The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-07-17
IHESMARTESTOF HORSES
JOHN IS A VALUABLE EMPLoYE OF
A CHICAGO SLAUGHTER HOUSE.

John works In the killing room of q
big stock yards firm. John Is horse,
and in many respects he Is wonder
ful animal He has the shapely head
of a thoroughbred. and as he walks
about the steaming floor of slaughter
house does so with an olr of indiffer-
ence and pride that IS quite human.
The employees of louis Pfaelzer &
Sons, the concern which owns John,
say he is the most intelligent horse In
the world. and take n genuine pride
in the docile creature. although there
is no such thing as familiarity per-
mitted by John. Keep your distance"
is evidently Johns motto.
Johns principal occupation is TO
drag the carcasses of steers from the
striking pens to the slaughter house
floor, where the butchers hoist them
preparatory to skinning and dressing
then for market. For this purpose
John wears light harness which Is
attached by hook to n rope passed
about the dead steers neck. When
the butchers have finished the dress
ing of one carcass they will go to the
striking" pen. A sliding trap door
that shuts these pens off from the
dressing room is raised. and n rope is
passed about the neck of the PROSTATE
steer Then it is up to John, who is
standing in his usual place about mid
way of the big room.
'Johnw calls the butcher. He speaks
In a conversational tone, and might
be addressing one of his fellow1work-
men.
John at once quits his post and
walks up to the man who has called
him. He turns about so that the man
can fasten his harness to the rope
about the steers neck. No sooner does
John hear the snap of the catch than
he starts forward as IL he were going
through the opposite wall. But he does
not. He stops abruptly, and 1t will be
found that he has landed the steer ex-
actly under the tackle by which the
butchers suspend II for dressing opera
tions. Not n word has been said to
John, nor is any attempt made to
guide or control him by means of
reins or halter. Having placed the
steer in position he has his tackle cast
loose, and then stalks Off to his fav-
'orite post of observation.
There are five of these striking"
pens in the room in which John works.
Four of them hold only one steer at
a time, the other holds two. When
John is called upon to pull steer from
one Of the single pens he knows his
work there is done. and will not go
back there for another until the steer
he has last drawn out is dressed and
run down ON the overhead railway to
the cooling room. But in the fifth pen
he knows he has to haul out two
steers before his work is accomplished.
No sooner has he hauled out one and
ard walks back for the other. Not a
word Of command is ever given him
except the call "John," when his SER
vices are needed.
In the vocabulary Of the stock yards
they have tie term "downers." These
are cattle that have broken n leg or
that from any other of several causes
are unable to walk but are vet fit for
food purposes. Pfaelzer & Sons have
n contract with big Eastern concern
that buys and ships live cattle to the
East, to kill and dress all their "down-
ers." The injured animals are loaded
on low trucks and carted to the
slaughter house. The truck is backed
up to door. and then the steer has to
be hauled up to the spot where the
tackle for the steers elevation is. AS
the animals weigh from 1900 pounds
to 1000 pounds each 1t is a hard pull
for John, and he does not like the
job.
In Johns moments of leisure he
stands facing the door at which the
"downers" arrive. No sooner does he
see a truck with one of the animals
on it than he begins to be busy and
absorbed in something else. He will
carelessly stroll away from his post
and roam all over the slaughter house.
paying no attention to the calls for
"John." 1t becomes necessary for Tn
attendant to go after him and lead
him to where he is wanted. but, this
done, he buckles down to work.
In killing at the slaughter house
the beef cattle come first, and when
they are finished they handle calves.
The cattle are driven up a runway
from which they are admitted into the
striking" pens as needed. John can
see this runway, and he knows that
when the calves come into it his work
is done for the Cay, as the butchers
haul the calves out from the pens by
hand. No sooner Goes John see the
calves coming than he quits work and
walks off TO his stable. lie won't do
another stroke of work that day.
The IL o'clock whistle has just as
much meaning for John as it has for
the human employees of the slaughter
house. When it blows John begins to
walk about looking for his dinner
which is usually brought to him. He
gets it and eats it in a dignified man.
ner, and roams about at will after
ward. When the whistle blows again
for resuming work, John walks back
60 his usual post, where he can keep
1t e.