Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1871 — Fierce Attack Upon a Farmer by an Enraged Horse. [ARTICLE]

Fierce Attack Upon a Farmer by an Enraged Horse.

From several farmers coming Into town, yesterday, from the township of Taylor, our reporter learned the particulars of a very exciting-affair which occurred in that township, about seventeen miles from Detroit, on Sunday last. A man named Pierce Andrews returned that' morning with a young horse wltieh he had purchased at Wyandotte. In riding the animal home, Andrews had to give him several whippings, and was once or twice run away witlfi-and thus, when he arrived h jme he was tired out, and the horse was nervous and excited. There being some goods packed away in the stables, Andrews took the horse in on the barn floor to tie him. While so doing the animal bit him, and for this lie was soundly belabored with the handle of a broken pitchfork. After being struck several times, he broke loose and ran at Andrews, and struck him doevn with one of his fore feet. While in this posi tion the farmer received a bad injury from being stepped on, but managed to get up and show fight, still retaining possession of his weapon. The horse reared, kicked and uttered mad neighs, and in a moment struck the man down again. Andrews fell so close to a partition that the horse could not get at hitn well, and hire he kept the beast at bay by pounding its legs with a club. _ “The people at the house had heard sounds of the struggle, and a hired man and the family were soon around the door. As the horse seemed to quiet down a little, the man shouted to Andrewstocrawlcareiully along to the door. This the farmer started to do, but had not crawled three feet when the horse pounced upon him again, aud this time dislocated his shoulder by a blow of a hoof. The horse then commenced pktnging and kicking at everything, jumping at Andrews whenever the farmers moved, and in this emergency, St ing that he was likely to be killed, he shouted for the man to get the family out of the yard and then open the door, supposing that the animaiwould then go out. This was done, but the horse plunged out and in again with such rapidity that the Farmer could not escape, the animat making at him every time he tried it. As a last resort, the hired man loaded an army musket with fine shot, and gave the horse the full charge in the shoulder at short range. The beast went down, jumped up, made a few circuits of the yard, and then leaped the fence into the pasture, and ran until tired out. Andrews was badly bruised in many places, had a shoulder dislocated, as stated, and will be confined to the house for sonde time. The horse received considerable injury from the gunshot, but it is thought a veterinary surgeon can heal the wound. —Detroit Free Press.