The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 6, 1897, Page 27

R i i et i THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY JUNE 6, 11897, 27 QUEER CUSTOM OF BLESSING ANIMALS IN A MEXICAN PROVINCE !.l remains for some student versed in religious lore to tween St ace the connection be- young man’s fanc NS to thouszhts of love,” and ribel by pazan belisf to be the lumb animals seek their ting year, but here lec it suffice to state that it was on this day, the 14th of Febraary, when the ancient Aztec Ppriests biessed the flocks and herds and it ison this d the old priest on the balcony of the Church of Jesus-Maria in Mexico bles<es all animate nature. For a week previous to this eventful day there has been a flurry of prepar alone in the hut of the poor In in the mansion of the rich Castile, who prides I blood coursi the d dant of 1 on the blue ns. Wh desce; citement among the birds and all Ppatient burro to the pugnacious goat, and they make vigorous protests inst the gaudy attire with which they are be- decked. All morning the bustle of prey bas gone on within the houes and cou yards, but on there is an overflow into the sireets, and =oon there is & stead current of most grotesque character, - ting towara the ch ot Jesus-Maria from all ty and adjacent coun blina hum , haughty s s forget th stle alon ¥ on having their in receive a blessing, drops of the holy water that is to be sprinkled over the ass:mbled multitude At the steps of the churchyard, where the streams together or pride together in- idual pets agine {:eam, fora no more unwonted, out spectacle could be sented by the struzgling mass of iened with hou hold place in the old ¢ lock the yard and s are j or we: that pre- human- seen an THE YOUNGEST VETERAN nd, perchance, a few | the de- | i | | may b2 heard { animals as they gister their obje the unusual proceeding. The barking of | | dogs, mewing of cats, rquawking of fowls, { | bleating of sheep and goats and the| creech ng bray of burros miagled with | g in good pandemonium The ceremony begins at 2 o’clock in the | at iniervals of afterncon, and 1s repeated twenty minutes until the hour of 6. 1 voices, either scoiding in anger or humor, make such a | tion of sound that one might well | has broken ile the bedecked animals in the arms of frantic people add a scene from Dar- | / short intermissions be.ween the | wen— eremonies those who have been fortu- iate e to hold vosition within the which the thr r way out e strugg v when one s within | inder the balcon conzeption of the scene may be obtained. In un area of about thirty feet square, «m rounded by rowso th: patio immed tront of the balcony evoat believers of ail rank~, ages and conditions stand, packed almost 1o suffocation, while each ndivid holds high above his or her Liead some favo animal in hopes that ipon it La few of the ble whi health and fertihity for the Then the full oranee trees, within under and in ensuing ¥ it is tha dea may be understood. W.ile it is evi dent in the throng that there isan at- | tempt to bedeck the animals, just what | this decoration is cannot be de- t d until the rated from the held high up in the and goats with tinsel paper animal is sepa- by being :r. Sheep wool and horns, chickens with ribbons about their nec odies and wings, pig: beribboned t entity is almost lost, dogs of al witk paper caps and fantastic gowns, cats dress tesque costumes, monkeys, | rots, doves, in fact every co d in gro- quirrels, par- ble ani William Shute Makes Indisputable Claims to This Distinction. ndreds of m the ho imant are me mmer-boys. exciuded from the tiose considered hrough their te it for sold at dia duty as a drum considered in this s earned for them- selves, for tbey have been the last to come forward. Those who came first were about 18 years old at the time of enlistment. Gradually the age waslowered until the latest clain a man who was but = little over 14 at he entered the serv ce. Tne man reerred to is William C. ite, first mate of the steamer Czarina sailing from this port. It isseveral weeks ce he filea his claim with the proper William C. Shute, From a Picture Taken he Summer Before His Enlistment. it front, and from that day until the time I il { l [ | nd =0 far it has remained un- Shute thinks it will re- says Le is ready 10 give way who will come forward with the proper proofs. Mr. Bhute s 47 years old and of health. He was born in Maiae on August 29, 1849, and enlisted in the army in ; over 14 years of age at the time. is nearly two weeks younger than any pr-vious claimant, and iis date of enlist- ment at least six months eariier. Conse- quen:ly Mr. Shute feels tbat he t on h's laurels. He has jast received am- ple proof his age from his motaer and friends in the East, so stands in no fear oute. He also has his discharge, pension and other papers to prove his term of service, “How did { come to enlist?” said Mr. | Shute, when asked about the matter. *0 nr just because the oiher boys aid. I was | large for my age, and always associated with boys much oider than my-elf; so | when ihey went away to the war, why, I nad 10 go, too. Ot course you know it was necessary to be 18 years of age before the recruiting ofticer would take yon. I was not, <ol ran away from home to Augusta, Me., and swore, faisely of course, that I was 18. Three cflicers refused me, but at last I found one to take my word, and was the nappiest boy in the county. “Youm | I looked upon the whole thing as one long, endless | picnic. Idid not have enough sense or | appreciation of my position 1o know what | fear was, and I looked upon the kiliing of | my comrades as a matter of course, | “Atter about three weeks in the awk- | ward squad I was sent directly to the was wounded it was fight after fight. were not in any big battles, but I think my company must have been in at least a hundred and filty engagements. You can imagine the work we did when I say that our reziment leit the State of Maine with 1000 men; we came back with an even eighty. Nearly ail the others were killed led water falls uzh the throng ne for drops | d to their | 4, being a little ! His age | We | G < | |in an attire suggestive of Saturnalia or carnival dayin the animal kingdom is | here; und havpy indeed is the proud pos- * —_— ' extent that traflic is suspended, and above | mat and bird to be found in or about trop- | sessor of any whose decoration eliciis | the multitude, | the hum of blended vuices of the people i tke vociferous protests of —E participants, and thrice happy is he who | goes away conscious of the fact that in ad- At regular intervals the babble of talk- ing and laughter is bushed while all eyes | mense imiiation g censer, Lyssop and holy water; then come two under-priests, followed by the old priestof the parish, who advances to the fr: he nolds in bis hands with bowed head, as he pronounces the benediction, while the incense perfumes the air. Then rais- | ing the crucifix high above his head he tukes the hyssop ftilled with holy water and sprinkles those benmeath with the precious drops. This ends the ceremor and immediatel are renewel below, In the side sireet adiacent {o the church are congregated horses, mules, burro: cows and oxen, and here a younger priest cfficiates. These larger animals are not so numerous, but they lack none of the gaudy decoration bestowed upon tnose within the churchyard., Here may be seen a battercd and bruised donkey stand- ing with drocping head and downcast countenance as1f he fully realized tha2 lu- dicrous appearance he prasents, with an old pair of trousers drawn over his fore legs. Next to him stands a mild-eyed cow, contentedly chewing her cua, re- gardless of the fact that the castoff bonnet of some “Gringzo'’ bedecks her head, nor does the question of whether 1t ison siraight or not appear to affect her femi- nine mind, Horses with manes and tales beanti- fully plaited and tied with ribbons are made grotesque by the addition of im- zles over their eyes, while upon mules and donkeys the Mexi- can intellect seems to have expended it- selfin an effort 1o make their appearance as ludicrous as possible—some in trousers and in shirts, some in dresses and hats, some in fanciful resemblances to human beings, and all snowing that they feel keenly the lact that they are being laughed at. While it is a religious ceremony and while the day is consecrated, there is un- | derlying the whole such a broad sense of bumor and such an evident desire to make light of the proceeding that an observer is forced to the conclusion that the people are ashamed of their belief, and, while , receiving the crucifix, which | the hum and struggle | his animal b ars some of | appears four acolytes bearing crucifix. | benefir, (Ley are desirous of hiding the ical houses and each and ever— ~nearrayed ' pra'se or comment from the assembied | the precious fluid sprinkled from sbove. irue feeling under a guise of ridicale. Hence it is that the grote:que and the ludicious p-edominate in the ornamenta- tion. Those who witnessed this ceremony vears ago say that then the whole diy [ was kept in a most solemn manner, and that, while the animals were decorated, it | was done with flowers and bright ribbons. | The degeneration has only come with the advent of the new regime which drove out church conirol and brougnt in foreign deas. CLAIRE. Unsinkable Boat. | A resident of Eastbourne has, says an | English paper, it is stated, perfected the invention of an unsinkable boat which, even if full of water and split in a dozen places, keeps its balance on the water. It cannot be capsized by a huge wave like an ordinary boat, but when struck rights at once and rises to the crest of the wave, the water shipped being instantly di chargel. The bost is propelled by a mys. terious power, a secret of the inventor, at a cost of one-twentieth that of steam, and at a higher rate of speed than is attainea by any vessel afioat. It is, perbaps, needless to sdd that this wonderful device has been the sub- ject of such extraordinary statements in the papers, and that we are told, al- most in the same senteunce, that the in- ventor will not part with his ‘“secret” (except at a price), and yet that it has been patented. Thusone operator says: “Mr. Bridge, has, of course, patented his invention, which has been inspected by representatives of the admirality, who have offered for the veteran's secret a price which, while substantial, he is nevertheless advised, is not sufficient. Although the principie governiang the in- vention may be adapted to large vessels, its application up to the present has been | contined to models of crafi used in the | saving of life.” -~ A Presbyterian church at St. Louis gave a birthday party, to which each of the girls was to bring as many pennies as they were years old. The collection of coppers dition to the blessing sent broadcast over ' are turned toward the balcony. First | they are not willing to fore:o possible | was very light, |on the field or afterward died of their| wound “Did I feel afraid when I went into an engagement? Nota bitof it. I felt more year before waen I went with my mother 1o have my picture taken and bad | to sit in front of a camera. A battle seemed to me like rollicking good sport. Something like a snowball fight, only much more exciting and interesting. “When I got shot, however, things were different. AtfirstIthought I had been hit with a big cigb; then I fell down and wondered why I could not getup. When I finally did realize thet I was badiy wounded ail hope left me. I feltasif the battle was over and the Union lost. Of course the battle wenton just the same, | while I swooned and was carried to the | bospital. “Idon't exactly remember how long I | was laid up, but when I did get weil I { joined my old company again and did | more fizhting. The biggest ticht I was in was at Wichita. I was with Grant before Richmond and with Sherman on the famous march to the sea. It was my com- pany that formed the famous Jeff Davis bodyguard. “‘In all my experience I never losta day’s service except when laid up as a re- | sult of my wounds. | “The worst shock I received in all my | career was the duy my mother came to | take me home. She had a righit o do this, | because 1 was not of age, but I scared her | out of it by teliing her 1 would run away again and change my name. Then she never would find me. Under the circum- | stances she thougnt the best thing she could do was to let me alone, as she was | sure to get letters from me at least. After leaving the army at the close of | the war Mr. Shute worked at farming a | few years and then came West, In 1834 | he joined Lincoln Post No. 1, G. A. R., | and is at present a working member, but looks v youthful beside his associates, | Ll s | An American of British Descent. | Persons who were on Twellth | northwest, near the First Precinct Police Station, sbout 3 o’clock yesterday after- noon were surprised to see a small spar- street, row carrying a United Siates flag |in its beak. The flag was nearly four times the size of the bird, which | was several times, bv its weight, forced to the ground. Eich time, how- | ever, after resting for a moment or two, | the eparrow wouid rise in the air, and | afier several attempts finally succeeded in g-tting to a beight of thirty or forty feet, | ana flow down Twelfth street.—Washing: | ton Star, —_— WILLIAM C. SHUTE, THE YOUNGEST KNOWN SOLDIER WHO BORE ARMS DURING THE CIVIl. WAR. [From a photoyraph taken for “The Cail’] THE REMARKABLE STORY OF TWO DOGS If a plan now on foot is carried out th stuft d remains of Bummer and a two of the most famous dozs San Fra cisco ever knew, will be united (in the shape the taxidermist left them) as they were in life—a fitting climax to their remark: able history. | Few, indeed, of the old gusrd of San | Franeiseo citizens do not remember the two old canines and the interest the busi- ness community took in them while they were yet in tae land of the living. | Lazarus was the only dog that ever en- | joyed the freedom of the City by special | act of the Supe:visors and his companion | 1 cause of his rat-kiiling proclivities. He could beat any imported fox-terrier in a | raipit, and at geiting rodents as they ran out of the trap he wasachampion. His many friends by unanimous consent cnristened bim Bummer. Abcut mer's baunts another tramp canine, part terrier, part hound, most ail dog. Tnose who witnessed his advent looked once, for Bummer wa time there appeared in Bum- | days and then looked troubi itas was his custom, be boited out of the door with the morsel in his month. This operation was repeated for several was decided to follow him and learn the cause of his strange actions. Bones and seraps of meat rights as the dog of the City, but to their | lay about, showing that the faithful Bum- astonishment he trotted up to the new- | mer had not allowea his friend to want. comer with many displays of friendship, | In about a week Lizarus was convalescent and appeared ogain with Bammer. The | matter was considered of somuch public | interest that the daily papers all had | stories of the occurrence. A new poundman came down the street one day and proceeded to take Lazarus intocamp. When the news got abroad the man had bard work dodging an angry crowd that threatened to lynch him, but had immunity from the poundman partly | because he was the | of Lazarusand | partly because the poundman knew that | to lasso him was to get himself disiiked ia | the business comm an Alta Calitor- | nia reporter and a penuire Bohemian of the old type, was responsible for the ad- | vent of Bummer in San ncisco dog- dom. Knigbt had been ona visit 10 Pet: luma one day, and on his return was ac- companied by an ungainly looking canine | that reemed a cross between a Scotch ter- rier, a black-and-tan and a Japanese pug. His coat looked like a moth-eaten muff, he had a wall eye and one ear was cropped shorter than the other; and when any one said “Rats!"” he cocked his good eye, threw his long ear in the air and searched | diligently for a rodent in a manner tnat was laughable to behold. Whether Knight's company w. too aris’ ocratic for Bummer’s tramp tastes, or whether he was merely independent, hi-- tory telleth not, but he certainly left his master and began to shift for himself. He lived about the lunch-counters of the bars where the sports of the town congregated | and was a great favorite with them be-. and the two went together off to the nearest luach-counter for a feed. Bummer had recognized a congenial | spirit and had taken him into the fold. For some unknown reason the new- comer was called Lszarus, and from that day the two became inseparable. | At night they slept together, cuddled up in some doorway or convenient packing- | case, and during the day they could often | be seen stretched oat in the sunshine in | some sheltered spot. | The advent of a strange dog was the sig- nal for an attack from both, and the in- truder generally went running down the street with his tail batween his legs and a firm determination to r:turn no more. When the old tuildings that occupiel the present sites of the Pacific F-uit Mar- ket and Clay-street Market were torn down there were hundredsof rats to bes killed and many a merchant would wager stacks of golden coin that either of the two tramps could kiil more of the pests than any other dog 1n San Francisco. They usually won the money with a good margin 10 spars. O.e day Bummer came into the lunch- room of a well-known bar and the fact was | panion carel for ! attended, carrying meat and other edibles | he finally got away with his prize. | A well-known sport was delegated to | purchase the release of the dog, and he was at the pound before the wagon got in ; | with the money to set Lazarus at liberty. At the next meeting of the Supervisors | by popuiar demand a special ordinance | granting Bummer and Lazarus the free- | dom of the City and immunity from cap- | ture was passed, and ihe dog-catcher mo- | lested them no more. ONE OF THE FAMOUS TRAMP DOGS. | Within a few months of Lazarus’ recov- ery Bummer disappeared, and his com- him as he had been to the same cask wherein he had played the role of invalid. Dozens of men peered into the cask every day to see how the sick one pro- gressed, bul none cared to introduce a caressing hand, for Lazarus showed his | immediately noted that he was alone. He | testh and growled warningly when there d and sad and when a scrap | of meat was given him, instead of eating | as any attempt at familiarity. Bummer recovered, and the pair were | soon in their old haunts again, but for & | very snort time. Some heartless wretch | poisoned Lazarus, and Bammer was dis- consolate. He howled and whined and | licka 1 the dead body of his friend, looking Bummer ran down to Commercial street | the while mournfully at the sympathetic where a lot of old crockery casks were | | for a good rough-and-tumble *scrap” at | piled, and there amid the straw was Laza- | jealous of his | rus, an invalid. sports who came to see the corpse. There came very near being a dispute as to who should have the honor of caring for the remains of the deceased canine, but it was settled by th» man who had bought his releese from the pound pro- ducing his receint and taking the carcass. | He was a well-known saloon-keeper on | Sansome street, and sent the remains 10 | Woodward’s Gardens, where Grub, the taxidermist of the resort, stuffed the skin | at an expense to the saloon man of $75. | Bummer was seen to refuse food for several days and moped about with a dis- consolate air. He never recovered his spirits or independent air, and one day, a few months later, when he was kicked down a flight of stairs at the old Faust Keller, on Clay and Montgomery streets, he simply lay down and died. People ubout said that the fall was not | neariy sufficient to k1l him and that he simply died because he had no ambition to inve. The man who kicked him was held un- | til a policeman could be found, wzs ar- rested and fined $20 for cruelty to animals. Bummer’'s remains were likewise sent to the taxidermist and now repose in a life- like attitude ina saloon on Clay street, | n-ar Montgomery. The man who bought out the place for= merly owned by the saloon-keeper who had Lazarus stuffed is anxious to place | Bummer beside his companion in life, and | negotiations have been opened to that end. — N\ \ THE OTHER. SOME NOVEL FEATURES OF WILDBIRD LIFE The bird student who is not afield ay goud part of the tme during these days mis| a ereat deal of pleasure This is the time of all times when bird nature shows most plainiy. Up bere in the foot- hills during the warm heurs in the mid- dle of the day the trees are fall of tiny | birds taking their first lessons:n flizht and the air is tiled with the sound of their incessant piping. It is astonishing what a volume of noise | these wee morsels of life can raise. Three | baby linnets in the branches of a willow | tree the other day kept up such a racket for nearly an hour as wouid have caused | the riot act to be read over them, had there been any one to doit. Whether their parents had left them for good and ail to their own devices [ could not tell, but the old birds dia not sppear for a long time and the babies were evidentiy and clamor- ously hungry. Twosat high up in the tree and the (hird perched upon a low branch., This youngster led the chorus. piping shrilly, while above him the other two made enough more noise to recall | vividly the old conundrum about the pig under a gate. This par.icular tree has for some time been the headquariers of a bachelor tit- mouse—a jolly, happy, sweet-songed little feilow, who bas bad the misfortune to lose a portion of his tail, an imperfection b, while 1t has not soured bis dispo- sition, yet seems to have prevented him from finding favor with the lady birds of his kind, and he has all the spring lived solitary in the willow tree. He was singing cheerily among the branches when the young linnets appeared. and for a long time he seemed in no way disturbed by their commotion. At last, however, when the noise became almost intolerable he began to show signs uf uneasiness. Evi- dently his peace was disturbed and he re- sented it. Apparently heregarded the bird on the lower branch as the ringleader of the | | watehed a pair of thisile-birds the other disturbance and after eying the little creature discontentedly tor a while he nopped down beside it and made threat- ening sdvances toward ir. I was filled with indignation at this. Even the Eng- lish sparrow shows consideration for baby | birds and will not molest one though 1t be of another species, and I looked to see at least as miuch ehivalry in the gentie little titmouse. Nor. as it proved, was I so disappointed. The titmouse stood, for an instant, threat- ening with bill and wings, but the baby | clamored on, with the persistent regu-| larity of a clock that needed oiling. Cheep! cheep! cheep! at intervals of about ten seconds. It was too much for bachelor nerves, and presently the tit- mouse disappeared, but in a few minutes he was back again with a morsel, which he offered to the shrieking infant. Surely altruism could go no further than this, | but though the little bachelor’s intentions | were of the Lest Lis provision was ot to | the linnet’s liking and was ungratefully scorned. Doub:less it would have been acgeptable 10 a baby titmouse, but not 1o a seed-eating linnet. The peeping was renewed with increased vigor and the titmouse finally fled In despalr. A few moments later papa linnet appeared and coaxed the youngsters up into anosk tree, where he proceeded to dive a cropful of cherry pulp, probabiy, among them. It is pretty to waich the seed-eaters feeding their little ones. The seed is first carefully crushed in the bills of the par- ents and tben dropped into the gaping mouths of wne babie. It is wonderfui to note how many seeds it takes 10 satisfy these little creatures. I believe it is Au- daben who states that a woodcock will eat its weight in insects in twenty-four hours, but it certainly seems as if young birds do es much in the seed-devouring line. I day jumping bacs and forth from their nest to one tall thistle-staik, with its blos- soms full of silky seeds. The two must have made twenty trips in less than half an hour, and in that time they completely stripped the thistle blossoms., These birds not only eat the seeds when ripe, but 1 have seen them with their stout little bills cat off head after head of our little yellow thistles, letting them fall to the ground. Ido not know whether they do thisin order to eat the blossoms afterward, or whether it is | done just for miscbief, but itis & very use- ful trick, as it prevents a great many thistles from going to seed. A pair of oluebirds near the house are just now busy feeding four hungry youngscers. ‘These birds have to have a certain amount of fuss and feathers about everything thev do. Mother biuebird flaw home to-day with a plump, lively spider in her bill. She alighted dt the door of her residence, entered, turned around and proceeded to crush the spider upon the threshoid. Her mate sat upon a dead branch of eucalyptus, near by, and shouted approval. Having broken the spider up she retired with a portion and, presuma- bly, gave it to one of the babies. Then she popped her head out and exchanged salu- tations with the head of the house, on his branch. Then another morsel was carried inside. She repeated this performance half a dozen times, when, the feast finished, off they both flew. The mother bird does most of the feed- ing. 1nfact, I have not noticed the male bluebird do anything more than attend her upon her trips to and fro in search of food. He occasionaily enters the nest, and it may that he does feed {he young birds, but I have never really seen any- thing in his bill, whereas she always comes laden with big bugs or long worms. The young birds of every svecies are manifestly enjoying life. They chase one another about among the tireesand get under foot with their_elders in a way st-ongly suggestive of human childhcod at | a picnie. A pair of young goldfinches flew straight into my face this morning and [ took them in my hands. One made no resistance, nor did either seem afraid, but the smaller of the two madea ferce at- tack upon my finger with his litle bill. Indeed, the fury of the tiny creature was astonishing. | Itook the two imto the house and gave | them bread and milk, which one tcok eagerly,” but the other, while lhe did ' eat a little, spent most of time pecking savagely at my hand and scolding in & high, shrill key. I had a similar experience w a voung grosbeak that I put my hand upon by accident as I passed through a thick-t. He. too, showed no fear, even letting me pick him np again and again, but each | time he resented the liberty by pecking furionsiy at my fingers. A paby song-sparrow that I chanced upon was more clever than either of these. The little creature could scarcely fly, but it made a dash into some tall wesds just at my feet. Stooving, I made a careful search among the stalks. I knew the bird was there not a foot from my hand, yet [ could find not a single trace of it. At last, concluding that it must have crept off thronzh the grass, Isteppea back, when up it sprang from the very weed my hand had last touched. Only its perfect stili= ness bad saved it from detection. He must be quick who finds and catches. a young quail. The little creatures lie flat at one’s approach, looking for all the world like dead leaves. Only their shin- ing eyes betray them, and these the casual observer does not note. Come too near, however, and a low call is sounded by the mother-bird, and insiantly the little brown leaves run off with wonder ul fleetness through the grass. They a quick as lizards in their motion once they W ApeLINE KNarp.