The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-21

one after another of the rich sources
of readable news is being cut off and
the face of the festive item hunter Is
draped in dismay.
First it was the termination of the
Hickey Walker incident; them came
the surrender of mckinley; then the
closing up of the giant-octopus-b black
ster-besmirched asphalt repair
contract and, finally, close on the heels
of the last named comes-and it
grieves us to announce 1.-THE death
of Ben Johnson's dog.
Bens dog was as fruitful of good
stories as was Ben himself and his
dilapidated ash wagon, known by sight
or fame to everybody hereabouts wro
knows anything. And what made
them all the more valuable-the stories
was that they were exclusive, al
though the same qualification would
apply to Ben, his dog and the ash
wagon. remembering that there are
two ways of being exclusive.
One of the recent stories is sufficient
for this obituary. June Is, when every
Cog began to have his days, Ben muz-
7lcd his historic canine to preserve
hlm from the dog catchers and then,
according to truthful reporter on an
afternoon newspaper, proceeded to al
low him to starve in order to make
out a case of damages against the
legislature reasoning that as the law
says dogs must be muzzled during
dog days they must be muzzled every
| moment of every dog day, and, as it
would he an infraCtion of law &c keep,
maintain or harbor an unmuzzled dog,
one could only avoid becoming a griev-
Gus law breaker by refusing to remove
the muzzle from his dog even to let
him eat.
DYING OF LEGISLATION.
There" said Ben one day recently
to a group that gathered about him
and his dog, 'there is a dog that is
dying of legislation. Yes sir. dying of
| legislation, Ben repeated when some
one in the crowd cooked his ear as if
| he didn't quite catch it, or as If he
had taken it for granted that Ben
| made q mistake in the choice of his
diseases and meant hydropho5ia or
some such caninical complaint.
You see it is this way. The law
| it says that dog must be muzzled. Now
| that law don't say anything bout
| taking off any muzzle when he wants
| to eat. Take off that muZzle and you
break the law and the dog may be
| ketChed. Leave it on and your dog
| don't eat. What's a poor dog goin' for to
| do but starve. Who ever made that
| law is going to answer to me when
| that dog dies"
The matter being brought to the at
| tention of the agent of the society for
| the prevention of cruelty to animals,
| Johnson was told to take the muzzle
| off his dog long enough to allow him
| to eat three square meals a day, and
| he was given further orders to provide
| the dog with the aforesaid three
| squares
JOhnsOn's business engagements were
| such that he could not accommodate
| himself to the dogs meal hours and he
| was in dilemma. In this dilemma he
| once more applied himself to a study
OF the dog days law.
The remedy suggested itself at the
| very first reading. There was nothing
| in the law designating just how the dog
| should be muZzled-at least Johnson's S
| reading of it failed to disclose any such
| directions. The way out was clear.
| The dog should wear a muzzle. VERY
| good, he shall" quOth Johnson, land
| he will wear ii so that he will not re-
| quire the attentions OF a valet at meal
| times" The muzzle was tied to the
! dogs tail.
| DOG CATCHER CAME.
| Yesterday afternoon. Johnson. his
| wagon and his dog with nluZzle astern,
were on Linden street, in front of Rims
| lands barber shop when along comes
! Bud" Wilson. the new chief of the dog
| Catchers. seeking whom the lovers of
| frankfurters might deVour His watch
| full eye fell upon the unfashionable--
| and to him nlawful-manner in which
| JOhnson's dog was wearing his muzzle
| and with one fell swoop of his wire las
| SO, the dog was dcad-Or at least as
| good as dead for he was Carted away
| to the pound and Johnson affirmed that
| he would never pay the required s.
| ransom.
| Ben sought out Alderman Kasson
| with a view of securing A Supersedcas
| alleging that the Bud Wilson's de.
| csion in the matter of locus muzzlar-
| um' was in error, but the alderman
| refused to grant the writ and Ben went
away with a poor opinion of the law
| in general and Judge Kasson's inter
| prpt "A tiOO Of il in DorticIIar