The Forrest City times., 1899-06-23
BRINDLE DOGS DYING OUT.
onIy Nine Now Said to Be Living is IIIinois-Their Peculiar
 Trials.

News of the death of "Yelper," the famous brindle dog owned by James Idler, of Calhoun county, calls to mind the fact that the brindle dog which, { few years ago, was so plentiful in Amer ica that he was the subject of satire ot all American humorists, is now almost extinct. Col. George C. Gill, of Olym.
 plan Springs, Ky, who has made life. time study of the 'brindle" in animals Is in the city. and when told of the death of Yelper said:
 "One would hardly be justified ir placing it among the possibilities that a man of extensive general knowledge and accomplishments should so far for
 get himself or display such amazing ignorance of the subject, as to assert as a certain author has lately done knowingly and willfully and publicly that the 'brindie steer is an extinct animal, as much so,' he says, 'as the hypothenuse.' Now, the truth of tho matter is that in the state of Illinois the 1898 crop of briEdle steers is the largest ever known-reports to the state commissioner showing gain of l; per cent. over the crop of 1897, and + per cent. over that of 1896, and the last decade shows gain of a little over q per cent. gain is shown for 1898, il every state in the union, except Arkan. sas, which shows slight falling off. Now, while the brindle steer is or the upgrade, it is a lamentable fact that the brindle dog is almost extinct. He will soon be placed on the list witf
 the wild pigeon and the American bi son. Scientists and zoologists cannot
 or have not as yet been able to offer any explanation of this decadence, which
 has been exceedingly rapid.
 "The Illinois census shows that in
 the year 1855 were 9,347 brindle dog.
 in the state; in 1860, 9.o1s; 1865, 6,51O; 1870, 1,726; 1SSS0, 601; 1890, 1s7; 1895 43; 1898, 9. Of the nine now living in the state, seven of these belong to the wealthy coon-hunters in Calhoun county. One of these named 'Chawm,
 Is owned by A. B. Hunter, and last faI
 at the cutting of coon tree he broke the record by killing r coons in +
 minutes. This can be easily verified
 as Chawm is still alive and residing with Mir. Hunter.
 'The other two noted in the census
 report are twins, and have taken uI
 their residence with a prominent farm. CT near Vienna, Johnson county. From
 1hc | h,x al, taken lively interest in the natter l find that strange fatality, or rath. CT one long continued streak of bad luck, has been constantly and contin. ually with the brindle dog family for the past 25 years. These are some oi the things they had to contend with:
 "An epidemic of 'distemper' breaks out in the neighborhood, it tackles the
 brindle dogs first and never deigns tc bother the others as long as there i. brindle left. A flock of sheepis chased at night. The farmer starts out with his shotgun the next morning, but is careful not to shoot a neighbor's dog without some evidence of his com. plicity in the raid. but if he meets brindle dog he shoots him on general principles. A coon tree is to be cut If there are dozen dogs there, and il one dog is killed by the falling of the tree, you may safely bet that it is brindle dog. No brindle dog was ever known to live in a town. He is strictly country dog. If he should by any chance visit the nearest town, it is absolutely sure that he win be compelled to fight the first town dog he meets. He usually gets whipped in the first round
 "So many things of this kind seem to be 'agin him that I think some. times that often some bright member of this family becomes so discouraged that he commits suicide Chicago In. ter Ocean.