Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-01-09
A Dog Hero.

Heck was the name of large black.
Newfoundland dog of almost human in
teliigence, as will be seen, that was an
important adjunct of the ST. Elmo Ho-
tel at kldred.a He was a noble animal,
one of those creatures which we are
prone to believe are gifted with a high
er reasoning power than that of mere
instinct, and whose affection does not
sutfer by comparison with that displayed
by mankind. Heck was a general
favorite with the neighborhood.. and
the great dog was especially friendly to
little CHILDREN, whose p aymate he
seemed delighted to be. Shortly after
two O'Clock last "Wednesday morning
Heck was aroused from his post of duty
in the hotel BY the pungent. snllocating
smell of smoke and the cracking of
blazing wood. The building was in
flames, and its human occupants were
slumbering, regardless OF danger.
Whether from a sense of obligation for
former favors or from the general life
saving inst net which is strong in
this breed of dogs, Heck first made
his way to the room occupied by
the porter, who was plunged in
the profound sleep of intoxication.
Jumping upon the bed the dog gripped
the pillow with his teeth and dragged
it from bcneaih the drunkea. mans
head Slecply the porter pushed him
away, but Heck renewed the attack.
pulling at the mans night clothes and
sounding his loud deep bark almost ia
his faee. At last arou ed, the porter
perceived the smoke and flames, and
reali ing his danger, grope his way
out, guided by Heck, who did not de-
sert him until he was ia rly out of doors.
But the dog 5 work was not vet done.
Leaving the porter dazed with excite
ment and the fumes of rum, the brave
animalr entered the hotel and bounded
upstairs where the o'her inmates were
stIh sleeping. His furions barking re-
sounded through the corridor, sounding
almost human in its notes of enireaty
aud his great paws scratched nois .ly at
the doors of the ,leepin y-rooms. Men
and women scantily dressed began to
appear and as they came out dog
piioted them down stairs to safety,
never in a single instance rela ing his
vigilance until each was in the open
air. In all the terrible excitement of
the night Heck alone maintained his
steady adherence to duty. again and
again entering the burning build
in :, only to reappear with a fugitive;
hurrying to escape horrible death,
and trusting implicitly to the sublime
heroism of The dumb brute. Suddenly,
when every human soul was out of the
fiery mass. Heck was missed. Some
one had seen the dog go in again Just
after the last bOarder had escaped, but
no one could remember having seen
him come ont. A hasty search revealed
the fact that the dog hal disappeared
and waS forgotten for the moment in
the general alarm, for it did not seem
as if the fire would be confined to the
hstel. When all was over the thought
of poor Heck came viviiy to the minds
of all. When the glowing embers be-
gan 10 cool some boys found little
pile of ashes that bore some resem-
blance 10 the body of a large dog. 1t
was all that remained of Heck. In his
doggish mind there must have been a
denn tc idea that still another sleeper
was in deadly pe.'il, and he started on
his last errand, only TO lie sulfo ated
and perish miserably. Heck's dea h
aroused a popular feeling similar to
that ea8sed by the sudden wipiug out
OF a human life, and little children wept
when they heard that their great
hearted shaggy friend was no more.
Those who had found safety through
has gentle but persistent enorts may
have felt rs keenly as did thechildren,
though hey showed it less. Heck was
only a dog, but the true story of his
death as here told shows that man can
noy clam monopoly of some of the
noblest impul es. u Brad, ORD { (Pa.) Era.