The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-28
SMART COLLIE, ROVER
His Notion, That Of Getting His Mas
ter the Newspapers.


Until few months ago he was known
as the Black Diamond mystery. The
Black Diamond express is the fastest
thing on the Lehigh Valley. It's faster
even than a man about town,
Going west the Black Diamond scoots
over a crossing two miles east OF Bur
dette. hamlet in Seneca county. not
far from Watkins Glen. n. Y, at 7;20
o'clock every evening, II she's on time
The boss OF the Black Diamond Is Com
ductor G. NJ. Pierce OF Buffalo. who, ex-
cept for his big frame, reminds one
greatly OF the late United States Senator
Hoar OF Massachusetts.
One fine evening about a year ago Con-
ductor Pierce noticed on little eleya-
lion near the Burdette crossing a splen-
did Scotch collie. ears erect. watch mar
rowly the approaching OF the train AS
il passed the crossing the dog turned
deliberately and trotted back over the
hills
The next night. same dog, same place,
same result Next night ditto, and so
on for a week
Conductor became interested So did
al the other regulars on the train. They
wanted TO know why the dog came down
from somewhere every night TO meet the
train After a week had run by Con-
ductor Pierce said.
IN try an experiment tomorrow night,
and we'll slow down little at the cross
ing to SEQ what happens"
After the train pulled out OF Wilkes
Barre the following night Mr.. Pierce
made up bundle OF the latest editions
Of the New York afternoon papers, and
when the train approached the Burdette
crossing be went out on the platform of
the observation car and threw the bun
dis toward the dog. The collie gave a
quick, sharp bark, wagged his tail fur
iously and bounded toward the bundle,
which he picked UP in his mouth and
Jrotted over the hills
Every night thereafter the dog got his
bundle OF papers. All OF the regular pas
sengers on the train and all of thu oreY
wondered where the collie carried hi6
burden, to whom he belonged and what
was his name
Conductor Pierce hit on way Of ipd-
ing out. Into the bundle one evening he
slipped his card, on which he wrote his
address.
Not many days thereafter there came
70 Mr.. Pterce's Buffalo home 3 letter
from George NJ. CanfeId. well-to- do
farmer OF Rurdette. in which the receiet
of this papers was gratefully acknowl-
edged, together with little biogro phical
sketch OF the dog.
His name was Rover. he'd been In the
Canfeld family since he was a puppy
wes the chum OF the children, drove the
cows TO and from pasture headed the
sheep and did pretty generally the work
Of a hired man about the farm. What
ever gave him the notion of going down
10 meet the train Mr. Can6eld didn't
know. but he had noticed many days
before the first bundle OF papers was
brought nome that Rover skedaddled for
somewhere Immediately after he had
brought up the cows from the pasture.
And" continued the letter. II have
come to think since / have been getting
the New York daily papers regularly
that I'm probably the only farmer in
the State living not far from 400 miles
from New York who has the pleasure
Of reading editions Of all the New York
afternoon papers at his teatable Some
how Rover must have gotten the old
philosophers notion that all things
come to him who waits"