Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-06-16
A FRIGHTFUL PREDICAMENT.
An Invalid Shut up i'm Room with
Mad Dog for Three Hours.

About two months ago, while assisting
to rig out vessel in the river, man
named Peter Demery, living on Peter
boro street, in the northern outskirts of
the city, stuck a rusty spike through the
sole of his left foot, and has ever since
been laid up by the accident, once mar
rowly escaping an attack of lock-jaw.
His family consists of wife and boy, the
latter about ten years old. Sunday af-
ternoon the mother and boy went on a
visit to some friends on Gratiot road,
leaving the invalid lying on q bed that
stood in recess of the front room. In
fact, there is but one room in the house,
the boy occupying lounge at night. AS
Demery goes about on a crutch, he had
a heavy one lying on the bed when the
family went away. For three years the
family had owned large cur dog, of no
particular value, but kept around for the
same reason that nine-tenths Of the fam
lilies in poor circumstances still feel that
they must keep worthless cur about to
eat up the provisions that might other
wise be eaten by child. The dog wanted
to 60 with the boy but was driven back,
and laid down on the step. Demery
states that he had read for about an hour
when his attention was attracted to the
dog. The animal had walked in at the
open door and stood in the center of the
room, uttering growing, wheeling sort
of noise, his eyes shining and the hair
on his back bristling up straight He
spoke sharply to the animal, who SUNK
under the bed, keeping up bowling as
if in pain. A window is situated near
the recess and almost opposite the door,
and this was up little way at the bot
tom, the sash being held up by book.
A sudden breeze coming up created
draft that slammed the door shut and
Demery and his dog were thus shut up,
as it were, together. He states that the
dog kept up his annoying tones until he
finally spoke sharply to him, when, all
at once, the brute bounded from under
the bed and commenced running around
the room. His eyes were full of blood,
he kept swapping his jaws together like
trap, and every hair on the animal
seemed to stand erect There was no
foam about the brute's jaws, but he
emitted sort of sudsy saliva that scented
the room like musk. Round he went,
turning over chairs, swapping at the
blowing window curtain every time he
passed, and each time he leaped over the
cookstove, which stood just out from the
wall.
Demery did not realize that he in
voked any danger by speaking to the
dog he regarded the affair as arising
from desire of the dog to get out and
follow the boy. So he yelled sharply at
the brute, bidding him lay down The
dog, just then, had halted near the door,
and Demery was raised up on his elbow,
holding bis crutch in one hand, as he had
a notion to hobble over and open the
door, Hardly had he spoken, when the
dog bounded forward, giving fearful
howl Instinctively, the man extended
his crutch, which came in contact with
the dogs head, and he went rolling on
the floor When he got up, it was to re-
sumo his race around the room, looking
more frightful than ever Demery sprang
on the back side of the bed, close to the |
wall, holding his crutch ready for de-
fense, but hoping that the mad brute
wonld not again attack him.
1t was now time when Demery might |
expect his wife and child to return at any
moment and it suddenly occurred to him
that their return would only be to meet
an attack from the dog. If they as
eended the steps and opened the door, as
was entirely natural, the dog would bite
one or both. There was no longer room
to doubt that he was rabid, and his mad
ness was growing worse all the time. He
might shout an alarm as they stood at
the door, but would they understand and
heed it in timer
1t is but due to a sober, industrious
man to state that in that moment of peril
10 his family and TO himself he resolved
On deed that should go down on record
for future generations to read He re-
solved to make that mad brute attack
lim, hoping in the struggle TO deal him
/ death blow with the crutcb, Carefully
getting upon his knees, and securing a
irm hold of his orutch, Demery yelled
It the dog. The animal was tearing
lround the room, snarling and clashing
lis jaws together, and he stopped, looked
lp for moment, and then sprang for
he bed. He just got his paws and head
lpon it when down came the crutch, and
lie rolled over and over. Three times
vas this repeated, and the fourth time
he animal was stunned by the blow, and, .
Thile he lay gasping on the floor, the
,rutch was broken in pieces over his
iead, and he was afterwards finished l
,ff with the Ak. The man did not faint,
Ior grow palei be dragged the body out
oors and waited for his familywho came
n in about half an hour, and then the
arcass was buried. he yesterday hob
led down TO the Central Station TO see
he had violated the ordinance BY bury
ng the body in his yard Ii was there
hat in a modest, hesitating way, he
ave the above facts to our reporter. !