The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-02
JACKASS FOR WHOOPING COUGH
POPULAR CURE IN CENTRAL PARK
MENAGERIE.

Thrice Under the Belly From Right TO Left
and Thrice Over the Back From Left
TO Right, and No Doctors bill TO Pay
They Are Used to II Up At the Park.
"My little girl here has the whooping
cough and I want to have her cured, said
a woman to Policeman Coyle near the
elephant house in the Central Park menag-
erie yesterday.
why not take her to a doctor?" responded
the policeman,
Il had a doctor, but she does not get better.
The physician says the disease must run
its course, but a neighbor told me that her
boy took the donkey cure here and advised
me to try it. Where is the donkey, please?"
went on the woman.
ain there, ma'am," said the policeman,
pointing to the deer house.
A curious visitor who happened to over
hear the colloquy made inquiries and learned
that there is a considerable 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 keepers and they
usually go away feeling happier. 1t is to
increase the sum of human happiness that
Father Knickerbocker maintains a oolleo-
ton Of beasts and birds In the Park.
The curious visitor followed the woman
and her child into the deer house to see
what would happen. Keeper Phil Holmes
had just finished feeding the animals and
the woman spoke to him about her child.
]The little darling is troubled 80 with
the terrible cough that she gets black and
blue in the face. l would do anything to
get relief for her. said the woman.
You want to pass her under the jackass,
eh? 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 its halter strap to a
ring in the wall. The animal stood quietly,
as though it knew from experience just
what was required of it. Besides, a lump
OF sugar from the keeper is usually its re-
ward, and it is very fond of sugar.
The donkey cure must be performed
In a particular way to be eficacious. At
least that L. the accepted theory in Central
Park. The patient is passed under the
animals belly three times from the right
sid to the left, and must return to the right
eide from the left each time over the ami
malls back When the patient Is a child
passes the child under the beast to the
keeper on the other side. He ia kes the child
and passes 1t overt The beast to the mother.
You'd be surprised how many people
believe in this cure for whooping cough
Holmes said afterward. Il remember one
day a child, its mother and it's grand
mother came in here and asked to have the
infant pass under the ass. The grand
mother said that the ohild'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 often
women come into the building and tell me
that their children had got better after
going under the animal"
The keeper was asked If he knew on what
theory women visitors based their belief
in the healing virtue OF the singular treat
ment.
Yes; some Of the women explained that
to me" he replied. You know that our
Lord entered Jerusalem riding on an ass.
to be cured OF their diseases. Well, in some
way people nowadays seem to think that
bees use u 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
The color of the animal is mostly white,
but there was a black streak running along
the back, with arms branching of over the
shoulders. The black hair resembled a
cross in a white setting.
ooHle OF the "oilen, the Keeper saiu,
come back to the mena gerie in the course
of time and bring gifts to the donkey. The
gifts are sugar, cookies and cakes. Some
times the women visitors are accompanied
by children, and it is her the little ones
that feed the animal. Tom. the donkey,
Is the most pampered animal in the deer
house, and Away sticks his muzzle through
the bars if a visitor approaches his stall.
He Is probably the homeliest animal in the
building, but he has more friends among
visitors thar the graceful Mexican deer,
the begging axis deer, the long whiskered
a oudad or the handsome East Indian
antelope.