Evening star., 1923-03-04

The boys eyes never left Mr.. kirby's
while he talked, and there was nc
sound in the room but the boys clear
voice.
An You come off an left the dog
at frst?"
Yes. sir"
An you didn't unfasten the chain
from the block till the dog got caught
in the fence?"
NO. sir; didn't
Did you try to get him to follow
you them"
No. sir. He wanted to.
Ask him. Mr.. Kirby" broke in
Thornycroft. angrily, IF he tried to
drive him home
''I'll ask him whatever seems fit an
right to me sir" said Mr.. Kirby
what did You tell your ma, Davy,
when YOU got home?'
Il told her he followed me"
Did you tell her whose dog he
was?"
NO, sir
"Ain't that what you ought 10 have
done?" Amt it?''
Davy hesitated. "Yes, sir
This block you been tellin' about
how was it fastened to the dog?"
There was a chain fastened to the
block by a staple. The other end was
fastened to the collar"
How heavy do you think that
block was?"
About ten pounds. ] reckon
Five" broke in Old Man Thorny-
croft, with a sneer.
Mr.. Kirby turned 10 him. "You
fetched it with you. didn't you? !
told you 10. IT'S evidence. Bob Kel-
ley, go out 20 Mr.. Thornycroft's bug
sv an bring that block of wood into
court
EVERYBODY turned when Kelley
IL came in with the block of wood
All craned their necks to watch
while Kelley weighed the block OF
wood on the store scales, which he
put on the magistrates table.
"Fo'teen p'unds," said Mr. Kirby
Take the scales away"
at had rubbed all the skin off'n the
dogs neck" broke in Davy. impul.
sively. 1T was all raw an bleedin'.'
"Aw. that amt So cried Thorny.
croft
rs the dog out there" asked Mr.
Kirby
Yes. sir; under the buggy.
Bob Kelley. YOU go out an brins
| that dog into court"
| The rural policeman went out. an,
/ came back with the hound. whicl
| looked eagerly up from one face, t
! the other, then. seeing Davy, came t
| him and stood against him.
Bring the dog here. SON" com
! raw place on the neck. Any of yo,
! gentlemen care TO take look?' h
asked.
! Old Man Thornycroft pushed for
! ward. face quivering. what's al
/ this got TO do with that boy stealth
! that dog?" he demanded. That
what I want to know-what's it go
| to do with it?''
Mr.. Thorny croft said Kirby. at
o'clock this mornin' this place ceaset
! TO be Tom Belcher's sto'. and becam
a court of justice. Some things ar
seemIy in a court. some not Yo'
stand back there:"
The old man stepped back TO tn
counter. and stood pulling. his chir
his eyes running over the crowd G
faces.
"Davy Allen spoke Mr. Kirby. ''yo
stand back there with your ma. ToI
Belcher. make way for him Ant
Tom. spose you put another stick {
wood in that stove an poke up tn
fire. He took off his glasses, ble'
on them. polished them with hi
handkerchief and readjusted then
Then, leaning back in his chair, h
spoke.
Gentlemen! From the beginnin' {
time, as fur back as records go,
dogs been the friend, companion a.
protector of man.
Last night in the liberry of m
old friend Judge Fowler in Greenvill
[ looked up some things about tn
dog question. I find that there haN
!
down by the courts. showin' that I'll
law does recognize the fact that a do
is different from other fourfoote
critters. For instance, il has bee
held that a dog has a right 10 Pre-
tect not only his life. but his dignit,
that where a man worries a dog bt
yond what would be reasonable to e1
pect any self-respectiM critter
stand, that dog has a right to bill
that man. an that man can't colle'
any damages-provided the bitin'
done at the time of the worryin' an
in sudden heat an passion. That ha
been held in the courts. gentlemen
The law that holds for man holds fc
dogs.
another thing: II the engineer {
railroad train sees COW or hors
or a sheep on the track, or hog. /
Unjust stop the train or the road
liable for any damage done 'em. B'
if he sees man walkin' along TT
track. he has a right to presume th'
the man, bein' a critter of more {
less intelligence, will git off, an he
not called on to stop under ordinar
circumstances. The same thing holt
true of a dog. The engineer has
right to presume that the dog, bein
a critter of intelligence, will get o
the track. Here again the law is tt
same for dog an man.
But if the engineer has reason
!, believe that the mans mind is toe
/, nm with some object of an engrosSi
mater, he is supposed to stop the ira
, till the man comes 10 himself a
, Hooks around. The same thing hol'
true of a dog. That case has bee
; tested in this very state. where d dc
was on the track settin' a covey
I;xd- i., 10 adininin, field The raj