The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-07-02


dom. anyway? Has the gospel Of strenu-
osity, so ardently preached by our busy
President. affected the beasts of the for
est and of the field TO such an extent
that there is no longer anything but
wild rampage, and cruel conflict, and
bloody murder in their hearts? Or is it
the sun spots that are responsible, or is
the recent discussion about nature takers
making the animals anxious to show
what they really can do? Whatever It is,
there is nothing but strife, and carnage,
and unrest among them, to the great
regret Of all who love peace and quietude
and who have found pleasure in the lying
down together Of the lion and the lamb.
II was only a few days ago that. in the
performance of what we conceive 10 be
our duty to the public, we told OF certain
abandoned and wholly reprehensible
doings on the part of the oyster, there
tofore regarded as one Of the most do
nestle and pacific Of our fauna. Now we
are under the painful necessity Of in
forming the world that the squirrel must
be added to that large and growing class
of ferocious animals in which its cousin
the rabbit is so conspicuous. IN the dear,
dead past We have thought of the squirrel
with absolute affection. We have liked
to remember it as it appeared to Us in
our childhood. frisky, debonair, and Of a
friendly disposition. We have watched it
in the public parks Of this very city. and
seen our children feed II nuts and candy
without a thought that they We're in
deadly danger. We have, in short, loved
the squirrel; but now we know it for
what it really is and henceforth it must
be accused in our sight
one instance is sufficient to show the
bloOdthirsty characteristics it has devel-
Oped under the new and strange order Of
things that has prevailed recently. We
have the story on the authority Of the es-
'teemed Kansas City Star. a sOBd. con-
sentative, truthful paper. not at all given
to Boosting and buster. like a certain
Texas contemporary we might name but
Buffalo Bayou just now. and it is not for
us even to attempt TO strike one who is
down. The scene Of the squirrels ruffian-
ly outbreak was in Centralia, No, and its
first victim was the little child Of Mr..
MCKenzie-first name unknown to us. The
vicious and unprincipled animal jumped
on the head of the innocent and unoffend-
ing little one. and Sam Gray, a witness
to the attack, went to the rescue. Then
followed a lively time for Sam. After an
ated animal away; but, far from ac-
knowledging final defeat, it climbed a tree
and theTefrom leaped down on the head of
a son Of r. IT. Baldridge. Young Bald
ridge suffered severely from the mex
cusable and unwarranted assault before
he succeeded in putting his treacherous
assailant to flight Not satisfied with this
bloody work, even. the depraved Sciurus
vulgaris-to give IT all that is coming to
II in the way of cognomen-attacked a
lady, Miss Edna Cray by name, and bit
her on the hand.
This was the last straw. Nemesis ap-
preached in the person Of Smith Dawson.
While the depraved animal shamed,
somewhat. perhaps, by the realization
that it had raised paw against a wom-
an. was attempting to sink its fangs in
the leg of DR.. Betz, Smith procured
gun and shot the ravenous beast dead.
The news spread rapidly throughout the
city. and great was the rejoicing that the
sanguinary brute had at last met the
end invited by its barbarous conduct.
Wherefore and because of all this, we
mourn. Are there 10 peaceable animals
any more? Sad as 1t is, we fear there are
none. Next, doubtless, We shall hear of
some similar outbreak on the part of the
erstwhile gentle frog, and then, indeed.
will we lose our faith in animal nature
finally and for all time.