apertures built for the purpose, and
again at their hips The untamed
Western range horses rear and endeaY-
or to plunge Even when there fast
eued il is impossible to brand them on
the Jaw unless their heads are fastened
with lalters.
On inspection days the officer In
charge is in the heyday of his glory.
The horses are inspected at the stables
ln town. All that part of town in the
vicinity of the stables is practically Ga-
der martial law. Nobody IS permitted
20 come near the animals which are
f0 be passed upon. The cOmmanding
ofsar is a more or less petulant per
SON who creates the impression that
he 1abors under the constant fear OF
"a Boer spy playing the role Of Lath-
rop citizen.
South OF the city limits where the
old barns are located a mule barn was
originally built 2O0X4OO feet The
haadgnarters Of the buyers have been
provided with Offices, scales and a
blacksmith. wells from which wind
mills pump fresh water to all compart.
runre and a hospital barn. There are
$50 acres of lani adjoining Ihe oaIA
utilized by the government contractors
and here the inspection Us oohduD.e'
Ir the British officers.
Two miles northeast of the city lin
ifa the new hospital stables have been
erected These new buildings were
made necessary by the determination
of the Government 10 maintain DOS
baaHruarters where the purchase.
were made. One immense stable. 8.
feet wide by 442 feet long has just
been completed and another ls in pro
cess of erection 100 feet wide Ny BIZ
feet long. Ii will contain cribs for 2Jl
bushels of corn and oats, water tank.
fn each division and As 600 feet of floor
space for hay. The new barn lis in
tended for mules and win house IjO
head. In addition 10 their Immcns'
purchases of feed from farmers thl
contractors have 500 acres of corn un
der cultivation and have leased abou
900 acres of pasture lands.
All the branding and yaccinating
done at the hospital farms. northeas
of town. An arrow head branded OF
the Jaw. shoulders or hips denotes th
grade Of the animal, while the hoof
Intended for the mounted infantry
,..gr44r.F.,. gT .qrs1ry The horses ar