Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-11-09
ARE THEY HARBINGERs OF DEATHq
strange a ctions Of Animals Believed
To be Fatal Forecasts.

tn be Fatal Forecasts.
Do animals have some mysterious psyche
logical in.uition OF the approach OF death I,
the family In which they are domiciledi II
would seem so from the many cases Ga record
In which domestic saimals have acted In q
strange and excited manner just previous
TO the decesse OF some member OF the house
hold. Sir Waller Scott frequently alluded "a
this feature OF the dumb creation. Edgar
Allen Poe wrote a frightful tale OF a black
cat. Truth and superstition have been both
called upon to help contribute these reinsrka-
BILE stories to the literature OF the past.
There are people today who believe the cat
Is Invested with the power OF the evil eye;
that the purrng tabby OF the nresde Will
suck the breath Of the sleeping infant. A
well known professional nurse OF this city,
who has an Investigating mind, gave her ex-
perience to reporter:
~ am not superstitious." she said, but
am never called out to nurse In new place
without feeling glad when | learn that there
Is no cat about the house. find II impossi
BILE 10 divest myself OF feeling OF fear that
was grounded In me when a child. An infant
member OF my family was dying. The,e was
d great scratching and mewing at tue door,
and strange cat walked In when the door
was opened. 1t was great, Withholding
creature, and IL crept stealthily to the side OF
the sick child which 1t regarded with the
most serious attention. Then IL went slowly
out and my mother said in awe. struck tones:
+" The child will not liye.'
1.-THE little one died the next morning"
"What became of the cstp
at remained with us aud we could not get
rid OF it; for a long time IL was con-
slant source OF annoyance. At last We put
II into a bag and took II away. / suppose we
were afraid OF another supcrstition-that II
we killed cat We would always have bad
,uck."
us that the only instance you know Of
Eat foreruDning deathP
mo. knew family where the youngest
ch Id. a boy of thirteen. had a pet cat which
he raised himself. He WAS out one day
PLAYING, when the cat walked into the parlor,
and, standing before the sofa. mewed pite-
ously. 1t was impossible 10 drive the animal
from that particular spot or stop its cries.
little later the child was brought In dead
he had been drowned-and was laid on the
sofa at that very spot where the cat had
cried"
II have had great trouble with my sick
people," remarked the same nurse, IRON
dogs bowling under their window"
Cannot that be prevented by claiming up
the dogp
at is not always the family dog. have
known dogs TO go long distance TO sit and
howl under a window where some one was
lying ILL.,"
GLOW do you account for thatl"
II have heard IL said by people who had
cooked into the matter that 1t Is the unusual
light and noises that disturb the dogs. Then
there Is another theory, that the powerful
sense OF smell In these animals enables them
TO detect In The atmosphere odors noxlous to
them.n
Have you ever noticed any peculiar re-
suit from the bowling OF q dogsn
"Nothing but the nervousness aud depres-
sion OF the patient / must say that Ii is an
appalling sound 10 hear at the dead of night.
j have known the patient TO recover In sew
eral cases In one death had already set in
and IL was a favorite house dog that howled
all night Even II one has no superstition 1t
causes thrill Of fear TO hear such a mean-
choly and unusual EYmrd telegram.