Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-28
THE HORSE IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
Was Introduced BY Spanards, Not
withstanding Claims to Contrary.

Was Introduced BY Spaniards, Not
withstandins Claims to Contrary.
1t will not be uninteresting to many
to say something Of the wild breed OF
horses of Carolina and Southern
America. Pearson, in his unpublish-
ed History of Fairfield" laborT
through several pages, and with con
siderable plausibility. to prove that
the horse was a native of the CONT
nent and well known to the INDIANS
long before the first visits of the Eu-
ropeans. Some of his statements are
at least novel.
At the period, he affirms, of the
settlement of Carolina by Sayle and
his followers, in 1870 immense droves
of wild horses were found subsistlng
upon the natural pastures of the
country The coloniStS soon learned
to take them in Snares, and great
numbers of them, it is reported by old
settlers, were caught in this way. Old
Jessy Sadden, long since dead, point
ing on one occasion to valley on his
served: IN my boyhood / often saw
large herds of wild horses rushing
along that valley in a wild stampede;
and so great were their numbers that
the ground on which our cabin stood
shook under their tread"
The opinion that this noble quad
ruped is not a native of America
seems to have originated chiefly from
few casual remarks, found IN the
chronicles of first discoveries and eX-
plorers. 1t is a striking incident, and
often repeated of the cavaliers of
Cortes, in his invasion of Mexico, that
they were taken by the simple natives
when first seen approaching on horse
back to be so many monsters COM
posed partly of the body of the horse
and partly of that of man. from
this it was hastily concluded that they
had never before seen the horse, While
there is clearly an equal probability
that their establishment did not arise
from the sight of the horses but the
novel complexion, strange costume
and extraordinary pageantry of the
stern cavaliers who rode them; and
so great was the impression made
upon their imaginations that 1t was
easy for them to fancy natural con-
nection between the Spaniards and
their steeds. But neither the pagean-
try nor the wonderful race OF men
thus presented to the view of the Mex
leans was requisite to produce such
an effect upon their unSophlstlcated
minds 1t is well known that the buff
falo was originally found roaming
over the whole extent of the Southern
Atlantic and Gulf states, but no Indi-
an or Mexican had ever used them for
purposes of draught or burden. Sup
pose. therefore, that instead of horses,
the Spaniards had approached the
City of Mexico mounted upon the
backs of domesticated buffaloes, would
the establishment of the natives have
been less or their imagination less ac-
tive?
An incident is related in the primi-
tive history of Carolina. which pre-
cisely illustrates the point in view.
When the Catawba Indians first heard
of the arrival of Sayle on the coast
they inStantly-so the tradition runs
dispatched war party TO reconnoi-
ter the movements and appearances of
the strangers. Proceeding to the
banks of the Ashley, the party con-
cealed themselves in a glade in full
view of the sea. and there, for the
first time, beheld the ships of the
white men as they rode at anchor.
What great BIRDS" they exclaimed to
one another. and very soon they saw
the English themselves hurrying to
and fro, with strange motions and yet
stranger dress. both in the vessels and
on land. But an object now appeared
that astonished them almost as much
as the ShipS-a man leading out
horse to tether to grass on the glade
not far from their hiding place. On
their return to the nation this circum-
stance was related as a subject of pc
culiar interest, yet the country, at that
period. aDounded in wild horses: they
must have seen hundreds OF them on
the paths. as they passed to and from
the coast: but horse with a bell on.
and tethered to grass, was sight suf-
| ficient to excite the wonder of any
savage on the continent.
In this plausible manner, the ami
BILE chronicler of Fairfield ventures to
| lay claim to the American nativity OF
| the horse The argument, however.
is more ingenious than historically
truthful. 1t cannot be denied that the
Spaniards introduced into the coun-
| try the original stock, from which the
wild breed of the prairie. both OF the
period and of the present, are de-
scended. After much observation
among the Southern Indies. Bartram
! informs us that the horse was not
originally found in their possession.
| OF the wild horses of the SeminOleS,
which he met in East Florida, he
writes: They are the most beautiful
and sprightly species of that noble
creature. perhaps, anywhere to be
seen. but are of a small breed. and as
deliCately formed as the American roe
buck. The horse in the Greek tongue,
is eCnOclucco. the great deer. The
Seminole horses are said To have de-
Scended from the Andulusian breed
brought here by the Spaniards, when
they first established the colony of
east Florida. From the forehead to
| their nose is little arched or acqui-
lene. and so the the fine ChOctaw
| hn
are said to have been brought thither
from New Mexico across the MiSSiS-
Sippi by those natives of Indians who
| emigratcd from the west beyond the
river.
These horses are everywhere like
the Spanish breed. only larger. and
perhaps not 50 lively and capricious.
| 1t is 4 matter of conjecture, whether
or not the different soil and situation
of the country may have contributed
in some measure. in forming the diff
ference i'm size and other qualities be-
Tween them. ! have observed the
horses and other animals of the high.
| hlly country Of Carolina. are of
Il much larger and stronger make
than those which are bred in the fiat
country. next the SeaCOast. \ buck
skin of the ChcrOkees will weigh twic"
as much as those bred in the low. fiat
country of Carolina"
| Lawson. though he gives us quite a
curious and minute journal of an cX-
lCurSion which n" made carly in the
beginning IF the eighteenth century.
from Charleston. through portions OF
the middle and upper country. APP
pears To nave seen no wild horses, un-
less he includes them i'm the general
term cattle. II" speaks of passing
several large SavamnahS. wherein are
curious ranges for cattle" In n de-
Scrirtlon. which foll"NS. however. of
i sranG town dance that h" witness
ed among the WaXhawS. in the present
territory of Lancaster he speaks of the
women leading off in the joyous cir
Gle. having hawks bills tied about
their ncCkS. and great bells for horses
raSt"ncC t. their legs. ON tn" luNur-
: iant can; pastures of the Tugaloo and
k"uwcc rivers. and. doubtless. at quite
Ian early period. on the richer Savan-
mans of the Lung-Cane ana Saluda,
aS we'll as beyond the mountains. the
ChcrokcrS kept immense drovcS "i
norS"S tha' ruam"G as wild and fire."
as the deer uf the same region. These
horses were said Ia have been of Il
very superior quality: the Ihcr"k""'
we're famous Jockeys. and exceeding
| Ia. u,r,U.J in, th.ir ind pf those