The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-15
A DOG WAS ELECTED.
Ne was Marshal of the Town of
Aurora, Ind.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer.


From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Aurora. Ind. is probably the only city
H. me country that ever elevated a dumb
=, 10 an Office of public trust. A move
s1srt mas be en- recently put on foot to per-
r'tnste the memory of this distinction. 1t
= rr.posed 10 erect a statue to Bob" a
The sculptured form of a nobde-look-
ms canine mounted on a pedestal viii
se1,a TO remind the unborn generations
tbat Aurora is the only corporation in the
nation. and possibly in the world, that
oven duly elected dog to an authorized,
lecay Office, the dumb animal defeating
human being at the polls.
n was over 40 years ago that a pretty
Newfoundland puppy was taken n by Jim
Telso. who in the sos was well known
an over Southern Indiana. Jim was
veotl-ss character, and he and the dog
ps-ane the truest of friends.-even to dra-
uatic DEATH He named the pup Bob, and
ns growth to dog was marked by the de-
velopment Of a most remarkable sagacity.
Bob was trained to a point where he SEEM
"a only to lack the power of speech to
make him human.
one of Bobs training feats was to catch
a man, throw him down and hold him I'M
III ordered to let go. He. would not injure
or in the least harm his man, but he could
handle the strongest. To this one bit of
training, coupled with his great inteli-
gence are due to a very great extent the
honors which were later heaped upon MIN.
He made himself immensely popular with
the constabulary department of the city
and achieved a great reputation as a thief
tlker.
one instance was recalled a few weeks
ago when a couple of boys playing on the
banks of Hogan creek found kit of rust
eaten counterfeiters' tools and dies and
quantity Of metal buried under the bluffs
The dies were undoubtedly for the spuri-
GUS half-dollars which flooded Aurora and
Southern Indiana fifty years ago At that
tine all of the Southern Indiana officers
united to round up a gang of counterfeit
ers known to be operating near Aurora. It
fell to Bob, however, to break them up.
He found them one night near where the
dies had Just been discovered, and he cap
tured them while they were attempting to
escape 10 the Kentucky, shore in boat,
He plunged in after them, upset the boat
and then, dragging the half-drowned lead
er from the river, held him down until
the officers were attracted by his barking.
Thus Bob started the chief counterfeiter
toward the long sentence which was later
given by the government. There is no
doubt that the kit recently found is the
one used by the gang.
Ii was this incident and the reputation
of the dog for police duty that, in the sub
sequent election, caused him to be voted
for al the polls. 1t was the city election of
1859. His name appeared on the ballots as
Bob Kelso." The election was held in
due form under the laws of Indiana, and
Bob's name was legally entered and is so
recorded in the old state registers The
election was a hot one. The dogs oppo-
nent was Clint Teetge, and the office was
that of town marshal. When the ballots
were counted it was found that Bob had
defeated his opponent by thirty-one votes.
Old Capt Weaver and several other
prominent and wealthy citizens of that pc
Rod promptly took steps 10 have the dog
invested with the rights of the office to
which he had been elected by a decisive
majority. Weaver prepared in legal form
an official bond in the sum of s. 900, signed
~ numerous citizens, and, with a properly
ndorsed certificate from the election board
stating that Bob had received a majority
at an official election, he appeared before
the president Of the Council and asked that
the oath be administered.
That day is deserving of becoming a
part of election history. The entire town
turned out There was a parade and a
grand hurrah all the way down the line.
The people presented themselves before
President Sparks, OF the Council. with The
d1g. wearing an officers star on his breast
ana carrying his bond in his mouth. Kelso
ordered him TO stand upon his hind legs
ana hold up his right paw in a position to
take the oath. President Sparks was re-
quested 10 administer the regular form,
which binds the officer to faithful dis
charge of the duties of the Office for which
ne mas been duly elected, as required by
inc law, under penalty of jeopardy of
Sparks positively refused to administer
te oath, and would not consider the mat
Ter IN any ether light than a great joke.
Inc hackers Of the brute asserted their
sincerity and produced their bonds for the
dog and insisted upon the animal beng
sworn in, which Sparks still refused to do.
lHcy then swore to defeat him at the
next election.
ne entire town rose in arms over the
aHalr and Sparks was defeated as the re-
SUIT The matter was taken to court, and
IL was decided hat a brute could not take
lHe oath of office. The fight embitiered
many and made Kelso and Capt Weaver
many enemies. A few months later Kelso
met with some reverses and committed
suicide
lHe dog found Kelso's body and mourn
gu over him until he was buried. He then
ooA up with Tom Wainscott, who enlist
gu IN the army when the war broke out
9"o iater achieved marked attention in
7 ~ 7"tcSutH lndidna under capt Jesse
- holman, brother of the distinguished
t,'i.aua Congressman who died recently He
tqN me dog with him and Bob became
t son of the regiment, always faith
t tla 10 MS master on the march and in bat
W., was at the battle of Pea Ridge that
H. "'iI9eott was killed and his body lay on
gaI oai Iefeld many long hours after the
- had ceased. The gallant dog had
XIV KEN under fire also. and he lay down over
n Nead masters body and watched over
e,,. shattered corpse, licking the blood
,u"ay from the face. When, the next
i''.. iil g the soldiers went on the field to
,Lif The dead, they found the dog stin
and no effort could induce him to
II ave the body or allow any one to touch
.lally one Of the soldiers seized the
n .tse TO drag it away. The dog attacked
f' ',, Win such ferocity that his comrades, |
a lug lhe dog would kill the man, ran
to 4Sohet through the animal Wounded
}ue death Bob crept back to the corpse,
IN, J@ up his watch and died. AS rec
Ion OF his highest duty 10 his mister
ar1 Soluiers buried him with Vyainscott, |
' -I 'DSether they lie in a little grave along