Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
REFUGE FOR HORSES.
Red Cross Farm Near Boston Affords
Relief From Suffering.
From the Boston Transcript.

From the Boston Transcript.
Red Acre Farm, as probably most readers
OF the Transcript are aware, is home for
horses, situated in the town >of Stow, and
about twenty-three miles from Boston. A
similar refuge was opened at Acton, near
London, in the year 1885; but the home at
Red Acre is the first of its kind to be es-
tablshed in this country. If 1t can be main
tanned long enough-for new charities make
their way slowly-it is certain that this in
stitution will be copied in other parts of
the country, and therefore any money given
to the farm has a double function-it saves
some suffering now, and will have the eff
feet Of saving ten times more in the future.
Every cent contributed to the Massa-
chusetts refuge goes directly to the sup
port Of the horses-there is nothing to pay
for rent of the farm or of the buildings
or for the services Of the managerial
these are generously given by the manager
and founder OF the enterprise In the hope
that some generous heart will be touched
the treasurer begs leave to make the follow
ing statement: The farm has been in opera
ton for nearly two years. The first year
l. received. seventy-two horses; during the
present, the second year, this number has
been increased considerably. and from IF
teen to twenty horses may usually be found
there Some of them are family favorites,
pensioned in their old age; but most of
them are horses which, in one way or an
other, have been rescued from state of
great misery. OF these, some require only
food, rest and perhaps medical or surgical
treatment, to become fit for work; and
when so fit they will be loaned or let to
trustworthy persons and in such situa-
lions that they can be kept under observa-
ton. No horses will be sold.
But many of the horses at the farm are
from old age, lamepess or other cause in
capable of being restored to health and
strength, and these animals, after such a
period Of rest and horse-happiness as cir
cumstances permit, will mercifully be killed
The sufferfngs of this class OF horses are
increased a hundred fold in severe winter
weather. But 1t may be asked why do
the owners keep them? Why don't they
kill them to put them out of their misery?
In many cases the reason is simply that
strange inertia which marks the degenerate
class, and especially the rural degenerates.
In other cases-and these perhaps are The
more numerous-the horse is kept along
from day to day with a vague hope that
some purchaser will turn up.
There Is a large traffic in broken-down,
worn-out, diseased and suffering horses,
and jockeys of the most degraded char
acter make q precarious living from IL.
Recently, in one day, at Lowell fourteen
horses were sold by auction, the highest
price for any one of them being So In one
day at one auction stable in Boston ten
horses were purchased at prices ranging
from So TO 81. II horse can walk TO the
knackers he may be worth 3d. and the
wretched animal is often bought for 81 upon
the chance that he may be able to make
the Journey without dropping dead on the
way. On Wednesdays and saturdays Vhe
sale days) a collection of feeble and dead
lame horses may sometimes be seen, after
dark slowly and painfully making their
way to a certain rendering establishment