Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-26
ATE O'BRIEN'S BREAD.
Tale of n Cow That Perniciously Pervades
Duqucsne Heights.

Tale of a Cow That Perniciously Pervades
Duqucsne Heights.
Samuel T. O'Brien, the agent OF the
Humane Society, has been for many weeks
haunted by a COW. Mr.. O'Brien lives in
that elevated rural region called Duquesne
Heights. The COW also lives there, and per.
vades the neighborhood. She is the prop
erty of James Florence, salesman. The
COW is said to be exceedingly vicious, and
has tossed several people on her horns. She
is allowed to run at large, and keeps the
women and children of Duquesne Heights
terrorized. About two months ago she
severely injured an old lady named Rouch.
She was confined to her bed for several
weeks. Since then the animal tossed a little
girl, but did not severely hurt her.
One day last week the COW walked into
Mr.. O'Brien's cellar. The house stands
high, and the cellar floor is on level with
the yard. The cellar door was left open and
her cowship strolled in. 1t was her hungry
day. She ate 13 loaves of bread which Mrs.
O'Brien had just baked and laid out on a
cooling board. Not satisfied with that, she
ate nearly half a bushel of potatoes which
were in basket. This was too much, and
Mr.. O'Brien decided to appeal to the law.
in search of a law which would make short
work of vicious cow. He could not find
sneh statute as he thought ought to be in
the book, but, not to be baked by the over
sight of the gentlemen who meet at Harris
burg, he determined to abate the COW as a
public nuisance. He went before Alderman
McMasters, of the Second ward, and filed
an information against James Florence for
the maintenance of a nuisance. The in
formation is study in black and white 1t
reads as follows:
"The defendant aforesaid, with force and
arms, near unto the common highway and
knowingly did keep and still doth keep
a certain COW of ferocious, furious
and vicious nature, and the said COW on
the day and year aforesaid, ISeptember 23l and
on the said other days and times, at the county
aforesaid, near unto a common highway and in
and near the public streets, then and there un-
lawfully and knowingly did permit and suffer-
and still doth permit and suffer to 60 at large
monwealth and the citizens of the County of
Allegheny, on the day and year aforesaid and
on the said other days and times at the county
aforesaid, could not nor can they now go, re-
turn. pass and labor In and through the said
common highways and public streets without
great danger and hazard of being torn, MANNED,
gored and injured by the said COW and losing
their lives, to the great damage, terror and
common nuisance of all the people and citizens
aforesaid in, by and through the said common
highway and public streets then going and re-
turning, passing. repassing and labor1ng, to the
evil example, etc., and against the peace and
dignity of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl.
vania"
A constable notified Mr.. Florence of the
trouble into which his COW had plunged
him, and he appeared before Alderman
McMasters and gave bail for his appearance
when wanted. The time for the hearing was
not fixed, because Mr.. O'Brien was not
present. That gentleman was sitting on the
high porch of his Duquesne Heights home,
softly and sweetly humming:
This is the cow with the crumpled horn,
That entered my cellar one summer morn,
And left me of grub almost totally shornh