The morning call., 1894-10-25
SUFFERING DUCKS.
Mrs. krauS Pleaded for
Mercy.
One Man Who Makes Rubber Stamps
Wanted to Pour Water on
Their Backs.

August j. B. Immel, who conducts
commission business at 524 Sansome
street, sat in Police Judge Lows court
yesterday afternoon laboring under the
awful charge of cruelty TO ducks. Facing
him, under the protecting wing of Secre-
tary Holbrook of the Society for the Pre-
yention of Cruelty to Animals. sat Mrs.
Emily kraus, the prosecuting witness,
who resides al 80 Everett street
Mrs. Kraus was on her way to the Post
office about the noon hour on Septem Der
Is last she tolG the Judge and jury, when
she encountered the victims 10 the case.
They were crowded in a coop on the
street with their eyes turned up to heaven,
their beaks almost faced from the melting
effects of red-hot sun. They squawked
pitfully for more room and several of
them were nearly strangled in the wire
netting in their attempts TO get more room.
II went into Mr.. InmePs store" she ex-
plained, "dnd asked 1Or the proprietor,
and Mr.. Immel said be was the man.
Then folded my hands and pleaded with
him to be merclful with those ducks.
"'Are you warm p he said to me. I am
very warm,' said l. 'Ah, is that SO" said
be. i am very cold
at was not what he said" and the voice
of Mrs. Kraus became almost hushed with
her rising emotions; 'it was not what he
said, but the voice in which lie said it that
told me it would be useless to ask him TO
be mercifu with those ducks"
So Mr.. kraus lett the store of Mr.. In
mel and called IT the PoStoffice for her
mail, but all the time her mind kept wan
| dering back 10 the suffering ducks. When
she lett the Postoffice she turned her stsps
backward in their direction ana saw the
fated coop surrounded By crowd of men,
five of whom were letteT-carrierS. She
knew it would harrow up her feelings to
again witness the sutferings of the sun
struck anates, but her humanity overcame
her scruples, and she pushed belily
T. Wellington, the seedsmau, who bears
striking resemblance 10 the Iron Duke
pushing a tub of water around the coop
| where it would 90 the most good.
Remembering how cold Mr.. Immel had
stated he was, Mrs. Kraus resolved on
heroic measures. She swore out warrant
for the arrest of MIR. 1mmel and he was
arrested just after he had sold the birds
| to peddler.
| Mr. Wellington and Mr. A. d. Oakley.
| who makes rubber stamps, followed. cor
roborat!ng the testimony of Mrs. Kraus
that the naOesake of the coDQueror at
Waterloo had furnished water TO the
ducks. They were not quite certain, how
| ever, that the ducks were suffering or
overerowded in the coop. Mr.. Oakley dis
| tinctly remembered that he had advised
the spraying of water on he backs of the
| birds. He really didn't know why he had
made the suggestion, except that ducks )
| and water were indissolubly connected In
his mind.
| Then Mr.. Inmel went Oh the stand to
say that the ducks were there and that he
had told Mrs. krauS when she came to
him with her complaint that he was cold.
| he really was, he remem bered very cold.
a tac II
mony, however, and t1at of bis witnesses
went 10 show that the ducks had been
properly fed aud watered, three dozen and
! half of them in 8 coop the size mentioned
was not overcr0wdlng, and mat the ducks
! had passed muster to sale under the crit
| cal eye of close-buying pedder.
The jury was out about a minute and
returned with a verdict of not guilty.
Mrs. kraus had lost her case, but it had
| cost the defendant MANY times the value
| of the ducks in attorneys fees to sustain
his plea Of not guilty.