The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-08-30
WELL UP IN TRICKS.
A Washington Dog With Unusual
Intelligence.

>Ap~AAAS9O~~~s
The most remarkable public char.
acter in Washington lives on News.
paper row, says correspondent OF
the New York World. This individ-
ual goes from one Office to another
every night and holds conferences
with the various correspondents.
He often takes part in their little
dinners, sitting at the table with
them and getting away with his
portion of beer and soft-shell crabs
quite as lively as the rest of the
party. Still, he is less than a foot
tall, and, like the wild man in the
circus, he has hair all over his
person. He is a Scotch TERROR, and
his name is Fidge. He is about the
size of the ordinary white poodle,
and he has the brightest of black
eyes shing out of a bushy face. He
is, however, the brightest dog in the
United States, and he has had a
national reputation through his
Washington tricks. Senator Blair
calls him Socrates, and he says he
believes that he contains the soul Of
some great man of the past which,
in the course Of its transmigration,
is now inhabiting a dog. AS he
plays with him he talks to him,
saying: "Fidge, am sure that in
the cons of the past you were some
great man, and I would have thee
tell some of thy past experiences.
Perhaps you were some Plato and
spouted philosophy, even as some
Senators talk on education. Per-
chance you were Socrates, or you
may have been Of Roman birth,
and the same soul that voices forth
your bark may have conceived the
orations Of Caesar or given forth
the pure classics Of Cicero. Tell
me, Fidge, which was it? II you
can't speak American speak Greek
or Latin, and l will try to under
stand you"
Mrs. Senator Davis is we'll ac-
quainted with Fidge, and when she
meets its owner she first asks after
the dog and then wants to know how
the baby is getting along. Senator
Pettigrew is fond of Fidge, aud
though the dog had met him but
two or three times he remembered
him, and recognized him after a
two years. absence. Not long ago
Governor Swineford of Alaska paid
a visit to Washington. Fidge's
owner was looking for him, and he
went through Willard's Hotel and
failed to find him. He stopped in
the billiard-room, but saw no one
he knew until he started to 60 out,
when q man in the dark corner of
the room beckoned to him. He went
over, and it was Governor Swine
ford. AS the Governor shook hands
be said: Your dog has better eyes
than you have. He remembered
me, and when he saw me playing
billiards over here he came over
and caught hold of my pantaloon
leg with his teeth and pulled at it
till l looked down, when he rose on
his hind feet and offered me his
hand. 1t is four years since | saw
him and his memory is good"
The manager of Forepaugh's cir
Gus saw Fidge year or two ago,
and he offered Frye $1,000 for him.
His master first discovered his in
telligence through the dogs desire
to be clean. He bought him as a
pup and paid $40 for him. When
he took him home he found that
The puppy was covered with tleas,
and that he needed bath Of patent
soap every morning to get rid of
.hese. Mr.. Frye disliked this bath
ng very much, and one morning
be said, while Fidge was lying on
he floor, "Well, l suppose l must
90 and give that blamed dog his
oath," whereupon Fidge jumped up
md trotted up stairs and jumped
3f his own accord into the tub pre-
pared for him. 1t was at this time
hat his master got the idea Of try
ng to teach him certain words and
10 make him understand to cer-
,ain extent his conversation. The
log learned wonderfully, and he
1ow has vocabulary of about 300
words, and he can carry three or
our ideas in his head at the same
ime. The other day his mistress,
to go out, found at the
'ront door that she had forgot her
,ocketbook. She said to Fidge: 81
want you to go upstairs, go into my
DOM and bring down my pocket
,ook, which is on the bureau.
Sidge ran up, jumped on chair
beside the bureau, got the pocket
,ook and came down with it in his
mouth. In this case no metioning
vas done and the dog understood
he words. He carried the idea of
he bedroom, the pocketbook and
he bureau in his mind at the same
ime, and also that he was to 60
md bring the pocketbook.