The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-23
THE HOWLING OF A DOG.
SUPERSTITION DEMOLISHED BY
THE LOGIC OF COLD FACTS.

Figures Given by n Gentleman Who Has
Kept Tab of His Experimentation
Which Gave the Lie to the Popular
Idea That 1t ForeteIls Death.
There is well-known resident Of the west
side who has q hobby for combating popu-
lar superstitions and demolishing them with
the logic Of coli storm facts. The other
night he was visiting a friend when the
conversation turned on the notion which is
entertained by a great many people thaS The
bowling or moaning of u dog locatpd in or
near house where there is a serious ca.e OF
sickness means death to the sullerer. The
gentleman contended that the ilol was
sheer nonsense, and proceeded to tell why:
Some years ago." he said, "nI father
was taken dangerously i'll, and for several
days his life was despaireI Of. Finally Dr..
- tlaming prominent physlclan) told
us ono morning that the crisis would come
at q certain hour the ne%t night, and that
either immediate death or SLOW recovery
would e,,sue In the yard OF the
house adjoining there was New.
founllend dog Of very quiet and
peaceabie disposition, so quiet, in fact, that
we seldom heard him. L was detained down.
town rather late on tho night in question,
and when | reached home it was near the
hour that the physician had named. AS l
turned the corner l heard q succession OF
most uneavuhly howis, and when l got inside
tho house | found all tie women members Of
tue family in spasms. Tho howls proceeded
from tho dog next door, and nothing could
convince them but that the animal was
foreteller oil death. We'll, the critical mo
ment came and passed. An hour later the
doctor had announced that father would
live About the same time the dog ceased
its howlings, and all was quiet for the rest
OF tue night Since then l have made this
superstition study and kept tab of my ex.
periencps and thoae Of my friends i'll this
connection. This is the result to date:
TIE TALE THE FIGURES TOLD.
"When the bowling Of dogs was followed
by recovery Of patient, seventeen cases"
when bowling was followed BY death,
two"
1t so happened thot In the next house to
the one in which this conversation took
place little baby was lying seriously i'll,
and only two hours before the doctor had
given it up In the yarl of the house first
referred to was an English setter, one of
the gooi-tempered kinl that are strangers
to q whine Just as the visitor had given
the result Of his investigation tho animal
suddenly broke the silence with the most
pitiful howis. Its ownnr and his wife, both
adherents to tho superstition, glanced stimuli
taneously at the clock. 1t marked the hour
of g.
"The baby's dead" they calculated in one
breath.
The visitor looked across the room inquir-
inslY, and explanations were in order. All
efforts to quiet the animal were frritless,
and the bowling continued for some time.
Then they as suddenly ceased. The
visitor was positive that tho babe
was now on the road to recovery, while his
host and tho good wife werc equally certain
that it had passed the boundaries of bet
ter world All was anxious, but delicacay
forbade their trespassing at that hour on
what at least two were certain was be-
reaved family Early next morning both
families were astir, and hearing his neigh
Dor moving in the garden the gentleman
threw up the window and called out:
How is tho baby"
dead was tie reply he expected. In
steal of that the father looked up smihnSly
and shouted:
"Ever SO much better. Decided change
for the best set in last night"
"Wha9 time"
About 9 o'clock Just when your dog
was making such frightful noise"
Another stroke has been added on q GER
tain page in the diary Of the tabkeeper on
She dog superstition, and at the bottom OF
The leaf is the legend, 'lS to =. The baby is
now out Of danger r"-Chicago Herald