The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1871-09-14
VI tHo II N
DUMB FsssUTES AGAIN.


MR. EDITOR w hen speaking on the
subject OF cruelty to animals in week before
last Virgiaiog, I addressed the t1:q%gtt,
less principally. How those who are
naturally crnH he reached ? fear-ana it
is a sad thing to bc!ieve--that there Is only
one way. You suggest that our police an
thorities be instructed 10 arrest any one
guilty of cruelty TO horses on the streets -
All there's the point! understand that a
few weeks ago. our Town Council passed q
law prohibiting such cruelty, but we are all
aware that passing d law, aud enf%rciny a
law are two different things these days. /
believe that SUCH lazy has been in existence
in this State for many years. but when was it
ever cnforced? We seldom ide out that
we do not meet with cruelty in some form
One day, a few weeks ago, when riding on
the Buffalo Gap Road, met wagon with
two horses, or ercuSe for horses | might say
for they were so attenpatcd by starvation and
suffering that they had become mere dwarfs
One OF these animals refused to pull np hill,
for want Of strength to do so. What did
the men who were with this wagon d. ? Did
hey by kindness and .cnt9ene>s try to cnax
the poor brute to do his duty? No, they
watched until onr carriage had passed some
dS'ance--for they had this much shame left
and when they thought ia enc was Inokinx
at them. ore rose with ii cawhile. and beat
the horse unmcrcitullvs Again. as I WIS
riding upon the Cnurchville road | met Il
man riding horse that he had beaten so
that the welts could be distinctly seen But
this cruelty is not conf ed to the country.
If our eyes and our hearts were open, we
could witness it day alter day in our town =
Here. a boy driving Il mule. takes up a point
ed stick and goatis him in the flank for the
purpose ot urging him up a hill there. a
man picks up heavy club and beats horse
over the head to make him back and again,
a man stops heavily loaded wagon on the
stecpest hill in town without scotching the
wheels--if horse back i; step, he Immediate
~ uses his whip. Jerks swcars, ana gets into
passion with everything around him.
But it is not only to horses that people are
cruel. | haze heard $omearhere Of man
who keeps several cows--rather, they keep
themselves for in the winter, they are fed So
grudingly that all night long tile neighbour
are kept awake by their continuous low moan !;
beside this the door mats in the vicinity
think of it the filthy dried shuck mats, are
carried away night AFTER ght by these wretch
e.!. starving cows But this is not ali. and
~an any one in our midst say that lie has
never seen this cruelty practiced here? I
allude to the custnm of bringing chickens
to mani et with their heads downward, and
their feet tied and Of leaving their hour at
ter in the ho sun This is done both BY
the country people hrin :ing them in (who
meyer neglect cool drink Of water for them
s.lv,s yet put the fowls down in the sun
while they minister to their ctn wants. and
those who have EN- for sale in the stores
am glad here TO have an opportunity Of say
ing word in commentator of a tra1 kind
merchants in our town, who have comfortably
,nade. aud we'll ventilated coops for the chick.
ems 1T their doors. Reader let us patronizo
such merchants; thsir fowls are certainly in
uore healthy condition than those fevered
from suffering aud ran
But e,e-y one will not discountenance this
cruelty nor indeed cruelty in any form =
VIA til. n, cau be done to diminish ii p
The laws arc made but it is ''nobody's bust
ress" to enforce them. a gentleman once
told me that man might beat his horse as
he chose. or stick knife in his dog when
he pleased. and no one would have right to
Interfere. because it was nobody's tu~int IS
but his o,cn. Upon that principle. I should
say that if 2 nan chose to hang himself, OF