Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-11
A TRAIL OF HORROR.
Death Stood Grinning q Hideops Welcome
to His Terrified Vic Tins.

IL was aIter the MONDAY meal, ana lay
on heap of new mown hay on the barn
floor, with the doors open and the gentle
breeze blowing through. The horses, with
harness still on, were muncling their oats
in the stable, and at the door was a load of
hay to be drawn in by and by Fifty rods
down the dusty highway vas school
house, and the shouts of children at their
games came plainly to my ears. The swal-
lows chittered and chartered under the
caves of the big barn-nov and then a
bumblebee came sailing about as II won.
dering what was going on-ald from hol-
low stump just back of the barn caught
the ''cheepl cheepi" of young blue birds as
the mother brought them food.
1t was an hour of peace and good will.
Lying there half asleep and too lethargic
to move a finger, should have smiled In
contempt had voice whispered that there
was danger to any soul In that peaceful
neighbOrhood. OF sudden there was a
shifting and whining at the open front
doors. lay facing them and had but to
open my eyes to see the farmers dog stand
ing there looking directly at me. He was
monster in size, and for two or three days
had been skulking about in dark spots and
uttering low growls of annoyance when
any one came near.
At the first glance my heart choked me-
/ had once looked into the eyes of mad
dog and instantly realized that this was
another case. If terror, distress, passion,
thirst, hunger and savageness can be COM
bined in look, you have it in the dilated
eyes of the canine when the frenzy first
comes upon him and he is undecided what
to do. Clots of foam fell upon the dogs
breast and on the floor as he worked his
jaws, and every hair on his body seemed to
stand erect as he fastened his eyes on mine
He may have been blind for the moment,
or he may have thought me dead. Neither
of the horses could see the dog, but it was
clearly remembered that they suddenly
ceased feeding and even seemed to hold
their breaths. Instinct must have warned
them.
For a long minute the dog Ooked straight
into my eyes, and had / not been lying
down l believe l should have fallen. Then
he suddenly raised his head, uttered long
drawn howl, and heard him growl fierce
ly as he sprang away. A COW was ap-
preaching the barn. He bit Ter savagely id
the neck and made straight for the house.
The old farmer sat under the shade of
cherry tree by the kitchen door smoking
his pipe. He was suddenly assaulted and
rolled to the ground and his right ear al
most torn from his head. He knew that it
was his dog, but when he rose up the beast
had disappeared. 1t was only 10 steps to
the gate. Up the highway there was moth
ing in sight. Down the highway was the
schoolhouse with dozen children on the
grass in front. Between him and them was
the dog, running with his head down and
uttering no sound. The old man was help
less, except to pray. He shut his eyes as
he saw the dog dash upon the first child.
He heard the screams and shrieks of af.
fright, and then his pain and distress
brought him to the ground.
AS you have seen a shadow fit across a
field, so sped this dog. None saw or heard
him until he suddenly sprang into the midst
of them. He snapped to the right and the
left. The froth flew from his lips and fell in
patches on the grass. Nine out of the twelve
children felt his fangs once: four OF them
were bitten twice. He had marked his vic
tim and gone before any one could realize
what had happened. Faces, necks, cheeks,
arms, hands, legs, the mad beast had
snapped as he bounded back and forth.
Half mile below the schoolhouse farm
er stood beside his oxen in the highway as
he talked with man in the field. He saw
the brute coming, but before he realized
his peril one of his hands had been man
gled and both oxen bitten. A traveller
was approaching on foot He heard the
cry of Mad dog!'' and ran for the fence
As he reached it there was a sharp pain in
one of his legs, as if he had been cut with
a knife. He looked down from his perch
and saw pair of fiery eyes and mouth
filled with yellow froth, but next instant
the object had vanished.
Mad dog! Mad dogl Look out for the
mad dogr'
So rang the cry from field to field and
from house to barn and barn 20 house along
the dusty highway. A few heard 1t in time,
but only few. Here and there the dog
turned In to right or left-now and then he
spared some one as he held to the road. At
the tollgate he passed a won an by; a quar-
ter of mile below he turned aside and bit
two hogs and COW. At the bridge he bit
woman, but passed three men unnoticed.
Straight on through the long main street
of the village, appearing as suddenly as the
lightnings flash, gone almost before the
pain of his bite had been felt, he marked a
victim at almost every rod. Horses, oxen,
cows, hogs. dogs, men, women and children
whatever living thing came in his way
felt his sharp fangs. and yet he seemingly
did not halt for an instant.
Ten long miles away from the barn where
/ had looked into his eyes the dog met his
death at the hands of a farmer whom he
had first bitten Feel your flesh creep as
you read the record: Forty seven human
beings, 80 head of live stock and 16 dogs A
lion would have struck down a single vic
tim and satisfied his appetite. A tiger
hunted to frenzy might have killed two or
three in order to escape. A mad elephant
breaking loose has been known to kill half
u dozen people before he could be shot or
secured. Even the pitiless blizzard Of mid
winter or the terrible cyclone Of summer
would have left no such trail of horror
across the land. NJ. QUAD.
~ Brave English NyOIsIn.
There have been many women warriors