The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-01
THE STORY OF A dug.
WHY A SOLITARY WAYsiDE GRAVE Is
+, MARKED "PHANToM."

"fNNNI0 ttFNtNt O"s
A Lost Baby In the wilds of Western New
Mexico Was Traced by the Faithful Ca
nine--He Killed tho Abduetor and Led
the Father to Coyotes Den.
The tourist who visits the region Of
Lower Plaza, N. M, will see, among
other things, as he drives along the trail
from the railroad grave with Z thick
on which is painted &ie one
word, phantom"
cts only dogs grave" the guide
will explain, "but reckon he'd more
sense than some men," .g. ..-
Phantom was he property of Bernard
Wisner, cowboy living near the Datil
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 a hearty dislike for
it. 1t was 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 NOR,
than one occasion but for two reasons
1t was a very good hunting dog, ard il
would now and then play with the baby
when she wanted to do housework-comt
over from her brothers house a 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 il
come sneaking around the corral sh,
started for the gun, but stopped half way
because she was reminded by the sight o.
the dog that the little one had not beer
about the house for an hour or two, per
haps more, so far as she could remem
Der. So she ran out of tho house quickly
without the gun and called aloud:
''Babyl Baby"
Then she listened and grew faint, TO
she heard no reply, and fainter still
when sho remembered that her husband
had told her of seeing panther
tracks down in the hollow near by
To think of this was to send her flyinl
toward the hollow, but no baby o
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 tn
house, ringing her hands and callinl
"Baby" distr&ctedly. She found tn
dog standing right beside the door, bu
she would not have noticed him, sh
was so near wild about the baby, onl,
for tho fact that he stood looking in
tently at her instead Of taking to hi
heels with his tail between his legs, a
he always done when she came towart
him.
Even as it was she paid little attention
to the dog, but ran hither and yon abou
the house and corral and horse shed
crying and calling the child, until "A
last she saw tho dog come square befor
her, and after grave look into her fac
start running around the house with hi
nose to the ground. She remembers,
afterward that he circled around tn
house two or three times and then dis
appeared, but by that time her fears ha
so overcome her that she fell headlon
on the floor in a faint, and there she la
nobody knows how long.
When she came to her senses, the do
was licking her face, and at once begal
to Caper about and bark in extraordinar
fsahiOn when she opened her eyes an
i sat up. Then he ran out the door an
stopped and looked back, and directl
came back and grabbed the skirt of he
dress, which he pulled so hard that h
tore it. Then she picked up club an
drove the dog ont the house, and whe
her burst of anger was over fainte
again Mt the thought of the lost baby
When she revived this time, she was to
weak TO get up, but she saw that the do
was still acting in the same unusut
fashion she had noticed before. A iittl
later the sound of horses hoofs gladder
!. ed her ears, and with last effort 81,
got up, staggered out the door, saw he
husband as he jumped from his horst
and, gasping out the words that "Bab
! is lost, " tainted for the third time.
Chapman carried the woman to tn
bed, took one look around the room i
order to assure himself that he ha
rightly understood what she had sale
and then grabbing the winchester sal
TO the dog:
Hi, Phantoml where's Babyi'
"Wow!" replied the dog, and starte
away on n lope that kept Dan humpin
, himself to equal. The trail zigzaggt
about for nearly half mile, then crosse
: broken lava bed and ran off down
draw to the creek valley. Had any 9th,
t dog than Phantom been on the trail Da
would have not believed the child coul
: have gone that way, but he banked c
Phantom and kept trotting along unit
at last thicket was reached just tw
miles and half from home. Into IL
i thieket tho dog plunged by what WI
t really sortof tunnel through the brus
5 and Chapman had Ia got down on h
? hands and knees to- follow. Two rods
) he came To an opening, and there ON Il
!. dry sod lay the baby fast asleep, 1t WI
apparently i'll the den of some wild IN
q NAL.
/ As Dan picked up the child the gro,
of the dog made him lock aroun
Phantom was standing over tile dei
body of recently killed coyote.
!. Phantom died of old age last sprin
and was buried with many tears ne
p the public highway, where all who pa
!. can see il. 1t was only a dog that W
u buried there; but, then, as the cowbo
say, Il reckon he'd more sense thi
some men. Cor. New York Sun.
Very Hard Mental Exercise.
= It has fortunately been ordained til
!, good lying is about the severest ment
= lnv.Arnisl. known IN nn inlnlnnt Nvnrl