The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-12


 legged murderer was reduced from life to ten years Imprisonment at a re- cent retrial in Frankfort-on-the-Od owing to the testimony of a Berlin police lieutenant discrediting police dogs which had followed the man from the scene of the murder and now comes Lieutenant Most, in charge of the police dog training in stitute for Berlin, with the statement that the animals are absolutely de- pendab1e only as defenders of the of f1cer with whom they are working. The best of dogs, declares Lieutenant Most, is likely to abandon a criminals trail for the fresher trail of some third person crossing it. The anil rnaTs scene depends also in no small degree on his mood and condition of health. TheS likelihood of police dogs failing when put to the most inn portant tests is, of course, a serious limitation of their usefulness. Despite this, however. they will continue to form a valuable arm of the criminal service.
 Dogs of high degree, the aristocnats of the canine world of Great Britain, arg competing in large numbers for the yearly allotment of blue ribbons. but the most popular, the most ad- mired, and the most petted animals at the Dog Show are a group of six
  which has saved a human life. The aristocrats who have nothing but am cestry and form to commend them to the dog-1oving public are passed by for the 'tnongreIs'' who have proved theirzworth. Under the ordinary rules practically all of these sixteen hero dogs would have been excluded from the company of the 4,00O high-bred animals which occupy the benches of the show, for with two or three exceptions the heroes boast no pedi- gree and must be described. as just "plain dog.'' The advocates of eu~ genics and the Mendelian theory have been rather subdued in the presence of these mongrel life savers which have received more attention from visitors than the pampered champions Rover, apparently a cross between an Irish terrier and a sheep dog, was great favorite, for 1t was stated that during a heavy gale he had rushed | into the water off Straw Island caught a drowning man by the clothes and i dragged him ashore. He belongs 70 the keeper of the Straw Island light where he is counted an extremely val uable assistant. The most aristocrat- I ic dog of the lot is Duke, a collie, | said to have saved the life of a child I by snatching it from under the feet of a dray horse.
 
 1 Castle for gam bling has revealed the | startling fact that one firm of football | betting commissioners has made q profit of $36,o0O in three months. 1 over 50,000 betting coupons were found. Betting on Association foot I ball, which is the premier winter pro- | fessiona1 sport of the British Isles, is rapidly assuming the proportions | of a scandal, and it is now openly ' i has suffered severely because of the | efforts of the gamblers to fix games. | It is also freely charged that the own e-s of the big clubs have conspired to play to a draw in some of the big cup | matches, which settle the champion ships at the end of the season, so | that their profits might be augment | ed by the playing of an additional game. Some of the daily papers have I taken the matter up and rumblings l of an impending storm of protests are beginning to be heard. Two rival and warning associations exercise joint control over both amateur and pro- fessional association football. Lately l attempts have been made to reconcile their differences, and this proposed | consolidation is being fought by the | gamblers and some of the managers, | who fear that their operations will be stopped by a powerful governing body.
 The usual mysterious American has been called into requisition to Il boost the value of another English landmark. the Old Tithe Barn of i Maidstone, which has recently come into the market. Like the fictitious Il American who wanted to buy Tatter- sail Castle, the Tithe Barn bidder js said to desire to transport the ancient Il structure to America for erection on his estate. Stirred by motives of \ high patriotism the present owner is quite willing to allow the historic