The Rice belt journal., 1906-07-20
Tale Of a Stray Dog
Miners Claim He Brings Them Luck


comes the story of little yellow dos.
Ii is an absorbing story in its every
'etail and withal true one.
Bob, the stray dog" they call him,
and it needs a Jack London in his
happiest moments of description 70
truly depict the human i+ereSt sid"
OF this little animals history. So
many tales have been woven around
him and 50 many incidents have been
given out with his actions as the cen
ter of the story, that it is at times
| hard 10 separate the truth from the
| fiction.
But the fact remains that on nine
| tenthS of the rich discoveries that
have been made in the Manhattan dis
trict. the Stray Dog" has appeared at
some time during the day previous
and taken up his abode with the for
tunate miners. Nothing can prevail
upon him to remain with any one
miner or group of miners for more
than three days. and when once he
has left the camp where he has been
an ephemeral sojourner, he never
again greets his host in friendly
spirit.
So strong has the belief in the
great luck that follows visit OF ms
to any district become implanted IN
the minds of the miners that they Will
go to any length to obtain this small
dogs favor.
Bob" was with Davis when the
great discovery on the April Fool was
made. He was with Harry Dudson
when that cratic miner struck rlch
ore on the STRAY Dog" claim. When
the first shaft on the Annie Laurie
pierced what seemed to be a barren
, rock and found specimen ore that re
= sembled the show cases of jeWelry
, store, the Stray Dog had already been
, a visitor for a day. When the great
| streak of white quartz on the Bronch0
t was first brought to light, with its
. beautiful seams of yellow metal, the
2 Stray Dog was barking with delight in
l and ont among the excited miners. He
t was on the Nellie Gray claim, OF the
/ Gold Wedge property, when the con-
I tinuatiOn of the famous Briggs lease
:, was found, completely hidden, as it
e was, by masses of country rock. He
r was on the Iron King and Iron Queen
/ when the first rocker Of placer dirt
D shook down its coarse granules OF gold.
SO many times has he been present, to
l. remain but few hours and then to
s disappear, that no new discovery is
O made but that the question is asked at
O once by some one, Was the dog
n around"
Thirty miles from Manhattan a dis
j. c0yery was made in Miller county, and
IS when the excited prospectors became
If somewhat settled down again they dis
r covered that the Stray Dog had been
# before them Just one week. When
# Mershon located the Yellow Horse,
,r Bob" was there; when the rich leases
,e on Litigation Hill were found Bob
- was distributing his favors equally
l. among the miners.
at At the time the Homest9ke claim
q. that rich discovery that startled Old
q time miners-irst showed its true
m value, it was learned that the Stray
y. Dog had chased a chipmunk under the
m tree where the richest gold was
tn brought to light. >.~'s~aa,, ,
,d The strife for the Stray Dogs favor
II, Of
becomes at times almost a pitched bat
rk tie. They cut the heart out of the ten
ne derloins for the purpose of tempting
r. him. They feed him boxed candy, ant
" prepare beds of cotton batting for him
C. He stays three or four days with on,
Al, miner and all of a sudden he disap
or pears. He is fine watch dog. WheI
IT. ne is around no strangers or intruder
q, are allowed near the tents. The miner
ca have taken his appearances so much t.
heart that they have become firm be
!, levers in him as a sure forerunner @
ev good luck.
When any man strikes ii rich, tn
:, dog has invariably been upon tn
= ground. One man, who had lost fer
,td tune in eastern investments and wa
~ rOughing it in the foothills arount
~ Manhattan, thinking to recuperate
n spent week in feeding Bob daintie
od aud endeavoring to coax the dog to g
~ cut prospecting with him. But ther
IL. was nothing doing.
Bob" the stray dog, is close to me
~ dunn size, his ears are sharp pOinter
w and continually moving. He is a mix
M ture of collie and cur. The story i
W told of him that he belonged to an In
VI dian who was laid apart from his trib
4 to die. Bob stayed with his master I'm
II til his fate finally overcame him, bot
! man and dog silent, both seeming t
4 understand the necessary end. Whe
All the Indian was finally found by paT
WI " of white and buried out of sight tn
4 stray dog took up his eccentric liIt
A For three weeks Bob has disappeare
|I from Manhattan, and in that thre
weeks no very remarkable discoverie