Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-07-06
Donkey Cure for Whooping Cough.
From the New York Sun.

my little girl here has the whoop-
ing cough n l want to have her
cured" said a woma to Policeman
Coyle near the elephant house in the
Central park m~enagerie yesterday.
why not take her to a doctor?' re-
sponded the policeman.
Il had a doctor, but she does not get
better. The physician says the disease
must run It's course, but a neighbor
told me that her boy took the donkey
cure here and advised me to try 1t.
Where is the donkey, please?" went
on the woman.
I'm there, ma'am,' said the police
man, pointing to the deer house.
A curious visitor who happened to
overhear the colloquy made inquiries
and learned that there is a consider
able number of persons in the city
who have faith in the donkey cure.
They are not all unlettered persons,
either.
Their whims, If they may be called
such, are always humored by the keep
ers and they usually go away feeling
happier. 1t is to increase the sum OF
human happiness that Father Knick-
erbocker maintains a collection or
beasts and birds in the park.
The curious visitor followed the
woman and her child into the deer
house to see what would happen. Keep
er Phil Holmes had just finished feed
ing the animals and the m spoke
to him about her child.
1.-THE little darling is troubled so
with the terrible cough that she gets
black and blue in the face. / would
do anything to get relief for her." said
the oma
You want to pass her under the
jackass, Ell? To be sure, ma'am, I'll
do it for the handsome little lady"
said the keeper. He led mother and
child to the alleyway behind the stalls.
took the ass out of its Enclosure and
fastened it's halter strap to a ring in
the WALL. The animal stood quietly, as
though 1t knew from experience just
what was required Of 1t. Besides, a
lump of sugar from the keeper Is
usually it's reward, and IT Is very fond
of sugar.
The donkey cure must be performed
in a particular way to be efficacious.
At least that is the accepted theory in
Central park. The patient is passed
under the animals belly three times
from the right side to the left, and
must return to the right side from the
left each time over the animals back.
When the patient is a child the mother
stands on the right side and passes the
child under the beast to the keeper
on the other side. He takes the child
and passes 1t over the beast to the
mother.
" NC oui " hAoy pNo-
pie believe in this cure for w%hooping
cough" Holmes said afterward. II re-
member n day a child, It's mother
and it's grandmother came in here and
asked to have the infant pass under
the ass. The grandmother said that
the child's mother had been cured Of
the cough in the menagerie when she
was a child. This the mother herself
did not remember, but she believed
what her own mother said, and wanted
to try 1t for her little child. Quite Of
ten women come into the building and
tell me hat their children had got bet
ter after going under the animal"
The keeper was asked IL he knew on
what theory women visitors based their
belief in the healing virtue Of the sing
ular treatment.
Yes. some of the women explained
that to me-" he replied. You know
that our Lord entered Jerusalem rid
ing on an ass. Some of the people
went to Him and asked to be cured Of
their diseases. Well, in some way 70
pie nowadays seem to think that be-
our Lord rode on a donkey all
of that species is blessed. And look
here. Don't you see the figure of a
cross on the animals back? 1t Is quite
plain"
The color OF the animal Is mostly
white, but there was a black streak
running along the back, with arms
branching off over the shoulders. The
black hair resembled a cross in a white
setting.
Some of the women, the keeper said,
come back to the menagerie In the
course of time and bring gifts to the
donkey. The gifts are sugar, cookies
and cakes. Sometimes the women Wis
itors are accompanied by children, and
1t is then the little m that feed the
animal. Tom, the donkey, is the most
pampered animal in the deer house,
and always sticks his muzzle through
the bars IL a visitor approaches his
stall. He is probably the homeliest
animal In the building, but he has more
friends among visitors han the grace
full Mexican deer. the begging axis
deer. the long whiskered aoudad or the
handsome East Indian antelope.