Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-11-11
A Man and Dog Fight.

On visit to Blois came across az
old copy OF paper, in which was q
com @ description of q cook and bull
fight. think the following account,
therefore, of q genuine combat between
u dog and o man, which took place in
the year 1861 at Paris, on the lie Notre
Dame. may prove Of some interest. since
it was, in fact. a judicial one, and took
plnce in order to detect cruel murder.
A French nobleman, the representative
OF an old family Of the name of De
Montdidier, was murdered while pass
ing through the forest OF Bondy. He
was missing, as also was his pet hound,
for several days; but the dog at last
made his appearance at the house Of his
masters nost sntii.aatv f.;S..I ia raI ip,
He looked half starved, ana howled bit
terly. The people gave him food which
he took, and then begun his lamenta-
tions a'reSh, moving toward the door
and returning to seize his masters
friend by the coat. His actions were so
peculiar that persons determined to fol-
low him, and in due time he led them
away into the for st, and up to Ger
tain tree, where he begun to howl and
scratch. The people dug down, and
discovered M. de Montdidicr'a Lody.
he had evidently been murdered and
hid away. Time went by and no trace
of the assassin could be found; but one
day the dog met a Chevalier Macaire
and few most violently at him. He
showed the greatest fury whenever he
met the chevalier, and persons begun to
wonder and chatter about it aud to rec
ollect that Macaire had been an enemy
of Montdidier. So suspicious were
aroused, more especially as the hound
was particularly good tempered to every
one except the chevalier. The king at
last heard of it, and expressed a wish to
see the hound. He also ordered the
chevalier to attend the court. The dog
was brought and remained very gentle
until it recognized Macaire, who stood
among a crowd of courtiers. Directly.
the dog saw him he sprung forward with
a fearful bay aud attempted to seize
him. This was in the age when the
fashion of judicial combat was in vogue,
SO his majesty decided that duel should
take place between the chevalier and the
anime friend of the murdered man.
The space for the combat was marked
eif in lie Notre Dame. Macaire was
tnly allowed to carry stick, and a
Urge eask was placed for tho dog to re-
SFeat into when nearly beaten.
Immediately the hound was set loose
he sprung on the chevalier. attacking
him first on one side and then on the
other, skillfully avoiding the blows from
his adversary's cudgel, and at last he
made one splendid bound, seized Ma
caire by the throat and pulled him
down, The murderer, alarmed, thought |
that God had interposed to fix his guilt,
go he then and there confessed his
crime in the presence of the king and
all his court. There was at one time a
very famed picture of this memorable
combat between dog and man over the
chimney in the great hall Of the chateau
If Montargis.
Animals we're often tried during the
middle ages, and the legal process was
with as much ceremony and
parade, perchance with moro feeling,
han is in the present day displayed
when woman takes her place in the
witness box and undergoes the ordeal of
/ cross examination.