The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-04
4 NEAT SCHEME.
How The City is Mulctsd Of Money
Due For Dog Taxes,

Tue latest developments in the canine
i world with its connection with law and
order In the land and the wherewithal
that the commonwealth has it's sustenance
ARE Interesting, The Times some time ago
\ printed what we had to say with regard
/ Co dogs going at large about the city and
+ the very few ef them that were taxed If
4 the tags IL poa them were TO be taken as
evidence. It has been noticed that about
the time the collectors publish their no.
tees of taxes due, the number of dogs in
certain districts of the city diminishes
very perceptibly and the non-dog. owning
citizens of those sections enjoy season
$ OF peace aud quiet. 1t has been observed
) by those interested in municipal econom-
les that at g discreet space of time after
s the tax collectors have madetheir rounds,
these dogs begin to haunt once more their
fayorfte places in other peoples yards
3 and gardens and the feeling with which
the strong man taketh his children to bed
with him is one of unchristian.l Ike malice
towards his netghbors and their dogs.
This can only be accounted for in one
way. Owners of dogs who value them
too highly to pay taxes upon them are
known TO send them to the country until
the collector has been to see them. Then
these dogs are brought back and tarned
loose as before-a nuisance and a menace
to every one. The scheme is a good one
for those who care to resort to it, but it
cannot commend itself to the public.
which is made to suffer for 1t.
Some time ago there was enacted in our
city a law by which every rider of BIZ
cycle who was seen riding after dark
without his bicycle lamp lighted was to
be taken to the temple of Justice and re-
lfeved OF sufficient worldly goods to sat
isfy those who held the scales of Justice
FsYr. FL mo tha NOT actod hpo tifully aDd
wheelmen did not dare go around the
square without their lamps-if they did,
were promptly nabhed. Ladies also fell
into the clutches of the vigilance com
mittee. There are now,s putting 1t
roughly, about twice as many wheels in
Roanoke AS there were at that time, but
as the number of wheels has increased
the vigilance Of the wielders of the law
appears to have decre8sed-until now it
is almost IN unheard-of thing for bicy-
clist to- be fined for riding at night with
out lamp. Not long since it was decided
TO test the expediency of furnishing
wheels for few Of the police force, in
order that they might the more readily
and in the least time discharge any duty
requiring their presence at distant por-
tions of the city. Since that time the po-
lice have been .practicing diligently and
are learning to handle their bicycles with
"
of them may be met after dark without.sa
la mp. 1t may be that they wish TO learn
to surmount all obstacles in the dark so
that when occasion demands it they can
como upon theii prey unawares and i'm
pale them upon their lances or entangle
them in their nets before they could
know it. At all events they are not stick
ing to the word as laid down in the city
archives when they ride at night without
their lamps. They lay themselves open
to arrest and are liable to have Officers
Morris and Gee pounce down upon them
on their trusty steeds ut any. moment.
Therefore they should take heed and trim
their lamps accordingly.
A gentleman whose place of business is
near the passenger station was thrown
into a state of nervous prostration yester.
day by the yells of the school girls home
ward bound He says he heard something
like this: "Hullaball OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
In the H is the matter with us!' He
said he wondered and is still wondering
what the trouble was. The gentleman is
improving now aud thinks that probably
the girls were hungry.
The "Tramp' meant no offence in his
recent reference to church chors and was
dealing purely in generalities and with
no desire to be sacriligious. That it
should be so construed is unfortunate and