Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-10-16
Blue Blazes
And the Marrins
of Him
By sEwELL FORD
Copyright, 1908, by Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons
tcUNTINUED.]

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+. took full course In yiciou.
ricks. He learned how to crowd q
.nan against the side of stall and
ow TO reac!. him when at his head by
an upward and forward stroke Of the
forefoot. He could kick straight be-
hind with lightning quickness or give
the hoof sweeping side movement
most comprehensive and unexpected.
The -knack of lifting the bits with the
tolgua and showing them forward of
the bri.lle teeth came In time. 1t made
running away matter Of choice.
When it became necessary to cause
diversion he would balk. He no Ion
ger cared for whips. Physically and
mentally lie had become hardened to
blows. Men he had ceased to fear, for
most Of them feared him, and he knew
it. He only despised und hated them.
One exception Blue BlaZes made. This
was in favor of men and boys with
red hair and freckles. Such he would
not knowingly harm. A long memory
had the roam.
Toward his own kind Blue Blazes
bore himself dcfantly. Double har-
ness was something he loathed. One
was not free to work his will on the
despised driver II hampered by pole
and mate. In such cases he nipped
names and kicked under the traces un-
til released. He had special antipa-
thy for gray horses and fought them
OH the smallest prOvocatiOn or upon
none at all.
AS q result Blue BlaZes, while know
ing no masters, had many owners,
sometimes three in single week. He
began his career by fillin. three
months engagement as livery horse.
but after he had run away dozen
times, wrecked several carriages and
disabled hostler he was sold for half
his purchase price.
Then did he enter upon his wander
ings in real earnest. He pulled street
cars, delivery wagons, drays and ash
carts. He was sold to unsuspecting
farmers, who when his evil traits crop
ped out swapped him unceremoniously
and with ingenious prevarication by
the roadside. In the natural course of
events he was much punished.
Up and across the southern peninsu-
Ia of Michigan he drifted contentious
ly, growing more vicious with each en-
counter, more daring after each VIC
tory. In Muskegon he sent the driver
of a grocery wagon to the hospital with
shoulder bite requiring cauterization
and four stitches. In Manistee he
broke the small bones in the leg of a
bakers large boy. In Cadillac board
ing stable hostler struck him with an
iron shovel. Blue B!aZes kicked the
hostler quite accurately and very sud-
denly through window.
Between Cadillac and Kalaska 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 Alpena he found an owner
who, having read something very con-
vincing in horse trainers book, elab-
orately strapped the roan's legs ac-
corGing to diagram and then went into
the stall to wreak vengeance with q
riding whip. Blue Blazes accepted one
cut. after which he crushed the aven-
ger against the plank partition until
three of the mans ribs were broken.
The Alpena man was fished from un-
der the roan's hoofs Just in time to
save his life.
This incident earned Blue Blazes the
name of "man killer" and it 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.
When purchasers for four legged
hurricane could no longer be found
Blue Blazes was sent up the lake to
an obscure little port where they have
only Tuesday and Friday steamer,
and where the blue r0an's record was
unknown. Horses were In demand
there. In fact, Blue .Blazes was sold
almost before he had been led down
the gangplank.
"Look out for him." warned the
steamboat man. Hes wicked brute"
"Oh. I've got a little job that'll soon
take the cussedness out Of him." said
the purchaser, with laugh.
Blue Blazes was taken down into the
gloomy forehold of a three masted
lake schooner, harnessed securely be-
tween two long capstan bars and SET
to walking In an aimless circle while q
creaking cable was wound about o
drum. At the other end Of the cable
were fastened from time to time
squared pine logs weighing half ton
each. It was the business Of Blue
Blazes to draw these timbers into the
hold through a trapdoor opening In the
stern. There was nothing to kick save
the stout bar, and there was no one to
bite. Well out Of reach stood a man
who cracked whip and, when not
swearing forcefully, shouted ICED
a-a-ap"
For several uneventful days he was
forced to endure this exasperating con.
ditiOn Of affairs with but single
break In the monotony. This came on
the first evening. when they tried to
unhook him. The experiment ended
with half a blue flannel shirt in the
teeth Of Blue Blazes and a badly
scared lumber shower hiding In the
fore peak. After that they put grain
and water in buckets. which they eau.
tiously showed within his reach.
or course there had to be an end to
this. In due time the Ellen B. was full
of square timbers. The captain noti-
fed the owner Of Blue BlaZes that he
might take his hlanketv b'anked horse