The record-union., 1895-09-07
BULLDOGS HAD A PLOT.
Instead of Fighting Each Other They
Chew Their Owners.
C. r. Thalenhorst and Richard Fox
the Victims of a Dark Canine Con-
spiracy Brought to Light.

| Two bulldogs, with mouths like cellar
doors, teeth as sharp as razors, bob tails
and general air of business. came near
| ending the lives of two well-known East
Side citizens yesterday. c. E. Thalen-
horst, druggist doing business at the
corner of East South Sixth and Allen
streets, owns one of the brutes, and Rich
ard Fox, railroad man living near by,
owns the other. Each man was chewed
| by the other mans dog.
Both dogs are about IL months old.
| Their ancestors, like the professional
pugilist, fought with their mouths. They
are blus-blooded dogs. Spot, the prop
erty of Thalenhorst, has large patch
over one eye, which gives him a swagger
appearance. which Is borne out by the
cast in his left eye. Jim. the short t-haired
canine which comes whsn Fox whistles,
has handy legs like New York Alder
man, deep chest, and general appear
snce of long, protracted search after
| trouble. Although young in months,
they have been the pride of the south
| bottom, and mothers have frightened
| their children to bed with stories of what
these dogs would do when they grew up
and entered the ring.
| On several separate occasions Fox has
| wandered into Thalenhorsts drug store,
and after sampling the finecut in the pail
| on the shelf, remarked that he believed
| be ha the gamest dog in Alderman
| Loper's ward. Thalenhorst, on such oc-
casions, has told him to pull his freight"
| aud make no remarks OF that character,
| as he possessed the only Slmon-pure bull
| dog in Lee Township.
The controversy has waXed warm the
past month. Intimate friends have
shook their heads as they heard the warm
words. At last the challenge was made
| by Fox. He said he would back his dog
in finish fight with any short-tailed
| brute in Polk County. ThalenhOrst ac-
cepted the challenge, and both dogs were
placed in training. For the past week
nothing but the tight was talked OF by the
few in the secret. The general public was
LETT in the dark. Both dogs were fed on
nothing but raw meat, and got SO savage
and uncivilized they neglected TO crease
their pants for days at time. Yesterday
morning early the dogs were weighed
in," each tipping the beam at 1orty
pounds.
They were in the pink of condition, and
when they left their training quarters
with their seconds in carriage for the
ring side both were as pretty as sweet
| girl graduates.
Neither owner had ever "been behind"
an untamed bulldog at fight, but they
thought they knew all about it. Each
owner quietly took his dog in the car
riage and drove to a secluded place
on the bank Of the Des Moines River
near the last Ninth-street bridge. The
horses were tied to the trees and the
owners took off their coats. Twenty-fiv
feet we're carefully paced off and each
man, grabbing his dog by the collar, took
position facing the other.
The ears of the dogs were rubbed and
they were told to "Sick him, Spot" and
"Sick him, jim" Alcohol was poured
on the dogs backs, and they were tow
seled till they were frantic with rage.
| Then at the word both owners released
their dogs.
Like flash the dogs flew at each other.
Fox and Thslenhorst yelled encourage
ment AS, with stub tails In the air and
trothing muzzles, the brutes sped on.
But they never met. With wide
sweep the dogs passed each other dis
daiufully, and each made for the owner
of the other. The Fox dog caught Tha-
| lenhorst in the seat of the trousers as he
tried 10 climb a tree and dragged him to
the ground. For an instant man and
! dog rolled together on the ground. and
then fell off high bank into the river,
| Thalenhorst going down till the water
| was up to his arm pits.
He yelled 10 Fox for help, for the dog
| had him by the arm and refused 10 let GO.
But Fox did not come. He had other
business. The Thalenhorst dog had him
| by the left leg above the knee, ana WAS
hanging on for dear life. Zach man tried
to call off his own dog till they were
hoarse, and then started in to win their
respective battles.
Thalenhorst climbed slowly up the
hav h In hn Il oil l. t,Yf
| hind leg, and tried to get a club. But the
dog was wise. He refused TO let bis VIC
tim get within ten feet of stick as large
as a parlor match. Every time Jim
| heard Fox yell as Spots teeth went in
an inch further he thought it was ap-
plause, and knuckled down to his task of
manufacturing sausage out of ThaIen-
horst.
Spot WAS getting in his best lcks with
Fox, and both men were covered with
| bites and nearly stripped of their cloth
! ing, when Fox got hold of fence rail.
| He succeeded in knocking Spot over the
| head, rendering the dog unconscious.
Then he turned his attention to his own
| dog, and finally pried him away from
| Thalenhorst. Than both men gathered
up their respective dogs and tied them to
trees, 100 feet apart, with pieces of barb
wire. They compared their injuries
while the dogs looked at each other and
smiled in triumph. Thalenhorst had u
deep cut in the left arm, three inches
! long, extending to the bone. Besides,
there were half a dozen wicked bites in
his legs. Furthermore, he will proba bly,
| have TO take his meals off the mantel for
a week or SO. Fox got Off easier. but his
] legs and arms look as though he had been
run through a threshing machine. The
| two men put on what little clothing they
had LETT, and drove TO DR.. Rood's office.
where they had their wounds dressed.
| Thalenhorst tainted, but soon revived,
and was getting along nicely when seen
at his home by a reporter for the Leader
| last night
After the battle the two dogs trotted
home under the carriage, side by side.
apparently the best of friends, and there
is growing suspicion in the minds of
| Fox and Thalenhorst that the dogs put
up job on them. Anyway, Fox gave
his dog away last night.-Des Moines
| Leader.
POTATO BUGS STOP TRAINS.