National Republican., 1883-08-08
Composed Entirely Of Dogs Who Have Appar-
emily Had Their Day.
Thiry-seven Of Them Waiting to Be
Redeemed or Shot.
Among Them May Bo Found Pretty Nearly All Sorts
Of Dogs Except Lucky Dogs
gomo OF Them Have Histories and Wen
Deserve Better Fate.

fNBIlIAN IepOIleT nHlJeu hb UnO loOb OF Jub
hill on which the dog pound is located. The
sun shone with sickly glare, the yellow dust
Of the unpaved street in thick and ochreish
masses reflected back the sunlight in a glow
more yellow still, and from the flats came the
south wind loaded with malarial odors. In
front of the pound reposes Little Camp hill
with its southern front gouged out by the
spade of the laborer. At its base was a marshy
tract, on whose edges grew the wild daisy and
the blue towering thistle on the west rose
the weather stained and gloomy walls of the
observatory defenses, with the dense, dark
foliage of the primeval forest on the other side,
looking like wild forest, where nothing
beautiful and nothing civilized had ever en-
Jred. There was barren stunted, sickly
aspect ON all things, save only the jamestown
weed which grew in wanton luxuriance. 1t
grew there thirty years ago just as II does to-
day. Then the neighborhood was haunted
by negro conjurers and fortune tellers, from
whom set of outre legends had sprung that
stifed the poetic traditions of the Indians.
Now the pound buildings have taken possess
sion of the scene and the yelping of fright
ened dog has superseded the crow of tho con-
jurer's dabolcal rooster or the spiteful
scream of tho fortune teller's uncarthly cat
And over all shone in solemn stiffness the
August sum- while the green scum on the
rivers breast stagnated and rotted in the
sickly glare of that sunlight.
Safely passing the marshy fen that leads up
Ilmost to the pound door, and stopping only
o watch q little kid that was quietly and
houghtfully chewing jamestown weed
leaves and flowers--the reporter at length
paused i'll front of the pound. 1t is rectan-
gular inclosure with q line of high sheds on
the west, an Office and high fence on the
north, high fence on the south, and build
ings on the east. All was painted a pale yell
low, like the sickly hue of malaria, or the
color Of the silver maple leaf in the later
September. All was still. Now and
then came the faint, hoarse whistle
of tug on the river, and the
lnurmuring breath of the August wind as it
rustled the leaves of the observatory trees,
but these sounds only intensified the still
ness.
"Were you really out after dogs to-day?"
was the question put by the reporter to a very
courteous pound man, who politely invited
the news gather in.
They had started at o'clock in the morning
and got back by a little after 8, bringing with
them thirty-seven dogs and one poor goat.
Would the reporter like to see them?
Of course. That was what the reporter had
come for. And stepping inside the inclosure,
which was kept as clean and nice looking as
was possible to be done, the reporter was
brought up in. front Of the dog cage
This was one of four structures all alike
most of them reserved for the unfortunate
dogs They each consist of largo square
Enclosure with lattice work sides to admit of
q free passage Of air. Through all four runs
trough, into which is put water for the
prisoners Here they are kept two days and
nights, provided with food and drink, and on
the morning of the third day of captivity
those not redeemed are taken out and shot
In the top of each cage is a lattice trap door
The one in the cage occupied Yesterday was
lifted up and the reporter looked-looked OH
as much anguish, as much fright
ened anxiety, canine though it was as
he had seen in many long day. There
were twenty-eight dogs inside. At the sound
of the lifting of the trap nearly all of them
started and crept close to the corner wherein
the reporters face was thrust. Some of them,
as If president of their fate and stolidly aware
of the cruelty of humanity, did not move, but
lay in sullen sleep. Others again looked up
with hungry hope in their eyes which soon
died out as the faces of the pound men peerod
in, side by side with the reporters. But
some of them crept close, and looking up,
begged for liberty, for life, with pleading
that was painfully eloquent in its dr. NIB
pathos One dog, the typical yellow dog the
despised yellow mongrel that has been so
fruitful a theme for the immature
humor of amateur humorists, sat with his
head uplifted, steadily gazing in the report
Il
bright eye, that watched every change OF
countenance of the locker on. 1t was an
eager, hungry appeal for liberty, yet dgni-
fled one. He belonged, this despised yellow
dog, to the breed of that little yellow cur that
followed the corpse of his poverty stricken
master from the church of st. Stephens in
the Lane to the parish graveyard in White
friars, aud taking his seat on the newly filed
grave, never left it for two long years,
till one morning they found him dead on the
clay that covered his masters breast Another
little fellow, pretty dog, II brown or liver
colored terrier, with smooth coat and u
lustrouS brown eye, looked up in the
reporters face with a steady glance
whose mute pathos was painfully touching.
He was an intelligent dog, and badly fright
ened. He read the compassion in the re-
porters face, and pressed hard against the
frame of the cage, and looked with his whole
soul in his eyes. 1t is idle to say that the
lower animals have no sense of the future
no fear or presciences of what may be. This
dog had. He was painfully aware of his fate.
He r. d the pity that shone in the reporters
face, and his heart beat faster with the frantic
hope that from that pity might possibly come
rescue. And when the reporter turned away
l6,.i,,dog road the hopelessness of his case, and
iifnSepes gathered a reprOachful, despairing
look that was haunting from its supreme sad
ness. This is not gush. 1t is not idle senti-
ment. 1t is hard, cold, stern fact which
ali men may fSCOEnlHcj IL Jnoy throw OH the
selfshness and the cruelty that have ever
characterized humanity in its dealings with
the so-called lower animals. This dog suffers
the torture of anticipated terrors. Wednes.
day if not redeemed, he will be taken out
and shot. And then -?
The health wagon and the ordure heap
says the pound man. Not so, have thought
many of the wise and the good of mankind
Even science, which proudly boasts of its
indifference to anything that it cannot weigh
or measure, has taken up the question and
acknowledges that in all the qualities VIZ
have heretofore recognized as attributes OF
the soul there is no difference between mau
and the dog, save only in degree. Perhaps
after all, the answer Of the pound men doe,
not contain all the wisdom of the subject
A handsome pointer dog with a collar
round his neck came up eagerly to the traI
corner but soon turned away with nil adj
mrdri look The pound might be inconve-
niont, but it had no terrors for him. Thi
was the fourth time he had been there
Twice he had been redeemed. Once as they
took him out to be shot he made a gallan
break for liberty aud actually bounded owe
the high fence. This time there is fear tina
his luck may desert him. May il stand hin
In good stead again, however.
One poor old fellow has a history. He is
long bodied, short legged, why haired Scotcl
terrier, not pure blood, perhaps, for there is
suspicious resemblance in his muzzle and hi
eye to the colley. He was the only one GU