The Shasta courier., 1866-06-09
HydrophObia-- Four Men Infected by
Horse.

Last Saturday morning Mr.. VIM. B. Davis
a young man living with his mother, Mrs
Harriet A. Davis, on farm in Green town
ship, in this county. went to the stable to
harness horse, when. approaching the
horse, the latter rushed at him with mouth
wide open, and attempted to bite him.
Young Davis was startled, and noticing the
horse's face and nose to be covered with
blood, did not know what to do. and as the
horse persistently refused to allow him to
approach close to him without attempting to
bite, and making the most frantic efforts to
break his hitching-strap and biting every
thing within his reach young Davis went
to some of the neighbors and asked for help.
Several persons from the neghborhood, came
to see the horse, but none could give any
satisfactory reason for his strange and vio-
lent actions. During the day the horse
gnawed at his manger until he had torn
loose Anticipating this, the other horses
had been removed, and the doors of the stable
barrcaded. and the floor of the loft over the
stable torn up, so that his actions could be
observed from safe place. As soon as loose
in the stable the horse commenced biting
himself on the fore legs. tearing out pieces
of flesh and laying the bone bare in several
places, and getting hold of set of double
harness that was hanging up in the stable,
he completely destroyed it.
At this time, DR.. Williams, of Cheviot,
happened to be passing, and was called in,
and gave it as his opinion that the horse
was affected with hydrophobia. Water was
then let down into the stable in buckets by
ropes from the loft above. Attracted by
this, the horse would dip his nose in the
bucket and drink little, but would then be
seized with violent spasms 1t was finally
accepted that DR.. Williams explanation was
correct. and the horse was lassoed and thrown
down and securely tied. During Saturday
night he died, suffering the greatest agony
After it was fully believed that the horse
was affected with hydroyhobia Mrs. Davis
and her sons tried to learn how the horse
could have been exposed to this frightful
disease, when it was remembered that four
weeks prior one of Mrs Davis sons, lad
of some twelve years. had taken up stray
pointer dog, wearing collar with the name
of S. G. Riley thereon. They noticed that
the dog was snappish and would neither eat
nor drink, but they, supposing that he was
only cross, tied him up in stable, expect.
ing that an owner would be looking for him
in few days. The next day the dog was
gone, having broken his chain, and it was
noticed that the nose Of the horse was
scratched. as if the dog had snapped him.
No notice was ken of the matter until the
death of the horse last Saturday. when Mr.
Davis determined to trace the whereabouts
of the dog, and satisfy himself as to whether
the disease really was hydrophobia. He
with little trouble found that the same dog.
wearing the same collar, was at Cleves on
the day after he escaped from his stable,
and was then shot and killed bv Mr..
Speaker, into whose house he ran covered
with blood and foam, bearing all the symp.
toms of hydrophobia.
Another paper contains the latest deyolop.
ments of the case: : 1t seems that the foam
from the mouth of the horse contained the
necessary virus of hydrophsbia to infect the
brothers, and that upon the following day all
the symptoms were developed upon them
Some of their neighbors advised them to try
the effect of the maidstone" one of which
was in the possession of person in the vi
cinity of Cleyes. They acted upon the sug
gestion, visited the man at Cleves, who an
piled his maidstone" and, strange to saw
all the sufferers are recovering. These arc
strange facts to relate, but, on our authority
we believe they are no less strange thar
true.-Cincinnat att Commercial ADrI 2lst.