The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-03-11
ma KILLING HORSE
THE WAY he ACQUIRED HIS HATRED
FOR HUMANKIND.

II All began with the Cruel Treat
ment He Received In His Coithood.
vicious incidents That Marked His
Downward Career.
Tile development Of a vicious horse
from nm innocent colt is described by
Sewpll Ford in one of the stories In
Horses Nine" The colts disposition
was first spoiled by Ignorant ana cfhei
handling OH the farm of one PERKINS.
Then he was sold, and his subsequent
career Is thus pictured:
In the weeks during which he trailed
over the fruit district of southern Mich
iCan In the wake of the horse buyer
Blue BlaZes learned nothing good ana
much that was ILL., He finished the trip
with raw hooks, Il hoof print Oh his
flank and tooth marks on neck ana
withers. Horses led in Il bunch do not
improve in disposition.
Some of the scores the blue roam colt
paid In kind, some he did not, but lie
learned the game OF give ana take,
Men and horses alike, lie concluded,
were against him. If he would hold
his own, he must be ready with teeth
and hoofs. Especially lie carried with
him always a black furious hatred OF
man In general.
So he went about with ears laid back,
the whites of his eyes showing and a
bite or kick ready in any emergency
Day by day the hate In him deepened
until IL became the master passion. \
quick football behind him was enough
to send his heels flying as though they
had been released by n hair trigger lie
kicked first and investigated afterward
The mere sight of man within reach
ing distance reused all his ferocity.
Toward his own kind Blue Blazes
bore himself defiantly. Double harness
was something he loathed. One was
not free to work his will on the de-
spised driver IL hampered by pole
and mate. In such cases he nipped
names aud kicked under the traces un-
ill released. He had a special anup-
athy for gray horses and fought them
on the smallest provoeation or upon
none at all.
As result. Blue Blazes, while know
ing no masters, had many owners.
sometimes three in II single week. lie
began his career by filling a three
months engagement as livery horse,
but after he had run away dozen
times. wrecked several carriages and
disabled II hostler he was sold for half
his purchase price.
Then did he enter upon his wander
lngs in real earnest. He pulled street
ears. delivery wagons drnys and ash
carts He was sold to unsuspecting
farmers, who. when his evil traits
cropped out snapped him unceremoni-
ously and with ingenious preyarication
by the roadside. In the natural course
of events he wns much punished.
Up and across the southern PENN
sulu of Michigan he drfted conten-
tiousiy. growing more vicious with
each encounter, more daring after each
victory In Muskegon he sent the drly-
cr OF grocery wagon Ia the hospital
with n shoulder bite requiring cauter-
ization and four stitches. In Mnnistee
he broke the small bones III the leg OF
bakers large boy. In Cadillac II
boarding stable hostler struck him
with an iron shovel. Blue Blazes kick
ell the hostler quite accurately and
very suddenly through II window.
Between Cadillac and kalnska he
spent several lively weeks with farm
ers. Most of them tried various tam
Ing processes. Some escaped with
bruises and some suffered serious in
jury. At Apena he found an owner
who, having read something very con
vlnclng in horse trainers book, elab
oratcly strapped the roan's legs nc
cording 10 diagram and then went into
the stall 10 wreak vengeance With u
riding whip. Blue Blazes accepted one
cut, after which he crushed tho aveng
er against the plank partition until
three of the mans ribs We're broken
The Alpena man was fished from un-
der the roan's hoofs Just In time to
save his life.
This incident earned Blue Bla2es the
name OF man killer and 1t stuck.
He even figured In the newspaper dis
patches blue BlaZes, the Michigan
Man Killer" The Ugliest Horse
Alive" "Alpena's Equine Outlaw
these were some of the headlines. The
Perkins method had borne fruit.