The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1950-08-24
HORSE AND
BUGGY DAYS
by
Ida 10 Martin

But of course in the days when
people talked of horses instead of
horsepower, everybody rode, but
not necessarily bareback. Now
when it came to riding them that
way, much depended on the horse.
You did not have to go to the wild
west to find horses that were tricky; !
in fact remember one, the family
driving horse, named Dan" who
was a beautiful horse, held his
head high, and was quite delight
to ride behind when hitched to the
buggy. But we children never rode
him and more than once he slipped
one over on the older folks, for if
while riding him, one let him get his
head down, the next thing was a
quick hump of the back that landed
you some place else. Naturally no
one tried to ride him bareback.
Now there is another kind of
horse back riding, quite the other
extreme from bareback; that is the
kind of riding that many farm chill
dren do first, riding the Flooding
pillow horse, with all the pillow
gears" in place. 1t was on one
such horse that 1 had my first, (and
perhaps my only runaway ride.
A thunder storm was coming, and
at the time was more afraid of the
thunder and lightning than of the
running horse, but the older folks
were very much frightened. But
pillow horses usually are not so dra-
matte in their run and so
we landed quite safely, though in a
little shorter time than usual, at the
barn. Now all the gears are help
to keeping on, but little dangerous
if you do fall.
Here is a little side light on the
riding of horses in the old days,
back one hundred and forty some
years, as shown in a peculiar toast
that was drunk at public gathering
in HagerStown in celebration of some
political victory. This was the last
of a long list of toasts, and was
made spontaneously, as follows:
"a thin pair of breeches, a Porcu-
pine Saddle, a hard trotting horse,
and everlasting riding, to the enemies
of Republicanism."
On this same occasion there were
a number of other toasts that were
of interest, some rather humorous,
some pertinent for today-here are
some of them: "a speedy extin-
guishment of the National Debt
(this was in 1902! Perpetual con-
fusion and disgrace, to rogueS great
and small, IN and OUT Of office;
May the friends of peace daily in
crease and the encouragers of war be
transported affair."; May we never
again be tormented with Alien and
Sedition Laws, Excise, Stamp Acts
and raft of public officers, too proud
to beg and too lazy to work; from
such of vermin, good Lord deliver
u.s.; (AmenD May Peace, Lib
erty, and Plenty bless this favored
land, till time shall be no more"
Now to get back to the horse: Sc
far as I know Hagerstown still has {
rule on the books that was put there
many years ago, making it illegal tt
feed a horse, or any animal, on any
of the streets or alleys And yol
dare not hitch your horse to an!
pole or lamp post.
Speaking of feeding animals
there was one incident mentioned il
these columns once, about two sis
tiers, in the Dry Run section, wh'
believed that the evil spirits hat
gotten into their cattle, and who de
cided that the way to drive them on
was to deprive the cattle of food AM
water. This they did, and it work
ed, for all signs of spirits of any kin,
were completely driven out of four
teen head-as they died of starva
ton.
And now, back little farther, w
find one of the very last of the ''Pa
triots' who fought in the war for tn
independence in 1776. This wa
John Barnheiser, who lived alone o
South Mountain before .1848 an
came into Hagerstown once eac
month to draw his pension. He die
at Quincy, Pa, in the year 1910, {
the age of 106 years.
In the same account, several othe
centenarians are mentioned: the1
was Martin Reckert who lived
the age of one hundred six veal
and eleven months, and spent muc
of his time alone on top of tt
mountain back of Clear Spring. f
had come to this country from Gel
many and had often made his boa
that he had voted at every Pre-
idential election from Washingtc
to Buchanan inclusive. He died