Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-02-17
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DOG ELECTED MARSHAL.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A Four Footed Candidate That Polleo
Thirty-one Votes Over His Opponent.
Forty years ago a man in Aurora,
Ind, owned a huge Newfoundland
that was known all over the town
by the name of Bob. The man was
Jim Kelso, conspicuous charac-
ter of those days. The dog pos
sessed wonderful sagacity and would
do almost anything within reason
that its master directed it to do, and
when told to "take him. would
throttle and down the strongest man
and hold its victim without harm
ing him seriously until ordered to-
release him by its master.
So great was the reputation of
this sagacious animal for police
duty that in the spring of 1859, at
the city election the dog, unler the
name of Bob Kelso, was voted for
at the polls and beat for the office
of city marshal Clint Theetge, the
principal candidate, by majority
of 81 votes. Old Captain Weaver
and several other wealthy citizens
of that period promptly proposed to
have the dog properly invested with
the rights Of the Office to which such
decisive majority had duly de-
clared at regular election prefer
ence for over it's human competitor
and prepared in legal form an off
cial bond in the sum of $50, 600.
signed by numerous sportive parties
and with a certificate from the cleo
tion board, that Bob had received
majority of 81 votes over Candidate
Theetge.
They presented themselves before
Mayor Starks, with the dog wearing
an officers star on its breast and
carrying in its mouth the official
bond, certificate of election, etc., and
then, ordering the canine to stand on
its hind feet and hold up its right
paw i'll position to take the oath of
office, requested the mayor to swear
the animal to faithfully discharge
the duties for which it had been
as required by law.
The mayor refused. regarding the
proceedings as a joke, but the hackers
OF the brute asserted their sincerity
in the matter and insisted that the
a.>o he, receanivoa tho ait 4=-,,,a,,-
shall, OF they would defeat the may
or for reelection. The determina-
ton of the parties kept his honor in
a quandary for several days until
Theetge could invoke the aid Of the
law to put him in the position, but
he afterward became so disgNsted
over the affair that he resigned and
moved to Missouri and died there
soon after.
Kelso met with misfortune and
committed suicide and the dog be-
came the property of Tom Vain
scott, who enlisted in the army at
the breaking out of the war and
made gallant soldier of the Eight
zenith Indiana volunteers. Vain
scott took the dog to the war with
him, and whether on the march, in
the camp OF amid the thunders of
battle he was never separated from
his four footed companion.
At the battle of Pea Ridge Tom
was shot to death. The
next day when the detachment of
soldiers sent to bury the dead APP
oeared on the sanguinary field they
'ound the devoted animal standing
guard by the side of its lifeless
and no efforts could induce
t to leave the body or allow any
'ne to touch it.
Finally soldier seized hold of
he corpse to drag it away when the
log attacked him with such ferocity
hat his comrades, in fear of his
ife, ran it through with their bayo-
lets to rescue him from his peril,
'ut in recognition of the undying
tevotion OF the faithful creature to
is dead master they buried it at his
eet in token OF their respect for its
idelity. Thus heroically perished,
his brave brute. a martyr to it's in
tincts of duty. Cincinnati En-
luirer.
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