Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-06-13
MULE AND OXEN
HAVE A COLLISION
Old Steers Frightened and Come
Near Taking Wings The Jersey
As Beef Breed in Tazewell.

Mr.. R. w. Yost, a bright
young man who runs what he
himself calls "a little grocery
store" near Concord church,
was in town Wednesday after a
load of goods. He was driving a
yoke of Jersey steers-lively,
quick stepping fellows, which
seemed to fill the bill. Yost said
one reason why he drove the
steers to town instead of his
young horses, was that the
steers were not afraid of auto
mobiles and things in general
now met with on the road and
streets of this little up-to-date
town, and his horses are, and so
he uses the patient plodding
oxen. He was lying stretched
out on his sacks Of flour and
chop, quietly moving up Taze-
we'll avenue, with one eye peeled
for autos or whatever else of
vehicle likely to be encountered
calculated to disturb the equilib-
rum of his team, when some
thing happened, which came
near causing him to lose faith
in the docility of his Jersey
team. Arthur Lewis, the Jehu
of TaZewell, son of Geo. w.
Lewis and his right-hand man in
the stock business, came down
the street riding a grey mule at
pretty good clip. He always
rides at q pretty rapid gait, and
when he doesn't you may rest
assured that either he or the
horse is sick. On the occasion
referred to nothing was the
matter with either Arthur or
his mule, and things were
moving lively except the steers.
When Just opposite the wagon,
however, the mule put off lit
tie stunt, verred to the left un-
comfortably near the lead steer
and, presto! The steer woke up
and actually leaped in the air
sidewise and came near falling
over the tongue, and putting
the steering gear of the wagon
out of commission. This writer
happened to be nearby and saw
it all, and had a hearty laugh.
1t was about the first time he
ever saw a steer get scared at
anything, and so Yost has con-
cluded that even with his OK
team there is danger, and here
after will steer clear, as it were,
of horseback and muleback
riders as well as vehicles, when
he comes to town. (For our
young friends, Arthur Lewis,
benefit. it is here stated, that
Jehu, to whom he is likened in
this chronicle of passing events,
was a respectable gentleman
mentioned in the Bible as a
rapid, swift rider. This fact is
made plain for fear that Arthur
might conclude that "Jehu"
means something bad, unless he
is a punctual Sunday School
scholar and familiar with the
Bible.)
Speaking of Jersey steers, it
is recalled that Mrs. F. G. S.
Watts, when she lived in Taze-
well, was worthy champion of
the Jersey, not only as a dairy
animal but beef animal and
oxen, as well, and since she left
little has been heard of the little
breed except as milk and butter
producers. Mrs. Watts used to
beat her neighbor, VIM. E.
Peery and others making nice
beef from Jersey cattle and the
boys" had to own "up". 1t is
not known whether or not sister
Watts supplies the beef eaters
of Russell now with Jersey beef
or not, but she can beat 'em if
she tries.
This "steer" gossip recalls
the days of the farm in old Bote-
tourt when the writer used to
"drive 'em' without lines -four
of them, splendid big fellows,
two of them with long horns, as
this was before the days of de-
horning. Buck and Berry, Ned
and Tom, were good steers.
They could bow their backs,
lower their heads and snake
great saw logs out of the brush
where horses could not go, and
break land and go to mill, and
were useful for all purposes
except for riding to church on
Sunday. / have driven them to
church, however, many a time,
filled a clean wagon bed with
straw and dumped the whole
family in and go ahead. Direct
ly after the war, when teams
and everything else were scarce
have seen oxen worked with