The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-08
PETE HAD THE STRAP HABIT.
The True story of an Intelligent Ter
ricr Owned in Eastern Ohio.

ricr Owned I'm Eastern Ohio.
From the New York Mail and Express.
Eastern Ohio is all torn up over the mar
velous sagacity of a stoutly built mongrel
terrier belonging to a farmer living near
the middle branch Of the Little Beaver
three miles southeast of Elkton, in Elk
run township. Columbiana county Pete
IS the terriers name and he is wholly with
out education. He is a young dog, and
whatever he is he has made of himself.
Pete first came into local prominence
through his inveterate herding instinct,
due, no doubt, to distant trace of collie
ancestry in his blood. Whenever he got
tired of playing about the spring house
he rollicked into the big pasture field and
brought the cows to be MIXED. The habit
grew on him until he rounded up the
weary animals half dozen times a day.
one night Pete's owner, Frank Bowman,
heard him chasing the cattle home for
hours in a kind Of canine nightmare. The
next day the disguised farmer locked him
up in the calf pen and kept him for a
month on a diet Of pumpkins and water.
When Pete was released his delusion had
vanished.
1t was about this time that his most
useful trait appeared. The blowing sea-
son was on and Mr.. Bowman was wont
to leave the wagons in the field when the
dinner bell sounded, and take his horses
in 10 the stables for the incoming. He rode
one, the hired boy the other and the third
they led. The odd horse Jerked loose one
day and stood rebelliously with dangling
strap. Pete grasped the situation and the
strap almost at the same time, and trot-
ted up the long lane leading the astonished
brute at his heels. When the farmer
reached the stable there squatted Pete,
still holding the halter strap, while the
plow horse stared quizzically down upon
him.
Thereafter it was the understood thing
that Pete should lead this horse, and when
once his charge tried to break away the
sagdcious mongrel ran twice around a
sapling with the strap In his mouth and
sat down to await developments 1t is
pointde out that such intelligence is very
unusual in so young a dog.
This incident furnished the key to Pete's
subsequent development. All last sum-
mer he was allowed to sleep i'm the ham
mock on the front porch. strap tackled
to the door post hung within reach, and
whenever he grew restless he would seize
it and swing himself TO and fro. When
returning from market one day, ambling
quietly beneath the farmers wagon, he
espied two small children playing horse"
with leather strap in the roadway. An
hour later, when the farmers hired boy
FASTENED back to ascertain HIS where
abouts he was seen marching grimly up
the road having in tow the luckless juVe-
niles who had played the horse mis- es-
capade seriously annoyed Mr.. Bowman.
Pete's temporary disgrace was forgot
ten, however. when harvesting began.
His owner had a big Mccormick reaper
wheat with a neat cord. The old strap
instinct reasserted itself at once and
Pete began 70 seize the bundles, az fast
as they were thrown Off by the machine,
and drag them out Of its reach, or the
succeeding circuit OF the field. The bum
dies were a little heavy for him, but
as the wheat straw was unusually short
this summer he continued TO make out.
Mr. Bowman rs negotiating for the pur-
chase Of "A fun brother Of Pete's. owned
IN the adjoining township OF Yellow
Creek Allowing FOR climatic differences,
this brother shows much the same apfi-
tudes. His specially Is pulling ta0y.
II Is hoped that the two mongFeis may
learn 70 work IN pairs whenever tho
wheat harvest Do heavy. They were born
60 "a harness closet
M. Aighonse Dnudet has been a0rely
troubled bV his uncOmpilmentary remark
about ENGLISH women He declared the
other day that be- had decided 10 say
nothing about women iu the future. he-
cause this "seE, usually called feeble,
las Too many nafaunerH when attacked %