The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1909-06-01

To watch for five minutes at some
one of the congested points of New
forks thoroughfares, where several
streets intersect and mounted police
men, posted amid whirlpools of traffic.
unravel the tangled snarl of crowd
ing teams, automobiles, pedestrians. all
at cross purposes, brings home to the
spectator with forcible effect the real
ization that it is the horse which is
In the main responsible for the safe
guarding of the city streets, and that
a stupid or ill-trained animal would
bring about disaster
In fact, fully the greater part Of the
| work falls on the horse; the man up
on its back only thinks and points and
talks, while the horse carries him to
the strategic point, or, swinging about,
or Siding, or backing, throws it's
body into the breach without ever a
| quaver at the ever-imminent danger
to itself.
Watch a police force handling a
crowd and you cannot but admire the
intelligent discrimination with which
the horse, while apparently threaten
-
never really hurts any one.
On New Years Eve in New York. ac-
cording to newspaper estimates, near
ly million people thronged up and
down Broadway and Wall Street to
hear the midnight chimes ring out
from Trinity steeple-or, rather, to
drown the music of those chimes with
the blatant blare of innumerable tin
horns.
Six weeks before that, on Election
Night, when Mr. Taft came into his
own, it was reported that over a
million people crowded about the bull
letin-boards and canvas sheets exhibit
ed along Newspaper Row and up and
down Broadway.
During both of these outpourings of
the giant city's multitude there were
no casualties or accidents of moment.
The credit for this, very properly, was
claimed by the police of New York, and
particularly by the thousand-odd men
Of the Metropolitan Traffic squad. No
one had good word TO say for the
horses; on the contrary, many OF
those who had to give way before their
hoofs cursed them roundly; yet, if
credit were given where it rightly be-
longed for the work of those two
nights, the horses should at least re-
ceive an honorable mention.
There is in New York a horse be-
longing TO a mounted policeman sta
toned on Wall street, whose business il
is to keep the narrow roadway Of that
crowded street as clear as possible
from pedestrians. AT the lunch hour
many of the messenger boys employed
by the brokers of the so-called "curb
market" who transact their business in
the open, make it their habit to squat
down on the curb as they eat their
luncheon. Ordinarily this is a prac-
tice not to be tolerated by any intelli-
gent police horse But during the noon
hour this horse is willing to make ex
ception. Therefore, when by chance
it's rider drives it along the curb at
that hour, the horse, with a know
ing wink to the boys, carefully steps
over every one of their outstretched
legs. The boys know just what to ex-
pect and never stir. incidentally, this
forbearance on the part of the horse is
apt to result in banana peels or apple
cores handed up from the sidewalk
This is an unusual trick, of course.
yet any one of the eight hundred
horses now doing duty in the Mount
ed Police squad of New York could be
taught to do the same thing.
The reason for This is that all the
horses in the Traffic Squad have been
selected with a special eye to intelli
gence and good horse sense, and, fur
thermore, they have all been put
through a special course of horseman-
ship.
The man who is responsible for all
this Is Mr. r. II. Stanton, who bears
the official title of Foreman of Horse
and Horse Equipments in the New
York Police Department, but is best
known among horsemen as Buffalo
Bits Laramie Kid"
He 1t is who, with the aid of a Dep
uty Commissioner and a veterinary
surgeon, purchases every horse that
goes into the Mounted Police Force OF
Greater New York, and who is respon-
sible for it's proper training and gen
eral welfare both before and after it's
final entry into the police service. I'M
addition to this 81 devolves upon MI
Stanton to purchase all horse supplies
such as fodder, blankets, saddles
brides, halters, shoes. spurs soap, cur
rycombs and brushes. as well as horse
medicine. Besides this he must main
tain general supervision over all po-
lice stables, and over the Police Rid.
ing school and Horse-training Farm al
Jamaica, on Long Island.
As might be inferred Mr. Stanton
is very busy man. and his inspection
automobile is kept so constantly In
service that it is a hard thing ever tC
catch him at leisure.
To see Mr.. Stanton at his best ON,
should watch him either while ne is se
lecting a horse for purchase or wher
he takes a hand I'm training some spec
tally difficult steed out at Che horse
farm.
In the purchase of police horses GER
tain rules prevail These rules are
mostly Of Mr. Shantons own making
For instance. no mares or stations. ar,
ever chosen. All must be geldings aut
all must be of uniform height, weigh
and color That is. no horse uude
I a b..