Year: 1870

Inc Detroit ErCc PrCsS OF the Jtn
contains this exciting narrative
About two months ago, while as
sIstIng To RIG out vessel III the river,
! a man named Peter DemeTy, living
on PeterbOrO street, in the outskirts OF
Detroit, stuck "a rusty spike through


the sole of his left foot, and mas ever
since been laid up by the accident,
! once narrowly escaping an attack OF
I iDckiaw. His family consists OF wife
and boy, the latter about ten years
old. Sunday afternoon, the mother
! and boy went on a visit to some
friends, leaving the invalid lying on a


bed that stood in recess of the front
/ room. In fact, there is bat one room
! in the house, the boy occupying Il


lounge ut night. As Demery goes
about on a crutch. he had 4 heavy one
lying on the bed when the family


went away. For three years the fam
/ ily llaa owned a large dog. The dog
wanted to 90 with the boy, but was
driven back, and laid down on tire
step. Demery read forabOut AN hOur,
when his attention was attracted to


the dog The animal had walked in
at the open door and stood in the
center of the room, uttering growl-
ing, wheeling sort of noise, his eyes


shining, and tie hairo on his back brist-
ling N, straight He spoke sharply


to the animal, who slunk under the


bad, ,-1ceping up howling rs if in


pain. a sudden breeze coming up
created draft that slammed the door
slut, and Demery and his dog were
thus shut mp, n il We're together. He


states thai the dog kept up his annoy


ing i.s1es until he finally spoke sharp


Is 10 him, when, all ut once, the


bFllt- bounded from under the bed and
commenced running around the room.


His eyes were full of blood, he kept
swapping his jaws together like trap,
and every hair on the animal seemed


to stand erect. There was no foam
about the brute's jaws, but he emitted
a sOft of sudsy saliva that scented the


room like musk. Round he went,
turning over chairs, swapping at the
blowing window curtain every time
he passed, and each time leaping over
from the wall.


Demery did not realize that he in
vOked any danger in speaking to the
dog; he regarded the affair rs arising
from desire of the dog to get out and
follow the boy. So he yelled sharply
at the brute, bidding him lay down.
The dog, just then halted near the
door, and Demery was raised up on
his elbow, holding his crutch in one
hand, as he had notion to hObble
over and open the door. Hardly had
he spoken, when the dog bounded for
ward, giving fearful howl. Instinct
lively, the man extended his crutoh,
which came in contact with the dogs
head, and he went rolling on the floor.
When he got up, it was to resume his
race around the room, looking more
frightful than ever. Demery sprang
on the back side of the bed, close to
the wall, holding his crutoh ready for
defense, but hoping that the mad
brute would not again attack him.


''It was now time when Demery
might expect his wife and child to re-
occurred to him that their return
would only be to meet an attack from
the dog. If they ascended the steps
and opened the door, as was entirely
natural, the dog would bite one or
both. There was no longer room to
doubt that he was rabid and his mad
ness was growing worse all the time.
He might shout and alarm them as
they stood at the door, butwOuld they
understand and heed it in time?


at is but due to a sober, industrious
man to state that in that moment of
peril to his family and to himself, he
Resolved on o deed that should go
down on record for future generations
to read. He resolved to make that
mad brute attack him, hoping in the
struggle to deal him Il death blow
with the crutch. Carefully getting
upon his knees, and securing n firm
hold of his crqtch, Demery yelled at
the dog. The animal was tearing
around the room snarling and clash
ing his jaws together, and he stopped,
looked up for a moment, and then
sprang for the bed. He just got his
pays and head upon it, when down
came tie crutch and he rolled over
and over. Three times was this re-
peated, and the fourth time the an
imal was stunned by the blow, and
while he lay grasping on the
floor, the crutch was broken in pieces
over his head, and he was afterwards
finished of with the axe. The man
did not faint nor grow pale he drag
ged the body out doors and waited for
his family, who came in in about half
an hour, and and then carcass was