The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-02-21
Why the Dogs Follow Him.


One of the strange and profitable
"gifts," which seem peculiarly to be-
long to Gypsies, is the power to entice
dogs to follow them away in their
masters presence. This power is also
possessed by a queer old man who
lives in one of the small towns subur-
ban to Jersey City. For Is years or
more he, like the Gypsies, has put
gift to practical and successful use,
says the New York Sun.
His house is situated about eight
miles from the nearest ferry to New
York, and every morning the old man
rises at o'clock, and if the weather
is fine, starts on his long walk to the
ferry. His journey lies through
pretty residence villages and cottage
cities inhabited mainly by well-to-do
and often wealthy people. Many Of
these suburban residents have fancy
for the keeping of valuable dogs, but
often they are unable to keep them
permanently, owing to the doings Of
the aforesaid venerable Jerseyman,
who knows the Gypsy mystery.
The secret of the old mans infu-
ence over dogs he has con6dentially
impaired to few chosen friends. It
is the pampering Of the canine appe-
tite for the parings from horses
hoof, that part which the horeshoer
cuts away after burning the impress
sion of the shoe into the hoof. Duly
equipped with pocketful Of his "dog
coaxer," the old man strolls toward
the river, keeping sharp eye out for
the people astir about the streets and
houses. He knows the locality like
book, and the houses where they have
dog worth his while. At some
places, the servants have, as he puts
it, a disagreeable habit of rising early,
but they seldom interfere with his
plans. Silently approaching the house
he has selected, if the dog is in sight
he, gains its attention, and the animal
dashing out at him, usually barking
furiously, he tosses toward him a
piece of his "coaxer. which is eager
ly snapped up.
Almost at once the furious beast is
transformed into quiet, orderly dog,
as docile as lamb, and, leaping the
fence, the animal whines and grovels
at the old mans feet and rolls over
and over on the ground. The effect Of
the "coaxer" upon dog would appear
to be something similar to that Of cat
nip upon eat.
The old man humors the dog and
lets him roll and cavort around for
while. Then he starts off, fully as
sured that the dog will follow. Never
once calling to the beast, the old man
continues onward to the ferry with
the dog at his heels. If the dog at
any time shows 5-uctance to follow,
| another piece of ''coaxer" thrown to
him dispels the hesitation, and in
this manner they keep on until the
ferry-house is reached.
The old man, with the dog still fol-
lowing, generally manages to board the
boat at an hour when it is loaded with
| commuters. He now assumes propri-
| etorship of the animal, and often sells
the dog before he reaches New York.
If the dog is not sold on the boat,
however, he takes 1t to Wall street
and disposes Of it to some one among
the brokers who make no searching in
qulrleS as to how the old fellow comes
by the valuable dogs which he offers
for sale day after day. The old man
owns that he got the recipe for his
"coaxer" from Gypsy, and he says
he has never known it to fail. He
thinks that he runs no risk at all Of
legal penalties in his peculiar traffic.
"You see, he says, "the dogs just
simply follow me. don't take them
by force. u
the uld fellbw, who is close On to 10
years old, is well-preserved and hearty.
he has a most accommodating moral
code, one of his beliefs which nothing
can shake being that he is not a dog
stealer.