OCR Text |
Show A Love Story: The Ransom of Charlie ,, ««sea: There is one sad thing about farms. Whenthe animals get old, they have to be auctionedoff. And Charlie, the draft horse, was very old. Only a miracle could save him from being sold for slaughter Uncle Sam,he had a farm; Eee-aii-eee-aii—oh! Andonthis farm he had a horse... Charlie worked for Uncle Sam in Washington, D.C. Recently it was decided he’d have to be terminated, for he could no longerpull his share of the load. Grown hopelessly old and out of it at 28, the faithful employee could no longer cope with a normal 63-hour work week. If he had been human, the Government would have retired him. But since he was “only a horse,”it de- cided to auction him off. Charlie’s origins are Pennsylvaniaobscure, his ancestry scrambled. As a gelded draft horse, his limitations in life were decided early and withouthis approval. Little do people know that ‘Charlie can claim that there is royal blood in his tired veins; for the original draft horses were bred to carry the crushing weight of armor-clad knights. Nowadays, however, this lineage only makes him appear ponderous and dull. He is just another plow horse with a placid and forgiving disposition. The farm Charlie lived on is the Children’s Farm in suburban Washington, D.C. Run by our National Park Service, it is made to look like the typical family farm of 50 years ago. Thousands of children visit the farm every year, and Charlie was a favorite. Happy, wondering inner-city youngsters could poke, prod and pet him at will. Kids would climb on his broad back and twist their fingers in his mane. When he was able, he'd pull them around the farm by the wagonload, giving them what was probably their only opportunity to experience horsepower on the hoof. The Children's Farm is one of the happiest of Federal projects, and Char lie never lacked loving attention. But there is one sad thing about farms. Nature is progressive. Piglets become pigs, and pigs grow into sloppy sows and boorish boars. Chickens, ducks and rabbits multiply effortlessly. To keep from being overrun, a farmer has to deal off the surplus and the senile. And this is particularly sad at the Children’s Farm because every animal there has becomea pet. 4 Family Weekly, May 2, 1971 ae oe Paes vite aoe ee Te. Foe we Happy days are ahead for old Charlie as he stands among his friends, Mrs. Bernice Moss, of the Fairfax County, Va., Humane Society; Phyllis Wright, of the National Humane Education Center and John Hoyt, of the Humane Society of the U.S. As November deepened into chill Decemberlast year, the time for the farm’s He mightfetch as much as $200 from a nameof Charlie Brown—forthat’s what canner of dog meat. auction rolied around. Many people came—most of them farmers, plus a But the farmer didn’t reckon on the muscle of animal power—particularly his new friends call him—he is installed in the closest known thing to few sentimental folk. One person in the crowd was Phyilis Wright, director of the National Humane Education Center. Mrs. Wright was there because the Humane Society stands as a refuge for cast-off animals. In the early bidding, she acquired a ram and a jenny mule. Charlie, the sentimental favorite, was held forlast. Finally, the aged animal was led forward to stand philosophically before the whenit is aided and abetted by the local press and TV. When news of the auction got around, Charlie became a VIA (Very Important Animal). Reporters began writing stories about him. A local TV personality expressed his outrage—on the air. When more than 300 people called up the Humane So- people-to-animal attitudes and practices to all its visitors, and staff members ciety—all of them bent on ransoming from humanesocieties all over the na- Charlie—pandemonium broke loose. tion go to Waterford for seminars. On the Sunday after Christmas, th flesh merchants. “We don’t give a guar- talked it over and agreed to cut their Christmas spending in order to save antee on this one!” pzoclaimed the auctioneer, and there was laughter from the crowd. Nevertheless, the bidding “Husbands and wives said they had Charlie,” Mrs. Wright says, “They pledged $5, $10, $20.” Kids called in was spirited, “$80, $85, $90, $95 . . . Sold!” to offer dimes and quarters. Phyllis Wright did her best to buy Charlie, but she had run short of money. The farmer who claimed Char- with the farmer. He held out for the top dollar and got it—$200. A horse trailer was finally dispatched to pick up Charlie. Now, under the lie said he planned to fatten him up. The Humane Center got in touch horse heaven on earth: the 140-acre Humane Society facility set in rolling Virginia countryside near the charming village of Waterford, He'll never have| to moveagain. The Humane Centerinvites the pub lic to tourits farm andlearn. It teaches; Center hosted “Charlie Brown Day.” Thelocal ladies got together a charit: “Flea Market,” serving punch and cook ies to all. About 400 cameto showthei love for Charlie and donate fundst insure his upkeep. Loyeis the secret of Charlie Brown’ success. A Happy Ending! Good Grief That’s mighty hard to come by for mai or beast these days. @ D |