Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-08
DREAD CHAMBERS
RUNS RAMPANT
MANY VALUABLE ANIMALS
ARE DESTROYED
Pasadena Man to BE Arrested on a
Charge Of Selling an Afflicted
Horse Which Had Been
Condemned

Statistics os alarming character
were filed with Deputy District At
torney Paul Mccormick by County
Veterinarian Hall Rowland yesterday,
when the doctor entered complaint
against n garbage contractor of Pasa-
dena, charging him with a misdemea-
nor in selling a horse afflicted with
glanders.
According to the report of DR.. Hall,
the percentage of afflicted animals in
the county has increased at n great
rate and in many places the en-
tire string of ranch horses have been
declared unfit for existence and forth
with destroyed.
This condition has reached prodigious
proportions during the past few
months. According to the physician's
statement there are at present scores
of horses throughout the county fair
ly rotten with glanders These animals
are being destroyed as quickly as pos
sible at the rate of oftentimes ten a
day, or just as fast as they be found
and condemned by the surgeon.
Disease Most Contagious
IT have been working day and night
for many weeks to head off this cpl
demic," said the surgeons to Attor-
ney Mccormick yesterday. THE first
reports came to me from the ranches.
Many of the ranchmen were sensible
about the loss of their horses and
either destroyed the animals them
selves or separated them from the pas
ture and kept them tied up until !
could investigate and condemn the ami
mails Others thought that the horse
was afflicted with distemper and loft
them in pasture with other animals,
with the result that in many places
the entire string of horses had to be
destroyed.
"Glanders is the most contagious
disease with which we have to combat.
A diseased horse when allowed to run
loose In pasture with unaffected horses
will spread the disease to the entire
bunch in a day. The grass he crops
becomes filled with the disease and
the next horse to feed at that spot
contracts 1T. If the tainted animal rubs
noses with another animal both ami.
mails must be destroyed.
Most of the horse markets in Los
Angeles have diseased horses in their
corrals and it is stupendous work
to keep the contagion from spreading"
Says Man Sold Condemned Horse
The case brought to the attention of
Deputy District Attorney Mccormick
was the alleged sale of a glandered
horse to a Pasadena carpenter.
1t is alleged in the complaint against
George e. Toms, a garbage contractor
of Pasadena, that several days ago
he purchased a condemned horse for
the sum of 81. Prior to that time DIR.
Rowland had examined and tested the
horse and condemned 1t. At first the
owner had arranged to take the ami
NAL to the sewer farm near Pasadena
to destroy 1t, but a Los Angeles rep
resentative of fertilizing house Of
fered SO for the carcass, and Toms is
alleged to have purchased the horse
for the sum of 81 to bring it to Los
Angeles. On the way it is alleged he
met a carpenter and gave him the
horse for $35 in trade the carpenter
promising to work out the sum.
The carpenter promptly turned the
horse to pasture, where about a score
other horses We're pastured, and as a
result it is thought by DR.. Rowland
that the entire string of horses at
pasture will have to be destroyed, as
most of them have already exhibited
symptoms of the disease.
Toms is charged in misdemeanor
warrant with having sold diseased
animal and he will be tried within the
next week.