Evening journal., 1914-10-05
New News Of Yesterday
Senator Vests Famous
Eulogy on the Dog
BY Holland.

Many have been the surmises due !
TO the purity Of the English style the !
rhythm OF the sentences, and an al /
most poetic turn to them, and inc /
profound sympathy which are en-
bodied in an address Of the late Sen
ator George Vest OF Missouri. Sen
ator Vests so-called oulOgy on the
dog has become almost classic IL
I is frequently made use Of to illustrate
a perfect English style adequate ana
/ appropriate to the subject.
The surmises which this tulogy has
occasioned have been due to the
doubt whether or not Senator Vest
spoke without preparation or whether
he delivered this brief eulogy from
memory after having prepared II Win
great care.
The Senator's colleagues in the
United States Senate Lave never
doubted Senator Vests ability to pro-
ducc by spontaneous utterance OF
equally spontaneous thought eulogy
of this kind
am able now to give an author
lied account Of the occasion when
Senator Vest delivered this eulogy.
One Of those who have beeL in doubt
whether the address was impromptu
/ or prepared wrote TO Mr.. c. c.
Toombs, now in the War Department
p at Washington. to ask him if he had
any knowledge respecting the mat
ter. Mr.. TOombs was Senator Vests
secretary during the latter's service
in the United States Senate. Inc
- letter of inquiry reached him at q
= time when Judge Phillips, of Sedalia
:, Mo-. had been visiting Col. Toombs
n who was then in the cervice OF tho
House of Representatives. Knowing
a that Judge Phillips was familiar VIII
y the circumstances. the requested in
= formation was placed in his hands
John +. Toombs was for years Unite'
States Judge Of the Western distric
of Missouri and before his appoint
ment to the bench he was lay
partner Of Senator Vest. He gladl
wrote a brief statemen. ~ the facts
Early in the '70's a son Of Kentuck.
!, who was then living in Johnso
- County Mo-, was the owner of valu
able hound named Old Drum. Tn
ID hound was a notable hunter, and hi
owner had almost a human afcctio
:. for him.
re Judge Phillips said, One mornin
ls Old Drum was found dead near
" neighbOr's house. Some one ha
w shot him. Circumstances pointed
" the neighhor as the assassin of th
!" dog. Thereupon he was sucO for tn
w recovery Of $50 damages The cas-
W was tried several times. juries di
Io agreeing, until at last .ke defendal
obtained verdict The case was al
pealed. and the plaintiff retained &c
Ve Welles II. BlOdgett, VINO was 4
m many years the general solicitor
N the Wabash Railroad Company.
ION the day Of the trial Mr. We
ln. happened TO be in the courtroom, al
,uf the plaintiff thereupon asked him
assist in the case. Probably N
VI Vests consent would moi have be
obtained had he not been staun
friend of good dogs.
- '"Mr. Vest sat throughout the tr
~ as though a mere auditor, and
ade took no part in the examination
les' the witnesses. The courtroom "
mp filled. for the dog case Lad attract
ing wide attention. One CT the coun
for the defendant spoke conten
wv! tuously of 4 lawsuit about M
~ hound dog Mr.. Vest oaid little
sos no attention to the evidences. but WI
It came his time TO speak he leve
the whole artillery Of his genius
vindicaiion Of the dogs valua
traits. The jury was complete
mastered by the argument. brief
IN IL was. and returned a verdict OF 5
uu for the plaintiff. That brief cult
not only won the then celebrated G
but has passed into tradition amt
OF the choice American classics"
lght Copyright. 1914, by T.. J. ltdwai
mas, All rights reserveG.)
Of
liter Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will
ront "Whcrc Senator ingalls, Met
eacn Match at Repartee."