The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-19
BOARD AFRAID THEY
|. WOULD KILL CURTIS
Trap-guns and Ferocious Dogs
Were Waiting for Active
Dairy Inspector
WAS SEVERELY CHOKED
BY MAN FROM DAKOTA
Dismissal Followed Conference
Wanted to Save Him Injury.
Feels That He Was Not
Upheld.

The secrfet Of the dismissal Of In
spector Harry Curtis from the Board
OF Health has just come to light 1t
is or interest In connection with the
. fotfock- WISE fuvesrigarIUn espeCfaIl
as the charges Mnlcn -causea the In
Vestisatton were nrst mace by the
ex-oairy inspector.
Mr.. curtis WAS removed not only
because OF the bitter feelings exist
ing between him and a number of
dairymen. but because the board
feared That he wouIa he kilied.
Just previous to his removal, 1t Is
learned from health onlcers, dairy
men had so resented his ACTIVITY and
interference In connection with the
| "swiII feeding matter that they had
SET trap guns to prevent him from
spying upon them at night, and had
procured ferocious dogs 10 guard the
premises after sunset.
Details of tignt which Mr. Curtis
had had with one of tna employees on
the Taylor dairy farm were told. Mr..
Curtis mad been SO active In his super.
vision Of Mr.. w. T. Tayior's barns and
sheds that the datryman declared he
was being bounded ana prosecuted.
The ex-tnspector had been in the
dairy buyiness before becoming con-
nected with the Health Department
He had leesed the farm which Mr..
Taylor now occupies. Mr.. Taylor
charged that because Mr. Curtis had
not met with success in the business
he was jealous. and was consequently
trying to prevent him from making
any money.
Beat Head Against Barn.
According TO health officers the
fight In which Mr.. Curtis was roLgn-
" handled took place shortly after
Al. a a a
hole In Mr.. Taylor's barn one night
and caught the dairyman's employees
feeding the forbidden swill.
The inspector had been severely
taken to task by one OF MIR. Tay1or's
employees. This man was from North
Dakota During the argument he
said:
cattle. What do you mean by talking
about them? You think you can blum
me, but you can't. ! came from q
farm in North Dakota which my
father owned. We had over 100000
head of cattle Take your converse
ton behind the barn and bury IT. -
The inspector replied in terms detrf-
mental to the Dakotan's raising and
morals. He spoke of tho ex-cowboy's
veracity with enthusiasm and followed
this up with other remarks. where
upon the Dakotan took Mr.. Curtis by
the neck and beat his head against the
side Of the barn.
Selling a heavy rake. the health
officer proceeded to cultivate the as
sistant dairyman, who persisted. how
ever. In holding him by the throat and
choking him with one hand while he
massaged his face with the other.
| MIR. Taylor found them fighting. He
| ordered both off the place, telling
them that they must settle their din
cuities elsewhere. This settled the
/ dispute, but the inspector, so Mr..
/ TAYLOR says, then became so con-
! slant In his attendance that he de-
veloped into a nuisance.
! Had Guns for Him.
! Other dairymen sent word to the
| health department that If they caught
any man prowling around their barns
at night they would shoot him. They
I had trap-gnns ready to blow his head
| off II he attempted to open the feed
| room door. They bought fierce bull
dogs tn guard their places, and as
| a result of these accomplishments In
I spector Curtis led an exciting exist
ence, although he persisted in carry
! ing out the most rigid inspection.
| The board of health, however, then
I ordered him to desist. DIR. Levy was
afraid he would be killed, and after
consultation 1t was decided that II
| would be safer and necessary to re-
move him.--=----------
Mr.. Curtis was accordingly sum-
| marily dismissed from the depart
! ment For the good of the service"
was the reason given to the public.
| The reason. SO II developed as stated
above, was primarily because II was
| feared that the inspector would come
to bodily harm.
So Mr.. Curtis left the department,
| feeling that the dairymen had driven
| him out OF Office. while according to
| his public statement at the time he
expressed the sentiment that the
lCnnfinned ON Ninth PAGE \ -