The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-18
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DOGS WITH FATAL FANGS.
NumberIcss Bands of Wild CANNES
Which Terrorize Eastern Arizona.

NumberIcss Bands of Wild CANNES
which Terrorize Eastern Arizona.
From the Philadelphia Press.
Ranging through that section of the
United States where New Mexico and Ari-
IONA meet, are bands of wild animals
whose bite Is more to be dreaded than that
of the centipede, and is as fatal as the
venom OF the rattlesnake. They are
known as the wild dogs of Arizona and
so bold have they become that the resi-
dents round about the field of their opera
lions are organizing to hunt them down.
These brutes form a species by theDl-
selves and no natural history tells of them.
Their origin is not positively known, but
they are supposed to be cross between a
combination of Siberian bloodhound and
bull dog stock, and the large timber wolf
of Arizona. The first of these was taken
into New Mexico by cattle men resident
there, about fifteen years ago.
1t was not very long after that when the
first of the present species of animals that
lis now creating so much trouble was seen,
and for time theE depTedatlons were
slight. Timber wolves were not over
plenty In Arizona, and while occasionally
a sheep colt, horse or steer would be pull
ed down by the brutes, there was no at
tempt to exterminate them beyond taking
a>shot at one of the depredators whenever
opportunity offered
In these days. however, their short barks
and long dismal bowls or roars, something
like a coyote howl intensified many times,
are becoming altogether too familiar. The
noise they make Is fearsome indeed-far
more so than the scream of the panther
or the howl of the thoroughbred wolf. None
have ever been captured and no one wants
to capture them, for their appearance is
very nearly as ugly as their bite. A full
grown animal of this sort viii weigh about
100 pounds, and stands from two and a
half to three feet high. They are heav-
lest about the shoulders and neck, have
"a round-shaped head and short, sharp
ears.
The general color of their coats is gray,
but long blackish hairs come struggling
through, giving a dlsagreeable appearance.
Occasionally one of them will be of differ
ent color still, and perhaps fairly good
appearance, but this is supposed to result
from the breeding of the domestic dogs.
who have been known to desert the
ranches and join one of these bands.
The cattle, calves horses and colts which
meet death through these animals are by
no means killed by them because food Is
needed but die from the effects of the
bite, which in every case produces symp-
toms exactly similar to strychnine poison
ing. Benjamin Brown of Nutrioso, Ari-
zona has perhaps killed more of these ami
mails than any other person, and ne re-
CARDS the task of hunting them as dan
gerous in the extreme. While they have
never been known to wantonly attack a
human being, they viii defend themselves
against one quick enough.
Mr. Brown tells one instance where a
calf belonging to Pollard Pearson of Nu-
trloso was bitten by one of these wolf
dogs. The bite was not a serious one and
the calf fled to its mother for protec-
ton. The mother licked the wound and
In a few minutes the calf was apparently
all right again. Two days later the calf
died with every symptom of strychuine
poisoning, aud the following day the moth
er met a similar fate.