The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-18

Herr Won Osten-the: words written
down Tor that purpose. You put down
a word On a slip Of paper. let Hans
take good look at it, and Hans will
resortNto frame covered with nova
Die letters which is placed in the court
yard and pick out the proper letters.
One. man told Hans to remember the
phrase Forest and bridge are occupied
by the enemy" and next day Hans
took his alphabet and spelled out the
sentence correctly. Another man pro-
duced his watch. showed it to Hans and
asked, What time is. sit?p And Hans
moved his hoof eleven times-and so
1T was Twenty minutes later the
watch was shown to him again, and
now he stamped first evelen and. after
Short pause, twenty times more. He
then answered correctly the following
questions, the watch not being pro-
duced this time Between what fig
ureS does the small hand stand at
7:40?" Between Z and g." hoofed
Hans. Similar questions, with varied
hours, were answered just as correct
1y. Other questions and experiments
indicated that Hans has a distinct
sense of colors. of music, even of coins
and playing cards. and that he recog-
nizes persons from their photographs.
But the proud owner and teacher of
not only mentally human-like being;
he claims for him real sentiments OF
! affection towards all persons who trea,
him affectionately. When 1 lived out
in the country" he told me-. .I made 1T
a point Of letting him out of his box
into small paddock to Craze every
morning, and in all weathers, when 1
came down. He waited patiently with
ears pricked and head turned toward
the house until he heard my voice in
side. Then he neighed until / went UP
to him. Or If he saw me at dis
lance and did not speak to him, he
told me pretty plainly what he wanted
me to do. When other people let him
out occasionally, he never asked them
to do SO. When he. thought himself
unobserved he would sneak up to the
ratings and gobble up,eroses, poppies.
lilies, sunflowers and all within reach
of his muzzle.4 He knew full we'll that
he was doing wrong, as, he was often
sent into his box for this offense so
when he heard anyone coming, Or the
house door being opened. he cantered
off and began to eat grass
Such authorities on animal psychol-
ogy as Prof. Moebius, Herr Schilling
and DR.. Heck, the manager of the ia
nous Berlin "Zoo," have declared over
their signatures that Hans is an en-
tirely novel phenome non in natural
SoSACAASC iiOl " Oc COIilpdi GU W dIiu
measured by even the most skillful
"docile" Or trained horses known to
history. A commission to be insti-
tuted by the government. will have it's
say in the near future.
OF course various explanations OF
Hans doings have been offered to
prove that his master abets him, but
as yet they cover only the horses abil-
ity to tell time. 1t is Saskatchewan
I was not present at the test-that on
| one occasion spectator took out a
gold piece instead Of the expected
watch, and fooled Hans into telling the
time by it. The story goes that this
spectator had observed that Herr Won
! Osten used to drop his eyes whenever
Hans had stamped out the right NUNS
Der. and that the horse would stop his
hoof- beats as soon as he saw this sig
nal. But this alleged exposure lacks
verification, and even ifsit were true.
it credits the astute Hans with an in
telligence which requires much fur
Their explanation, especially as 1t does
not account for the horses other feats.
&C. A. Brackley.