The Horse Got Tired
July 22, 1899
Summary
A “fat woman” rides her horse into town, and the citizens witness the horse collapsing under her weight.
Transcription
Fat Woman’s Equine Pet Goes on a Strike and Makes His Angry Mistress Walk Home.
A woman weighing 200 pounds driving on West Chicago avenue behind a diminutive horse furnished amusement for a small crowd yesterday, said the Chicago Daily News. She got as far as Grand avenue. The little horse concluded to stop. Upon being urged to proceed by his weighty burden, he merely sat down upon his haunches. Another “get up” from the woman caused him to lie down flat.
The woman got out and a crowd began to gather. A couple of men unhitched the animal, got him up, harnessed him into the buggy and helped his owner back to her seat. Again she clucked affectionately and again the horse lay down. The unhitching and rehitching process was repeated as was also the animal’s part of the show a moment later. After the routine had been gone through with four times and concluded with the same spiteful kicking by the little horse a broken shaft and ruptured harness, a well-meaning man stepped out from the crowd and patted the horse lovingly on the head, saying: “Poor, little pet: whoa, pet.” The crowd laughed and the fat women angrily exclaimed:
“A mischief of a pet he is. I’d like to jerk him inside out.”
After many suggestions from the crowd, the irate woman finally hired an expressman to hitch the buggy to his wagon, tie the horse on behind and take the outfit home.
When the procession got started west it was followed in the street by an exceedingly angry and dusty woman.
A woman weighing 200 pounds driving on West Chicago avenue behind a diminutive horse furnished amusement for a small crowd yesterday, said the Chicago Daily News. She got as far as Grand avenue. The little horse concluded to stop. Upon being urged to proceed by his weighty burden, he merely sat down upon his haunches. Another “get up” from the woman caused him to lie down flat.
The woman got out and a crowd began to gather. A couple of men unhitched the animal, got him up, harnessed him into the buggy and helped his owner back to her seat. Again she clucked affectionately and again the horse lay down. The unhitching and rehitching process was repeated as was also the animal’s part of the show a moment later. After the routine had been gone through with four times and concluded with the same spiteful kicking by the little horse a broken shaft and ruptured harness, a well-meaning man stepped out from the crowd and patted the horse lovingly on the head, saying: “Poor, little pet: whoa, pet.” The crowd laughed and the fat women angrily exclaimed:
“A mischief of a pet he is. I’d like to jerk him inside out.”
After many suggestions from the crowd, the irate woman finally hired an expressman to hitch the buggy to his wagon, tie the horse on behind and take the outfit home.
When the procession got started west it was followed in the street by an exceedingly angry and dusty woman.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Elias Sturim
Citation
“The Horse Got Tired,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed April 24, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1038.