The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-12-10

Madden's Fiddle ana HOIIenback's Dog,
From the Detroit Frae Press

| From the Detroit Free Press.
/ Mr.. Hollenback, of Sixth street,
owns a bulldog about the size sOf
yearling calf, aud the whole neighbor-r
| hood has to walk on its tip-toes and
put on a respectful look when that dog
is turned loose. The other night Mr.
Hollenback was telling crowd in q,
corner grocery what prize medal of a
dog he had and how he could prauce
over any thing in Detroit, when a
young man named Madden, who owns
/ fiddle and fiddles it most of the time,
said he'd bet money that he could
make the Hollenbaek canine quake
and tremblesuader the power of music.
| He said he never saw a dog which
couldn't be fiddled out OF countelIance'
in five minutes by the clock.a and hoi
had tried lots of them. Mr.. .Hollen-f
| back grinned with delight, aud it was
arranged that the voting man should
! try it on right away. Madden got hisi
/ fiddle and the crowd went over to Hol-f
| lenbaek's. The dog Was called into
the kitchen, aud then the crowd slip
ped out, one by one, leaving Madden
alone, "Cross-eyed Terror'-such isl
the canine's name-didn't know what.
to think of the proceedings, and he sat
up and gave Madden look in which
b0rder-ruffianism, inquiry, deceit, and
mingled. The fiddle was poised and
the young man commenced tiddling a
sad tune, something like Mother IS
Dead - The dog rose up at the first
note and bent an earnest look on the
fiddle. He had probably never seen a
fiddle before, and he was in doubt
as to whether it was new kind OF a
dog or an Internal machine. AS the
tune began to draw out longer aud
tool a
forward and gave utterance to groWI
which made things tremble. Madden
looked fixedly at the animal and sawed
away until it became evident that hsS
hadn't better keep that tune much
| longer, and he changed off on to some
thing lively. The dogs bristles rose
up and his eyes assumed a hungry
look. The young man changed to a
chant, and the dog came little near
er. and his under lip fell down like the
end board of coal-cart. A man. who
was looking through the key-hole of
door remarked that he wouldn't t be IN
there for forty million dollars, and the
excited whispers of the crowd seemed
to excite the dag. He uttered several
more growls and in his own language
inquired: F." What do you take me for.
any way ?" Madden had faith and
struck up s'Tne Green Shores of Tres
land" He hadn't even cited the
green shoresn before Cross-eyed Ter
ror laid hold of him by the hip and
gave him a scientific toss. Next mO-t
ment fiddle and dog and howl and
growl were all mixed up together,
Madden shouted for the crowd to rush,
in, and the dog growled out that that
was q private cotilIon, with no admis7
sion for outsiders. The young maps
lived about n year and a half in less
than a minute He went over the
stove with whoop, around the table
With yell, and felt his coat-tails go of.
as he stopped for an instant to raise
the window-sash. iPhey found Mad
den living on his face; and che dog was.
trying to get hold somewhere SO
that he could lift him up and admins
ter the "terrier shake. They pound-
ed the canine with chair. kicked his0
ribs, and yelled for him to let go, and
finally they had to throw pail of cold
water over him. Mr.. Madden could
hardly get up, he couldn't set DOWN
He had bites all over him and a few
thrown in ITO boot" and the largest
piece of his valuable fiddle was just,
the size of an Arizoua ooth-pick. The
doctor is still putting plasters on him,
and as fast as he thinks he has got the
bites all plastefed he turns the patient
over and finds two or three more. saA
hand-organ or a horse. fiddle may
s.sOothe the savage breast," but Vio-
lin won't, and all Sixth street will bet
on it. reaYg sa6f