The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1893-09-06
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WEDNESDAY. SEPT. 6. 1898.
THE STORY OF A DOG.
WHY A SOLITARY WAYslDE GRAVE is
MARKED PHANTOM

A Lost Baby In the WiIds of Western New
Mexico Was Traced by the Faithful Ca
nine-He Killed the Abductor and Led
the Father to a Coyotes Den.
The tourist who visits the region of,
Lower Plaza, N. M, will see, Snong
other things, as he drives along the trail
from the railroad a grave with thick
headboard ON which is painted the one
word, "Phantom."
''It's only dogs grave" the guide
will explain, "but / reckon he'd more
sense than some men,"
Phantom was he property of Bernard
IWisner, a cowboy living near the Datil
mountains some years ago, but he was
buried near the home of Daniel Chap
man, whose wife was the sister of Wis
ner. Mrs. Chapman, when her brother
first got the dog, had q hearty dislike for
it. 1t was a big mongrel, with hound
blood predominating, and, like all mon
grel hounds, it had an enormous appe-
tite that was never SO well satisfied as
with food stolen from somebody kitchen.
For many offenses of this kind Mrs.
Chapman had good reason to complain.
and she would have taken the winches-
ter and shot the hateful brute on more
than one occasion but for two reasons.
1T was very good hunting dog, and it
would now and then play with the baby
when she wanted to do housework-come
over from her brothers house mile
away as if for the express purpose of hav-
ing romp with the little tot of 3.
However, the dogs manner kept grow
ing worse, and one day when she saw it
come sneaking around the corral she
started for the gun, but stopped half way
because she was reminded by the sight of
the dog that the little one had not been
about the house for an hour or two, per-
Ihaps more, SO far as she could remem-
her. So she ran out or the house quickly
without the gun and called aloud:
"Babyi Babyv"
Then she listened and grew faint, for
she heard no reply, and fainter still
had told her of seeing panther's
tracks down in the hollow near by.
TO think of this was to send her flying
toward the hollow, but no baby or
trace Of it was to be found, although
she looked behind every one of the scat
tered pines and cedars growing there
Then she came running back to the
house, ringing her hands and calling
"Baby" distractedly. She found the
dog standing right beside the door, but
she would not have noticed him, she
was so near wild about the baby, only
for the fact that he stood looking in
ltently at her instead of taking to his
heels with his tail between his legs, as
he always done when she came toward
him.
Even as twas she paid little attention
Ito the dog, but ran hither and yon about
the house and corral and horse shed,
crying and calling the child, until at
last she saw the dog come square before
her, and after a grave look into her face
start running around the house with his
nose to the ground. She remembered
afterward that he circled around the
house two or three times and then dis
appeared, but by that time her fears had
$50 overcome her that she fell headlong
ION the floor in faint, and there she lay
nobody knows how long.
When she came to her senses, the dog
was licking her face, and at once began
to caper about and bark in extraordinary
fashion when she opened her eyes and
sat up. Then he ran out the door and
stopped and looked back, and directly
came back and grabbed the skirt of her
dress, which he pulled SO hard that he
tore it. Then she picked up club and
drove the dog out the house, and when
her burst of anger was over tainted
again at the thought of the lost baby.
When she revived this time, she was too
weak to get up, but she saw that tho dog
was still acting in the same unusual
fashion she had noticed before. A little
later the sound of horses hoofs gladden.
ed her ears, and with last effort she
got up, staggered out the door, saw her
husband as he jumped from his horse
land. gasping ont tho words that "Baby
lis lost" tainted for the third time
Chapman carried the woman to the
bed, took one look around the room in
order to assure himself that he had
rightly understood what she had said,
and then grabbing the winchester said
Ito the dog:
Hi, Phantoml where's Baby?"
"Wowp replied the dog, and started
AWAY on lope that kept Dan humping
himself to equal. The trail zigzagged
about for nearly half mile, then crossed
10 broken lava bed and ran off down a
draw to the creek valley. Had any other
dog than Phantom been on the trai Dan
would have not believed the child could
have gone that way, but he banked on
Phantom and kept trotting along until
lat last thicket was reached just two
miles and half from home. Into the
thicket the dog plunged by what was
really sort of tunnel through the brush,
and Chapman had to get down on his
hands and knees to follow. Two rods in
lhe came to an opening, and there ON the
dry sod lay the baby fast asleep. 1t was
apparently in the den of some wild ami
NAL
AS Dan picked up the child the grow
of the dog made him look around
Phantom was standing over the dead
body of recently killed coyote.
Phantom died of old age last spring
and was buried with many tears neal
the public highway, where all who pas:
can see it. 1t was only dog that wa.
buried there; but, then, as the cowboys
say, 81 reckon he'd more sense thar
some men Cor New York Sun.