Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-01-19
Jack. The Tramp Dog.

AT the Nicollet house SUNDAY, saws
the st. Paul Pioneer Presc number
of railroad men switched away from
the subject of pools, rate cutting. and
the operation of trains and devoted
some time TO the consideration of intel
ligence of the animal kingdom. In
stances of remarkable instinct, if not of
actual reasoning power were related.
after which one of the party mentioned
"character" quite generally known
in Minneapolis few ears ago. and
still affect onately remembered by
scores of citizens. The story is told rs
nearly rs possible in the speakers own
language, and ran something after this
fashion:
Well. bows, you can all talk. but the
most knowing animal ever ran across
was Jack, the tramp dog" You all
remember him, don't you? His head
quarters was at the Milwaukee & St.
Paul ticket Office, when George Scott
dealt in the pasteboards. He was q
rather squatty white animal, with black
patches on his face aud pair of ewes
which reflected joy, dispIeasure or graf
itude as plain " as any human eye could
do. You would notice those eyes the
first thing if you meet them on the
street. But, | am sorry to say. there
was a good deal of the old Adam or Or
iginal sin in Jack, probably owing to
his early education. No one ever knew
positively where he came from, but
other dogs fooling around SCOTS office
soon discovered that he was there.
No military hero of ancient or modern
times ever passed through as many
battles, and Jack did not seem to care
a continental whether they we've victor
les or defeats-it was all the same to
him. Another of his peculiarities was
penchant for riding on railway
trains and express wagons. Nearly
every dar, when n town, he could be
seen ding up or down Washington
avenue on some wheeled veh Gle and
gazing complacently at people on the
sidewalk, but never saying n word.
The Milwaukee Il St Paul was his fav-
orite rail route, and he would 90 off
quite regularly on excursions to st.
Paul, and in some instances h trips
EXTENDED to Winona or La Crosse. but
lie always came home without assist
ance lie seemed to know the differ
ence between friend aud an enemy
ut lance, but he never had much
! trouble on the trains, us the BOYS were
all friends of his and he never suffered
! for transportation or fresh beef On
the day of the Willard celebration, a
! young man who was in the habit OF
pett'ng h m a good deal, took him oyel
to the lioneer Press office, when it was
across the way, aud tried 10 dress him
up in bunting. Before the job was hall
completed Jack filed a remoustranc,
in the shape of Two rows of teeth. ant
then left the Office in deep humiljat on
He was never known to enter the Office
afLerward or recogn re his former
friend.
His pecularities would fill a volume
but / must cut Off The bame of hi
life came in the shape of newsboys
At first he responded to their aggra
waiting familarities by tearing out TIN
seats of the + pants. but rs time advan
ced and the boys became more venture
some and irritating, Jack learned {,
take firmer hold touching the juvenil,
anatomy in scores of cases. The stu
alton at last became too serious. an,
MIR. Scott had to sh p Jack to far me
fr end in Wisconsin in order to put a.
end 10 the decorations and NAV hem.
tell you he was a smart one, and if Ii
is wing want this story TO serve as
tribute to his greatness. and If dead
let II go as an epitaph on his unkn owl
grave.
Not one of the four presidents of the Frenc
republic since its origin in 1870 was born 4
Paris.