Matt,
My impression is that the author of the piece was referring to a Texas
longhorn -- with the mention of "both horns".
A couple of other items also sparked my curiosity:
1) The mention of Augustus and Leonora. What book is this story from?
Would it have been a book Mark Twain had read or was known to have accessed?
2) The mention of the "Hamburg Canal". Any other items in the news during
this time frame about it being a "nuisance" ?
Barb