The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-05-28
Mr.. Hdrrison's Side
OF The Bull Case

ASA0nOCI -
beg space insyour paper to tell 3
Few more facts in the case of alleged
cruelty to Animals" More than
q year ago, |. Ben Harrison, hired
the services OF a bull from Mr.. II. q.
Atkins. agreeing to take him home
at the expiration of his te. m of SER
Vice This was the FIRST week in March.
19oo In May Of that ear Mr. At
klns came to visit and we went into
tie pasture where the bull was and
made q definite agreement that the
bull should stay where he was till fat
iced and then be shot down and but
chered there in condition. Later in
the season, Mr.. Adkins was again at
my place and again went down to see
che bull. which was then in prime beet
condition, and Mr.. Adkins promised
me he would Immediately sell him to
some butcher, whie I know he tried
to some extent to do. In August of
the same year l again called Mr.. AID
kins's attention to the fact that owing
to the excessive drouth my pasture
was getting short and the bull was
losing flesh. and bore hard on him to
dispose of the animal Immediately.
Mr.. Adkins replying that he was do
ing his lest to sell him and asking
me to tell every butcher l happened
to see OF the animal. which 1 did f;
but beef was plentiful, and bull meat
not in demand.
Then began the talk of taking him
home; this talk lasted till along in
December, l promising to help do So.
In December, Frank Noble (Mr. Ad-
kins' tenant) came to my place and
he and myself chased the bull over
my wet fields until the bull could run
no longer from sheer exhaustion and
he got ugly and chased Mr.. Noble out
of the field. Then MI. Adkins sold him
to VIM. Laplant, Mr.. LapIant. W.
Droullard. and o. F. Howard coming
to my place during the Jan. 100 cold
snap to kill the bull; but they decid-
ed that he was too poor and thin to
make beef, which was SO. Then be-
gan the squirming on the part of Mr..
Adkins and Mr.. Noble. They did not
have the manhood to tell me that they
considered 1t my duty to take the bull
home but after caring for and endur-
ing the nuisance of a vicious bull
in my yard all winter I learned
through gossip in the neighborhood
that it was my duty to take him home
"when l got tired of him."
Now. dear and gentle interested
parties whose names are signed to Shat
published "pTotest''-how would
you feel? There is a point where
mercury boils! Mr.. Adkins being
out of the neighborhood | went to see
Mr.. Noble and told him with great
frankness what { thought of the deal.
l then had the bull roped by sharing
him as l fed him, and had him tied
between two trees in the orchard. and
aver at this time Mr.. Noble promised
to come and get him. But suddenly
a bright idea occurred to them, proba-
bly, suggested by one of the gentle
signers of this protest: j. e.. that
they could graft s25 out of me. This
was what they finally decided to do
s25 or bring him home. Now, nice.
gentle, kind hearted Mr.. Signer. could
you do better than 10 ask the Prose-
cutting Attorney t o have the nuisance
abated?
I wrote to Mr.. Morris asking him
to have the sheriff come over and
shoot the bull as l considered him
dangerous and not worth 20 cents
except for sole leather-a fonr year
old vicious bull, skin and bones, poor,
with feed of all kinds at unheard Of
prices. Nh. Morris. our gentlemanlS
county attorney, wrote me that lie
gally he had no right to kill the bull
or order him killed, but if be we're to
Suggest. he would say to hitch my
strongest team to my strongest wag-
on, make the bull fast to the back OF
the by a line and he either
would have to submit or be drag
ged all the way to the owners. |
knew that to be the ordinary way OF
transporting such animals, but had
rented my farm. horses, wagon. and
all. and had given possession and did
not have them to use. Then MI. Cald-
we'll came to me and volunteered to
take the bull home when he could
spare hours time. Now. nobody ever
tried to deny that in the scufie that
ensued in taking the bull the first
mile he got badly battered by throw
ing himself on the ground but dear.
pretty Mr.. Complaining Witness. you
who are noted for your kindness to
stock, whose COWS " In a corner
of the harnyard whenever you enter.