The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-04-25
Oak Dale Correspondence, by James
Cannon

Mix. EDITOK.-Ine comments Oh
the Board Of Supervisors in rejecting
my claim for damages to stock by
dogs seems to have been very unfai I
to me and misleading to the public.
The account Of the death OF the ,tock
having appeared in your paper at
the time, | will state that when the
stock was sick and dying went to
II. H. Bither, and asked him to send
for the State Veterinary Surge III;
and had Mr.. Bither done his Guty as
he agreed to do. would not have
been to the expense Of going to Des
Moines to lay the case before the
s ate Veterinary Surgeon.
At the January session, the Board
OF Supervisors agreed to waive all
technical points Of law and pay my
claim il | could show that the dis
ease could be transmitted from the
dogs to the other stock. have done
50 by the best authority in the State.
the State Veterinary Surgeon, who
pronounces the disease Anthrax, and
says the carcasses Of animals dead
from the disease are charged with
the poison, and can be carried to liv-
ing animals by dogs or other carniv.
orous animals that feed on the dis
eased carcasses The Professor be-
lieved the disease was conveyed to
my stock in that way, after receiving
a detailed account OF all the cases,
length Of sickness, the manner oil
death and means Of communication,
and also the appearance Of the car.
cass Of the calf that was bitten by
dogs, and similar case is also re-
ported in his Annual Report for the
year 1885, pages 10 and 12.
The Board of Supervisors brushed
away these proofs. letters and official
documents of the state very lightly,
but the investigation is of very great
Importance to the farmers and stock
raisers Of the County and State, and
| furnish the letter and also that por-
ton Of the report that refers to An
thrax for publication.
The pettifogging way in which the
Board dictated to their witness what
they wished him to say was not very
becoming to a Board Of Supervisors
acting in q judicial capacity. | will
say this much: the day the dogs bit
my cali, about 2 o'clock in the after.
noon, two strange dogs were seen on
Mr.. Pendergast's farm about 90 rods
from where he claims to have skinned
the animal Of his which died with
blackleg, and Mr.. Pendergast could
not have seen the dogs then, as he
was in town, nine miles from home.
Now l would ask what can be ex
pected Of the generality of people
when the County Supervisors car
back out of their agreement and ge,
behind the County Treasury to de
fend their action and then tell M
that have not money enough to q
to law with the County.
The State Veterinary Surgeon il
his annual report for 1885, at page IL
describes the trouble which is sup
posed to have caused the death o
James Cannon's stock last winter q
follows:
Anthrax. This disease manifest
itself under q variety of forms, ant
all spe cies of domestic animals are Ii
able to be affected. In this State
cattle are by far the most frequen
sufferers. Other animals rarely sui
fer, except when they have eater
from the carcass Of an anthrax sub
ject, or been inoculated with the vi
rus. Young and rapidly thriving an
inals are the individuals most ikel,
to be attacked. The disease as a rui,
proves rapidly fatal, but only in rar,
instances extends to any consider
able number of large herd. TIL,
form OF the disease most frequentl,
seen in this State is that which i
known as black leg, or black warts.
"Honey Creek Cattl,
Disease. In August, 1884, the news
papers Of the State contained NOR,
or less sensational articles concernin,
a fatal disease prevailing among TIL,
cattle in HONEY Creek township
to the farms where the disease pre-
vailed, / ascertained that abou
twenty fatal cases had occurred. TIL,
disease vas confined to five farms
situated along the valley of Hone,
creek, a small stream tributary to TIN,
Iowa river. Out of twenty -one wei
marked cases there was but one re
covery. In u number of instance
animals were found dead. that wer,
apparently in good health a few
hours previous. Twenty-four hour
is probably the longest duration 0
any case after well marked symp
toms were developed. In one in
stance the skin was removed from
the carcass, and hogs were al
lowed to eat the flesh. Out OF her,
OF forty swine that got more or les
of the carcass, twenty-eight died in ,
short time, and others were affected
with swelling. and eruptions abou
the ears and other parts of the body
The man who removed the skin frOu
the carcass received q slight scratcl
on the thumb, which was followe,
by moist gangrene and loss Of fiesl
from large part Of the organ"
The State Veterinary Surgeon, un
doubleday the best authority in low,
upon this subject writes under dat,
of April 10th, to Mr.. Cannon as fol
lows:
AFTER fully investigating tn,
deaths among your live stock durin,
the past winter, and the causes lead
ing to the same, l AIN satisfied tn
animals died from Anthrax, com
municable disease affecting all tn
species of domestic animals. The vi
rus of this disease is OF such a natur
as to resist extremes Of heat and cold
and will retain it's vitality for 4 yer,
long time. The carcasses of animal
dead from the disease are charge,
with the poison, and are often
source of contagion. Insects or cal
nivorous animals can convey tn
germs of disease from such carcasse
to living animals. 1t is more thai
likely the disease was conveyed t
your farm in some such manner.
! am yours very truly,