Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-13

now 10 feacH 1tm WH@n at lis ueau Dy
an upward and forward stroke of the
forefoot. He could kick straight be-
hind with lightning quickness or give
the hoof q sweeping side movement
most comprehensive and unexpected.
The knack of lifting the bits with the
tongue and showing them forward Of
the bride teeth came In time. 1t made
running away a matter Of choice
When it became necessary to cause
diversion he would balk. He no lon
ger cared for whips. Physically and
mentally he had become hardened to
blows. Men he had ceased to fear, for
most of them feared him, and be knew
it. He only despised and 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 de6antIy. Double har-
ness was something he loathed. One
was net free to work his will on the
despised driver If hampered by a 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
on the smallest provocation or upon
hone at all. sls # q ~ szss.l;tss-sa-.j
AS result Blue Blazes, while know
ing no masters, had many owners,
Gin q
began his career by filling three
months engagement as livery horse,
but after he had run away dozen
times, wrecked several carriages and
disabled a 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 snapped 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-
la of Michigan he drifted contentious
~, growing more vicious with each en-
counter, more daring after each VIC
tory. In Muskegon he sent the driver
of grocery wagon to the hospital with
a 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 Blazes 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 a horse trainers book, elab-
orately strapped the roan's legs ac-
cording to diagram and then went into
the stall to wreak vengeance with a
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 imam killer" and it stuck. He
even figured in the newspaper dis
patches ''Blue Blazes, the Michigan
Man Killer "The Ugliest Horse
AliYe,'' .''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 roan's record was
unknown. Horses were In demand
there. In fact, Blue Blazes was sold
almost before he had been led down
the gangplank.
ssLook out for him, warned the
man. Hes wicked brute"
"Oh, I've got little job that'll soon
take the cussedness out of him." said
the purchaser, with laugh.
Blue Blazes was taken down into the
gloomy forehoId of a three masted
lake schooner, harnessed securely be-
tween two long capstan bars and set
to walking in an aimless circle while a
cable was wound about a
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 ''Ged-
a-a-apY'
For several uneyentful days he was
forced to endure this exasperating con-
ditionA of affairs with but a single
break in the monotony. This came on
the first evening, when they tried to