The morning call., 1893-01-14
A Famous Potrero Dog and
His Doings.
SERGEANT BENEFITS PET.
lie Has Prediction for Cowbells, and
His Forte Is in Catching All
Sorts of Balls.

Keys is doc, and as already stated. the
fancieTs themselves have been unable to
fath0m the mysteries of his particular kind.
Sergeant Bennett puts it down as pure
mongrel. but then the sergeant admits his
own ignorance of canine pedigrees.
Whatever Keys may lack in pedigree-if
he lacks anything-he more than cOmpen-
safes for in intelligence. But that is
whole story in itself. and should be pref
aced by a personal description of keys.
BE is about three and half hands high.
His black and yellow hair is seraggy and
lacks smoothness. bis ears stick right up
straight, are not long. but always alert.
His tail, by all ordinary methods of
mathematical calculation and the laws of
physics as laid down in the textbooks.
ought to have been wriggled off into space
six months ago. But it is probably made
of lignum vitae and adjusted to the trunk
with IBdiarubber hinges. At least you
would think so if you could see it wag.
1t will never be anything but dead dog
that will stop that wag (ging) on.
His nose is short but sharp. His eyes -
no other dog has eyes like them Even in
broad daylight they shine and scintillate
like bits of green and red glass in the sun
light. At night or in dark corner they are
balls Of fire.
1
the most remarkable eyes that any known
canine ever possessed
Now about Keys intelligence. You will
find this the best part OF the story.
One day Sergeant Bennett sat scribbling
away at his desk in the Potrero police sta
ton, making ont his daily report of arrests
and DRINKS and one thing or another for
Captain Short, when up jumped Keys on
the sergeant's desk.
Now, the sergeant was somewhat surprised
l. I'D IL.
pleasure Of an Introduction to Keys. In
deed, be had never seen the dog before, and
did not know that in a day or two the
canine would be duly christened by the
name he now bears and become one OF the
institutions OF that entire end of the Po-
trero
Get DOWN. said the busy sergeant, but
not in an unkindly way, for il is not the
sergeanrs custom to speak unkindy to the
lower order of brutes.
The dog didn't get down. He just stood
there. being very careful not to put his
dirty paws on the clean writing paper.
Then the sergeant looked around at the
intruder and saw there was something hard
and black in the dogs mouth. The ser
geant put out his hand and the dog de-
posted small rubber ball in 1t.
"H'mI" said the sergeant He laid the
ball on the desk. patted The dog on the
head and went on counting out the DRINKS.
The dog got down and cuTled himself up
on the chair beside the sergeant and waited
developments.
Presently the sergeant finished his writ
ing, took up the ball and went outside to
ask where in the world that dog came from.
None of the officers knew. They had
seen the dog sneak IN and bad tried to keep
him from entering the sergeant's private
HooT.
Unthinkingly. the sergeant tossed the ball
into one CT the vacant cells as he passed by
and then sat down by the stove to read the
paper.
Now the little cubby-hole in the cell door
through which the sergeant tossed the ball
is just high enough for the average man to
see through without getting on his toes or
bending his head. And its circumference is
not Is inches. A very fat man couldn't get
his arm through il.
We'll, the sergeant picked up THE CALL
and went on reading how those honest peo-
pie returned those pocket-bO0ks with only q
few dimes in them.
Presently something rubbed up against
his leg. He looked down. There was that
dog again, and in his mouth was another
rubber ball. The captain took the ball and
tossed il after its predecessor.
''Pll see how many balls he brings me-"
said the sergeant TO himself, with possible
eye to couple CT chubby youngsters at
home.
And the sergeant went on reading THE
CALL.
Again something rubbed against bis leg.
1t WAS the dog with another rubber ball.
Guess he's struck a rubber ball factory"
unused the sergeant as he tossed the third
one into the empty cell.
Then the sergeant went outside andtalked
politics with the foreman from the iron
works. After a while the dog appeared
again with another rubber ball.
''Pl have to book myself for receiving
stolen goods, If this thing keeps on" said
the sergeant Then the idea struck him TO
watch the dog aud see where he got tn se
rubber balls.
Now this part of the story is hard for an
outsider TO believe, but It's true as gospel
and you can verify it any day by going
down to the PotreTo police station and see
ing the performance for yourself The
sergeant and all the officers there take a
great deal of pride In showing off Keys.
But, remember, the sergeant didn't know
Keys at this time and was simply amazed
to see that dog jump four feet and half
right of the ground and clutch at the eubhy-
hole in the door of that vacant cell. Two
or three times he missed his hold and tell
back, as lie does to this day, for it's mighty
ticklish job for any deg. But at last be
caught on with his forepaws and hung there
for an instant to catch his breath. Then
he poked his head through the hole. which
Is just about big enough to permit this, and
began wTiggling and wriggling bis twelve
inch body through that six-inch hole
1t took moment or more to accomplish
this, but he did il, and almost as soon as
the sergeant saw the tail 90 through the
hole ne heard the dog land on the floor of
the cell.
It is pitch dark in the CELL and the dog
must hunt around moment or so to find
the ball, but in almostless time than ittakes
TO tell it he wriggled out again and was
holding up the same black rubber ball for
the sergeant to take.
Now that bali is fixture 10 the station.
Yesterday Sergeant Bennett showed CALL
man how expert Keys is at hide-and-seek
One of the officers held Keys blindfolded
while the sergeant hid the ball in the bot
tom Of bucket full of water in the rear Of
the station.
Then the sergeant went about all over the
station and poked into odd corners so as to
throw Keys off the scent if possible, but this
trick was OF but little use.
When released and told to get the ball
Keys put bis nose to the floor and followed
exactly the course the sergeant had taken
over the station, finally bringing up where
the sergeant now stood without the ball.
Then he went back over the course again.
this time more slowly, until the water
bucket was reached. First he searched IN
the bucket with his paw until he had To-
Gated the ball, then down he dlVed head
first into the water, and presently back he
came dripping wet, but with the ball be-
tween his teeth.
The ball was hid In various places, but
each time the dog found it Once it was
placed on little iron projection about five
feet above the floor. This was a new place
and it fooled Keys for a little while. but
soon he located it and began jumping up
after it till be finally reached 1t with one
paw and threw it down.
But it never reached the floor. It Eever
does when Keys makes a dash for it.
Bound 1t into the air. throw it so that ii
bounds In any way. and If Keys makes
start for it the bail will never reach the
ground the second time.
KEYS forte is balls. He dashes into the
pool and billiard rooms in the neighboring
saloon, jumps on the table very suddenly
and Unexpectedly. SEXES the ball the player
has started with his cue and dashe5 back
with the ball to give il to Sergeant Bennett