Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-05-06
HE CITIZEN.
LOCAL MATTERS.
Ours.

lis sweet To hear the watch dogs hon.
est bark,
Bay deep mouthed welcome as we draw
near home.n
So said or sung young man OF poetica
temperament, as he wended his way
homeward late one night recently.
He had been spending few heavenly
hours with his sweet love and he
was in a condition or such abject
softness that he could scarcely refrain
from melting as he walked. So to relieve
his suIcharged bosom he INDUCED In a lit
tie By ron, intending to continue the lines
TILL he got TO where first and passionate
love is declared to be sweeter tran the
watch dogs honest bark, but just as he
finished the couplet quoted above, twenty
five watch dogs with their Individual hon.
est barks came around a corner, discovered
the young man and proceeded 10 locate on
him. When they had finished their bus
mess with him, the young mans dream
OF love was gone, his nerves were shattered
and his admiration for dogs, with or With.
out bark, was most efIectually dispelled.
This is one instance.
Another: A poor ragged man was lately
walking quietly along one OF our public
streets in the broad day light of noon. He
was pensively pursuing his painful path OF
life He was harming no one, not even a
dog. For ought we know he had sores
which the dogs might have licked as they
did those OF Lazarus. AS we have said he
was ragged, and seemingly poor, sick and
decrepid. While passing a house in our
view, big dog came boiling out and be-
fore the poor man could do any thing TO
defend himself the dog had attacked and
bitten him on the leg, severely. When at
last driven of, the dog strolled satisfiedly
back to his residence licking his dripping
chops, while the ragged man limped on TO
a safe distance and sat down by the way
side to battle his wound with his spittle.
WheCeat, s dozen or two yelping ours came
out OF neighboring houses and stood snar-
ling and swapping around the sufferer, to
heighten his happiness.
Another: A little child, with the light
OF heaven in his eye and elsewhere, was
strolling earelessly and lightly down the
street within our sight. He had evidently
been sent on a childish errand, as he had
loHf Of bread under his arm. He was a
very little child and was as harmless as a
dove. But as he was passing an open
hallway OF r house, a great, lank, loose.
.cowardly cur-dog came rushing at the
poor child, threw him down, tussled and
bit him and then picked up his bread and
walked of. And the child arose, sobblng
and smarting and went on his way.
The first instance we give above, of dog
outrages, is a little overdrawn; perhaps
there were not quite twenty-five dogs that
attacked the lover. The other instances
are true. They are but few Of many We
have frequently known OF dogs in town
biting women. These dogs know well
whom 10 attack and whom to leave alone,
and are the very personifcation Of all that
is mean and filthy and cOgardly. There
Is perhaps breed OF dogs somewhere in
the world that merits some favor or ad-
miraIion, but the Tucson breed is enough
to disgust one permanently with the whole
race. There isn't anything even funny in
them. They are hungry, squalid, mean,
treacherOus, sneaking and cOwardly. And
Notwithstanding the efforts OF the city
authorities 10 reduce their mum bers, they
multiply in the most mysterious manner.
We venture to say that the food fed to and
consumed by the miserable mongrel cur
dogs OF Tucson, daily, II sold and the pro-
ceeds put at Interest in q savings bank and
the bank didn't tail and everything went
smoothly, that it would pay the national
debt in course OF time. II would take time,
certainly. Every thing takes time. These
dogs are the curse Of existence in Tucson.
Let the nights be italian in their loveliness;
let the starlight glow with such tran
scendant lucidity that the summer nights
are a lasting twilight; let the ETHEREAL at
mOsphere float clrcumambient; let there
be soft strains OF music on the air; let the
eyes OF enamOred youth explore the
fathomless depths OF dark Spanish or
sweeter Saxon maiden's orbs; let LIFE
time OF happiness and contentment be
ready TO be crowded into one short south
ern night, and suddenly the air will be
enlivened by a thousand howls from a
surrounding multitude of wretched dogs
and all happiness and even desire for life
vanishes from the place and scene.