The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-22

head as before, held under the wafer. HIS
rescuer jumped into q boat and pulled hard
for where the dog was struggling, but was.
to his sorrow too late. The lifeless body
already fioated on the water. An autopsy
proved thai the fine animal was healthy
I'M every organ, and it was consequently
surmised that the rash act must have
had a moral cause.
Clearly the dog must have been unhap-
by and tired of life. Canine suicides have
long been chronicled. About thirty years
ago a wretched Cd dog was turned from
a thankless masters door, The poor brute
sought shelter in another house, and on
being driven away was seen to stand gaz-
ing at the rapid waters of the Loire He
lifted himself at last slowly and evidently
painfully, for a spring, and fell into the
water. The spectator held out a stick TO
the dog but he turned away, and without
a struggle was washed rapidly down
stream.
The deliberate suicide of a valuable
Newfoundland belonging to solicitor at
Homfirth, is recorded in Jesse's "Anec-
dotes of Dogs" This dog seemed cause
lessly melancholy, and tried to drown him
self several times, but was rescued. AT
last he, too, kept his head under water un-
till he died of suffocation. Mr. Nicol
told Mr.. Jesse that he had seen fox
hound drown himself of set purpose THE
of the fact" George Jesse, in Re
searches" gives an account OF a small
Havana dog who drowned himself al Hon
fleur.
f. p. Cobbe tells the following story
vouched for by a friend: "A very oid
Newfoundland, the constant companion OF
the children, and of invariably good tenn
per, was one day sleeping, when uttie
girl, to rouse him, gave him Oh "a
kick The dog started from his sleep, ana
seized the small leg with his teeth, but not
sharply enough to do any harm. The nurse
however ran up and beat him with her
handkerchief, scolding him and telling him
he should not go with them for their walk
and when he tried to follow she smut tho
gate against him. Not lopg after groom
saw the dog trying to drown himself Ill
ditch, and pulled him out. shutting hln'
up afterward N a yard. That day ana the
next he refused all food, but escaped 10
the same ditch, where he was eventually
found drowned"
Nearly all records of canine suicides
have TO do with howning. bat the tase
history and some others where dogs nave
been in deep grief for a master DEAN
show a deliberate intention 10 die by STAR
walton. The author of haI more tbaa de-
Iigthful volume, False Beasts and True
comments thus on some Of the cases aDVNe
lied: 1T is hard to resist the CONCLUSION
that If these tales pe true the creatures
who thus acted, both knew what death IS
and were also able de 1berately TO declue
that the short pain of death was better
than the p olonged one of a miserable me-
Even supposing the dog, however to pes,
sess the very high mental faculties NEEDED
for such an argument, the further IN am
festation of deliberate will, powerful
enough 10 conquer the natural cling ng 10
life of ell creatu es, and to make he sur
nal resolutely keep his head under water;
when a few strokes of his paws would
save him, is most amazing" Elsewhere,
this true dog lover says: LAS thought IS
still thought in whatsoever brain 1t IL
carried on and love is love in every breast
which reats with emot on, we are justt-
fed in assuming that there is real cor
respondence between the mental processes
ard faalings If animals and our own.