Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-28
DROWNING The Dogs.
Il FssD Hundred Ne,c York Curs Sent to
the Happy Land of Canine.
I


Fsso Hundred New Yorh; Cmrs Sent to
the Happy Land of Canine.
New York Sun.
The dog pound was in a state of ferment
yesterday morning. The three hundred
curs-the product of two days. catching
were to be drowned. row of what looked
like immense hencoops on wheels were
drawn up before the door, each containing
its noisy cargo of four-footed passengers,
and amateur and professional connoisseurs
of all ages and degrees of dirt surrounded
the carges and poked the dogs and COM
mented upon them. Boy dog-brokers, lead
ing dogs with strings, skunk around, pausing
now and then in out-of-the-way corners to
drive furtive bargains with the catchers-
Under the amended ordinance only those
who are regularly licensed are authorized to
deliver dogs at the pound.
Jumping against the wooden walls of
their prison, yelPins and bowling, rising up
on their hind legs, and paving the air in vain
efforts to recognize familiar face, dropping
exhausted on the floor, moping in solitary
corners with tongues hanging out, looking
piteously up for token of recognition,
whimpering with delight at the touch of
kindly hand, and then sinking down again
into sullen despair, and breaking out in
fierce and vindictiye barking-such was the
general aspect of the victims.
Through the thick of the throng moved
kind-hearted old John Mcmahon, the keeper
and executioner- To the humanity of Presi-
dent Bergh Mr.. Mcmahon adds that practical
insight into the details of his craft without
which simple philanthropy would fail of its
aim.
At 8:14 o'clock the oblong iron cage, eight
feet in length by four in width and three in
height, was trundled up the main alley way
of the pound until it paused in the centre of
the building. Officer fairfield, of Mr..
Bergh's society. assisted by one of the deputy
keepers, jumped into the left-hand alley; q
third deputy stationed himself half way
between the alley and the cage, and a fourth
took up his position over the mouth of the
later. Then fifty-three dogs were slowed
away, and the floor of the cage was uncom-
fortably full. "That'll do was the shout of
| an officer Of Mr. Bergh's society, who stood
| by in blue coat and brass buttons. The car
started down the aisle toward the door, the
wheels cracking heavily, and the ours within
| setting up plaintive cry. At 1925 the doors
swung open with a bang, and the funeral
procession stood the edge of the wharf.
The pen was attached to kind of derrick,
and two deputies, under the superintendent
of Mr.. Mcmahon, manned the windlass.
"Hoist awayn'
| In few seconds more the cage was dan
Cling over the water, and then it slowly de-
| scended-
The quarterback of neighboring bark
was dense mass of spectators, who crowded
into the rigging, the tops, and even on to the
yards of the vessel. Several passing tug
boats shut off steam and paused.
| The dogs looked wistfulIy up at the bright
sky, then down at the mirroring water.
Down, down, down, they went with splash,
the uppermost struggling frantically at the
| iron bars, and those below seemingly re-
signed to their fate. The ebbing tide closed
over them, and nothing was seen but bubbles
and foam. When the dogs reappeared after
a lapse of ten minutes, the long silky hair
was Strengthened out and the stjffened limbs
hung limp and motionless.
| On the second descent the car was more
crowded, and there was less struggling. The
officers of Mr.. Bergh's society view crowd
ing as the most merciful means of killing,
since the sjam' precludes the possibility OF
the dogs fighting and struggling below the
surface.
| The third carload consisted of ffty-eisht,
and the fourth of sixty-two. The sixth anl
last batch was let down Tito the water at II
o'clock. Over three hundred dogs were
drowned.