Chapter V

YORK—PORT DEPOSIT—BALTIMORE—SUCCESS—DIPLOMA—GETTING WHIPPED—CLASS OF 3,500.

Early in the spring of 1870, I entered the city of York. The roads were bad, making traveling, outside of the city, difficult and unpleasant, so that few came in from the surrounding country. Notwithstanding this, I met with encouraging success, and during the three days of my stay I formed a class of one hundred and thirty members. Amongst my pupils was an old man who had numbered a hundred and five years of life. After studying my system he declared that, during the short period of my stay, he had received more valuable instruction relating to horse education than in all his previous life.

I next pitched my tent in the beautiful village, Port Deposit, and was gratified by receiving a good “deposit” from the hands of the people, as nearly one hundred of them joined my class. It was at this place that I achieved a victory which spread my name far and wide. A horse, notoriously vicious, was brought for me to educate. He was an animal who, as I was credibly informed, had killed his former owner, eaten the leg nearly off his son and fearfully mangled the arm of the groom. I applied my system in all its force, knowing that he would require decided treatment to subdue him, and, to the amazement of the spectators, in a little while the ferocious steed became gentle as a lamb. He stood in the presence of that gazing multitude entirely subdued. When the excitement had somewhat subsided, some of the leading and influential citizens were so impressed with the value of my system as to exert themselves in getting up a testimonial which, after being numerously signed, was presented to me, and which I have since had the pleasure of exhibiting to thousands. The following description of the horse referred to and of the success with which I trained him may prove interesting to the reader:

PORT DEPOSIT, MD., _August 31, 1870_.

We, the undersigned, residents of this place and vicinity,
were induced to enter Prof. Pratt’s class for instructions
in educating the horse. At first many of us doubted the
superiority of his system, especially from the low price he
charges for instructions, believing it impossible to learn so
much in a short space of time for so little money; suffice
it to say, we went in and all were more than satisfied.
Illustrative of which we give a brief description of the
“Biting Horse,” owned by Mr. Snyder, near this town. This horse
is a brown stallion, 15½ hands high, closely built, and an
animal of great endurance, for which he is highly valued by Mr.
Snyder, who purchased him of a farmer in New Jersey for a very
low price on account of his most pernicious habit of _biting_,
the horse having bitten out two ribs of the farmer and broken
the leg of the son. Whilst in possession of his present owner
he has bitten off the arm of his groom, who brought him into
the Professor’s pavilion. We saw and conversed with this
groom. The horse had on a strong iron muzzle, a pine stick was
inserted in the mouth, which he seized with madness; upon its
removal he gritted his teeth most fiercely. In twenty minutes
or less, Prof. Pratt had the muzzle off, his hand in the
horse’s mouth pulling out the tongue. In a few minutes after he
drove the same horse in the street without holdbacks. When he
said “whoa,” the horse stopped. When he said “go,” the horse
went. Thus proving to two hundred that his system is no fraud,
but of all others “excelsior.”

The scholars in this place numbered in three days 87, among
whom were the following named gentlemen:

W. E. England, pastor M. E. Church, Port Deposit, Md.; J. B.
Ramsay, cashier Cecil National Bank; Edward West; N. W. Nolan;
Eli Cosgrove, ex-sheriff Cecil County; F. M. Alexander; Wilbur
Kidd; Thomas D. Foran; Anthony S. Davis; J. Tome, president
Cecil National Bank; Wm. M. Long; Thos. E. Davis, etc.

Baltimore, the Monumental City, noted for its beautiful parks, pleasure grounds and monuments, was my next field of labor. After viewing the city over and receiving introductions to many of its influential citizens numbers of whom afterwards became warm friends, I betook myself to labor.

As on some former occasions, I found it necessary to build two academies, and so erected one in the old and one in the new town. At first there seemed a backwardness on the part of the people, and a week passed without the manifestation of much interest; but soon the indifference gave way and from that point the interest increased daily until, before the close of the seventy days I remained in Baltimore, I had the great pleasure of enrolling the names of three thousand five hundred of her citizens as members of my class.

My stay in Baltimore was especially marked by kindnesses from numerous members of my large class, many of whom it would give me pleasure to name, associated as numbers of them are with pleasant seasons of enjoyment, but lest I should become prolix, I will content myself with saying that most unexpectedly to me my class presented me with a flattering address accompanied by an elegant whip mounted with gold and inlaid with pearl—a gift both beautiful and useful. How it occurred is described by the pen of another as follows:

HOW PROFESSOR PRATT WAS WHIPPED BY THE BALTIMOREANS.—The
Amphitheatre of Prof. Pratt, the Horse Educator, at the corner
of Green and Pratt streets, was crowded on Thursday night,
by an appreciative audience, to witness the education of a
number of horses. Near the close of the free exhibition, an
interruption occurred by a Mr. Murdock, introducing F. P.
Stevens, Esq., a member of the Baltimore Bar, who made the
following eloquent and pithy speech, in presenting an elaborate
whip to Prof. Pratt: “On behalf of the members of your class
in this city, numbering over 3,000, I have been requested to
present to you, on parting with us, some memento of our high
regard for you personally, and of our estimation of your most
admirable system of Horse Education. That the instructions
you have imparted to us have been valuable and useful, no one
of us who own horses would hesitate to testify, not only your
instructions as to the Management, Education and Treatment of
the Horse, but in developing to us in the numerous Lectures,
the disposition and nature of the noble animal; that your
course of instruction has been popular among us, the numerical
strength of the class announces you, and I take great pleasure
in presenting you this token of friendship and good will and
hope that you may ever recur with pleasure to your visit to the
Monumental City, and as soon as your engagement will permit, we
may have the pleasure of seeing you again.”

Gen. J. S. BERRY,
ALEC. BROWN,
R. STOCKHART MATHEWS,
ICHABOT JEAN,
MARSHALL GOLDSBOROUGH,
ENOCH PRATT,
GEO. W. ROBINSON,
HENRY TYSON,
F. L. LAWRENCE,
F. P. STEVENS,

Committee.

Class numbers 3,504.

During the continuance of my classes in Baltimore, I received many favorable notices from the press of that city. As showing the popular feeling I may be allowed to give an article from the Baltimore _Sun_, one of the most able and widely circulated journals of the entire South. It appeared, as will be seen, before my class had reached its full dimensions.

HORSE TRAINING AT PROF. PRATT’S AMPHITHEATRE.—The exhibitions
of Professor Pratt’s skill in training refractory horses
continues to interest a large number of the people of
Baltimore. Every night his Amphitheatre on Linden avenue is
filled with an appreciative audience, including a large number
who are members of his school. During one of our recent visits
the Professor, after some remarks in reference to his systems,
introduced the little educated pony called “Dollie Dutton,”
well up in a few tricks. On her exit “Fire Fly,” mate of the
Professor’s “Tom Thumb,” made his appearance, at the crack of
a whip. “Fire Fly,” made excellent time with his heels in the
air, and by the word, walked on his hind legs. The attempt
by three persons to ride the horse the longest afforded much
amusement to the audience, as not one of the three could
remain on a minute. “Gray Eagle, Jr.,” Marshall Goldsborough’s
thorough-bred stallion, which had not received over ten
minutes’ instruction, acted in a manner which gave credit to
the Professor and his system. Prof. Pratt then exhibited a
massive gold-headed cane, richly mounted and appropriately
engraved, which was presented him on the night of February
22d, 1869, in Philadelphia, by his class which numbered 4,886,
among whom were Mayor Fox, General George Cadwalder, J. W.
Drexel, banker, who were on the committee of presentation, and
who gave the testimonial as a token of the appreciation of his
efforts with the horse and a proof of the value of the system
to them. After a lecture explanatory of his plan of education
which lasted nearly an hour, the Professor ordered a horse to
be brought in which was afraid of a robe. In less than fifteen
minutes after he came in, he was walking over the robe, had it
thrown over his head and in his face, but the scare was gone.
His education in robes being pronounced completed, he was taken
away and a horse that would not back brought in. He however,
soon proved very tractable, backing while in and out of harness
at the words. The next _Animal_ to claim the Professor’s
attention was a large stiff-neck mule furnished by Mr. S. S.
Blair, of the Northern Central Railway. As was expected the
mule was far more difficult to handle, yet in less than three
minutes after he was subjected to proper treatment and followed
the Professor, and after the system was entirely applied he was
mounted and ridden off by an attendant, going quietly as any
one could desire. Thus closed an evening at Professor Pratt’s.
On conversing with this worthy gentleman, we learn he is from
Buffalo, N. Y. Has been giving the system to the public five
years. He probably handled more horses than any other man
living. Was in Philadelphia five months, having there a class
of 4,886. In less than three weeks’ sojourn among us he has
secured over 1,000 members to his class, and we saw such men as
M. B. Clarke, Henry Tyson, Drs. McNamus and Whitridge, George
Robinson, George Small, Gen. W. E. Ross, J. Riddlemoser, Jr.,
Gen. J. S. Berry, J. Howard McHenry, R. Stockhart Mathews, all
of whom highly endorse Prof. Pratt’s system of educating the
horse. Mr. Mathews, who has seen Rarey, Rockwell, and others,
says this is far superior to all of them.

After closing my labors in Baltimore, I took a few days of rest. My mind was in search of new knowledge to add to and improve my system, and to that object I devoted my time while relieved of more active duties. I thoroughly revised my system of educating and mode of treating the horse; after which I invited the criticisms of a number of men of intellect and experience, to whom I submitted my views and asked them for their candid verdict, when, to my great satisfaction, they expressed their unqualified approbation. If anything had been needed to confirm my opinion of the perfection of my now completed system, such an endorsement might justly have done so; and, as the succeeding chapters will show, my triumphant successes in the largest cities and before the most exalted personages of the land, demonstrated the justice of that favorable verdict.