Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-09-12
A Fearful Fight with Dogs.

YESTERDAY morning a peddler of dry
goods and notions named Norton Free
man, living in Hamtramck, arrived by
the cars from Clinton County, being a
wretched sight to look upon A week
ago yesterday while driving his wagon
through the county few miles north of
Ovid, Clinton County, he stopped and got
down to drink at creek crossing the
highway. AS he rose up from the creek
he was bitten in the leg by large dog,
which had come softly up behind him,
and Freeman saw two other goOd-sized
dogs near the wagon. He sprang for his
vehicle, when the three dogs made at him
together, and his shouts and their yelps
started the horse off On trot. The ped
dler was bitten seven or eight times be-
fore he found anything with which he
could defend himself, and then he got
hold Of stick about five feet long which
could be easily handled. The dogs re-
treated as he picked up the stick, but
when Freeman sought to gain the road
they all sprang for him. He says that he
struck to kill, and knocked each brute
down in turn, but as fast as he knocked them
down they would spring up and attack
him again. Within five minutes after the
battle opened the peddler's hands were red
with blood, and blood was running down
into his boots, but by fortunate blow he
so disabled one of the smaller dogs that
the brute had to draw out of the fight.
There was rest again of four or five min
utes, and Freeman walked slowly back
into a fence corner, and exchanged his
club for better one. Without a move
ment on his part, the two dogs attacked
him again, one biting at his legs, and
the other leaping for his throat. The
latter animal caught his teeth in
the peddler's shoulder, and tore away
all that side of the mans coat, and
made wound in the flesh that will be
weeks in healing. Freeman was dragged
down, and both of the dogs were on his
back at once, though he managed to shake
them off and regain his feet. A blow
from his club dashed out the larger dogs
eye, and the brute ran round and round in
a circle, howling so fearfully that the
other dog ran away. Watching his chance
Freeman hit the crippled dog blow
which killed it, and then he crawled down
to the creek and tainted away. Some men
came along in a wagon and discovered
him, and he was taken to farmhouse
and cared for. On his left leg there are
nine wounds from the teeth of the dogs.
On the right eleven; on the right arm,
five; on the left arm, three; on the back,
three; on the shoulder, two; on the face,
two; on the right foot, two; on the right
hand, five; on the left, two, and one on the
back Of the head, making in all forty-five
distinct and separate bites. Some are
mere "nips," drawing a little blood and
making the flesh black and blue, while
others looked as if the dog had "chanked"
the flesh. The dogs were seen by the
farmers, and they could not identify the
brutes as being owned anywhere within
five miles of the spot where they attacked
Freeman. He offered no provocation for
the attack, having even no hint of their
presence before being bitten. The deepest
wounds were cauterized, and Freeman
anticipates no greater misfortune than the
loss of a months time.--DetT0St Free
Press. AIQltst 21.