ALL FOR HUMANITY'S SAKE
A Story Told to Show the Good
Which Comes of Good
Action.
The Cruelty Practiced Against Dumb
Animals -- Mrs. Peattie Writes of
Something of Keen Interest.
Fanny was a gay little dog. She knew
her tawny fur curled in ringlets all over
her fat little body, and was quite aware
of the fact that when she looked up at
you quizzically from under her
yellowish-brown bangs that you were sure
to laugh.
In short, Fanny realized perfectly that
she had in her the elements of
popularity. She liked life, and her only
grief was that she had not seen enough
of it.
To be sure, wherever her Boy could
take her he did. Fanny had noticed
that almost every dog has a Boy, made,
most obviously, to take the dog around
and make fun for it. The trouble about
Fanny's Boy was that he was away so
much at school, and that after school,
when any dog might expect that she
would be taken out for a play, this Boy
sat with his nose in a book. He
managed, now and then, to stop long
enough to scratch Fanny's ear, or
feed her a lump of sugar. But this was
but a trifling sop to a gay spirited little
dog who wanted to see life.
It never occurred to Fanny that it was
just as hard for her Boy to stay in as it
was for her, or she might not have been
so foolish as to lose her temper.
Perhaps none of us would ever find it
worth while to lose our temper if we
knew all the pros and cons of the things
that vox us. However that may be,
Fannie got in a passion over her Boy
because he was so slow; and because he
seemed to prefer books to dogs --
although there was not a book in
the whole library that could wag its
tale, and stand on its hind legs and
bark -- and so it came about that Fanny
deliberately turned her back on the
house where the Boy lived, and started
off down the street.
The Boy's house was on one
of those quiet streets in South
Omaha, which look away over
the river, and the groves of willows on
the bottom lands, and, higher up, the
groves of puny oaks upon the Nebraska
hills.
Fanny cared nothing for this. She
ran as hard as she could for the busy
streets where the motors were, and
where men and woman walked about in
an excited way, and all sorts of delightful
noises were going on. Fanny was
so angry with her Boy that she made up
her mind to look out for a new Boy, and
when she saw a tall fellow, with a
swagger and a cigar, come along, she
decided at once that he was the sort of
person who was likely to see life and
that she would follow him. She had no
sooner made up her mind to this than
she saw him run and jump on one of
those fascinating motor cars and a
second later the car was whizzing away
down the track, and Fanny was running
after in a perfect gale of excitement.
On and on she went, like a puff ball of
fur. How delightful to have got rid of
that stupid Boy! At last she came to a
sort of bridge. The cars made a hollow
sound as they went rolling over, and
Fanny could feel the bridge shaking
under her. It frightened her a little,
and she ran over onto the other track in
her alarm, and then! -- Then for Fanny
the heavens and earth came together,
and a hell of pain tore at her tender
body, and she heard the noise of the
cars stop.
"What is it?" said a voice.
"Run over somethin''?"
"Nothin' but a dog."
"Throw it over the viaduct."
A man with a black face took Fanny
by one of her torn legs and threw her
down, down, till her crushed, cut body
fell on the paving.
It was dusk already,, and the night
soon fell. Men and women passed the
little dog. Children came and looked
at it.
Fanny screamed and screamed with
the awful torment. She writhed back
and forth like a worm in the dust. The
night came. 'The trains thundered by.
The little dog in her torment of thirst
licked at the dew on her shaggy coat,
Ah, the hours of torture! With morning
a young man stooped over her, touching
the broken limbs with tender hands.
Then he left and returned with the
water of which Fanny had been dreaming
through those miserable hours. But
now she was too weak to drink it. She
could only look at it with agonized eyes.
The young man understood. He lifted
up the fainting head and poured water
down the swollen throat. He put water
on the little dog's forehead.
"Poor little wretch," he said, "I wish
I had something to shoot you with."
Then he went away and the horrible
torment went on. And at last, after
hours of waiting there came a sudden
sharp, terrible noise and shock, and the
pain was over for gay little Fanny.
* * * * * * *
When the young man left the dog,
which had been thrown from the viaduct,
he telephoned to the police station:
"A dog was run over on the Sixteenth
street viaduct last night. Some one
threw it over the viaduct, and it has been
lying there all night. It is suffering
terribly. Can't you send a policeman down
to kill it?"
The answer from the police station
was:
"There is a policeman on that beat.
It's his business to attend to it."
"But he isn't there," the young man
answered. "I can't look all over for a
policeman. I should think it was your
business to --"
Whirr, whirr, whirr! The connection
was rung off at the station, and the
young man had to give up his attempt to
relieve the little creature's sufferings, for
he had to go to work. How much longer
the groaning little dog laid there is not
known.
* * * * * * *
But this much is known. If we had
an operative society for the prevention
of cruelty to animals, such suffering
could be avoided.
* * * * * * *
The other day two drunken men drove
a fine horse in front of a motor on Farnam
street. The men were not injured.
The big body of the faithful animal was
almost cut in two. But with its splendid
vitality it could not easily die. For
hours it laid on that traveled thoroughfare,
rocking its head back and forth in
speechless agony, and now and then
giving a sudden, awful scream of agony.
Why was it not shot?
Because a policeman is not allowed
to use his judgment about shooting
valuable animals, but must see the
proper authorities to obtain permission
first. And where "only an animal" is
concerned a policeman is not apt to keep
dinner waiting till he relieves such
torture.
* * * * * * *
But if we had a society for the
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prevention of cruelty to animals the
members would be possessed of both
authority and gumption enough to shoot a
horse, a part of whose entrails lay out
upon the pavement.
* * * * * * *
Week before last a sweet young wife,
who lives on a certain hill in this city,
looking from her window, saw a cruel
sight. A worn old horse was trying to
drag up the steep incline of the hill a
wagon laden with sacks containing some
heavy material -- cement, possibly. The
weight was too great for the horse, and it
could make no headway up the hill. The
foam about the bit, where it cut the
mouth, began to be tinctured with red.
Suddenly the man's irritation broke into
ungovernable passion. He swore in a
frenzied manner, and lashed the horse
with a broken whip. Not content with
that, he seized a board from under the
seat and beat the struggling animal with
that. The great pathetic eyes of the
horse rolled in agony. The young lady
could stand no more. She rushed out
into the street.
"Please, please do not hit the horse
again," she cried. He is doing the best
he can! Do not hit him."
The man turned and looked at her.
"You -- -- -- -- !" he yelled, "this
is my horse! And that is your house. Get
in it and mind your own business!"
The lady fled before his obscene oaths,
and endured the pain of hearing the
blows fall harder than ever on the back
of the silent animal.
* * * * * * *
The lady was helpless because she did
not have a society back of her.
Now a society stands for a crystalization
of public opinion. There is public
opinion enough in Omaha to justify the
forming of a society for the prevention
of cruelty to animals.
The Woman's club realizes this, and is
about to undertake the formation of
such a society. But it feels that it cannot
make a success of such an undertaking
unless the men will give it their support;
unless the lawyers will be willing to
assist; unless the policemen are cordial to
it, and unless men and women will
assist in giving evidence and assisting in
prosecutions against the brutes who
abuse the dumb animals. Miss Carrie
Millard has been elected by the
philanthropic department of the club as the
president of this proposed society, and
any inquiries addressed to 1818 Capitol
avenue will be gladly answered by her.
She would also be grateful for any
expressions of sympathy, that she may
know where to look for assistance when
it is needed.
* * * * * * *
It will be remembered that there used
to be such a society in Omaha. But it
has long been inoperative.
* * * * * * *
A little girl who lives not far from the
High school has started a little society
among her friends called "The Black
Beauty Society," named, of course, after
Anna Sewell's famous story of a horse.
The code as written out by this little
girl, for the treatment of horses, is
interesting. Horses, she says, do not like
their reins cheeked high; nor do they
like a load too heavy for their strength.
They do not like to be driven too fast;
nor to be made to go with loads up the
hillside on the slippery pavements.
Neither do they like to have their tails
cut up into the flesh; nor to be driven
when they are in a sweat. This little
girl gives it as her opinion that a person
who will clip a horses tail
up into the flesh, thus cutting
off the ends of the nerves, has
no more sense than a snail, and ought to
be put in jail -- an opinion in which she
will have many supporters.
The idea of encouraging such societies
of children has already occurred to the
Woman's club, and it contemplates
distributing pledges among the children of
the public schools, by signing which,
the children promise to abuse no dumb
animal.
* * * * * * *
There must be many women in the
city, who do not belong to the club, who
feel deeply upon the neglect and abuse
of animals which exist in this city.
It is the earnest desire of the
club members that such women should
either join the club, or make themselves
known as sympathizers of the movement.
This may be a good place to acquaint
those interested in the work with the
law upon the subject.
* * * * * * *
The state statute provides that the
mayor and city council of municipalities
shall legislate covering this evil.
However, in a general way, under the head
of domestic animals, it provides that the
altering of ear marks or brands is
punishable by a fine of not to exceed $50,
and treble the damage of the party
injured. Under the caption of
killing or injuring animals of the
value of $35, it provides that any person
wilfully or maliciously killing or
destroying any domesticated animal, the
property of another, of the value of $35,
or upwards, or shall wilfully and
maliciously injure any of such animals,
the property of another, to the above
amount, the person or persons so
offending shall be imprisoned in the
penitentiary not more than three years, nor
less than one year. For animals valued
at less than $35, the punishment is a fine
not to exceed $100, nor less than $5, or
imprisonment in the county jail not
more than three months, or both, at the
discretion of the court. For poisoning,
the penalty is a fine of $100, or
imprisonment not to exceed thirty days.
The abuse most common -- abandonment
-- is covered by section 67, which is
as follows:
"Injuring Animals; Abandonment in
Stormy Weather -- Any person or persons
who shall wilfully or inhumanly beat,
strike, kick, wound, kill or mutilate any
horse, mule, cow, sheep, ox or swine, or
any other domesticated animal not
enumerated, or any person or persons,
whether offender be owner, agent or
servant, who allows his team, whether
horse, mule or ox, to stand tied upon the
street for a time longer than four hours
in cold or stormy weather, to the injury
of the said team, shall upon conviction
thereof be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor and be punished by a fine for
each offense, in a sum not less than $5
or more than $50. And it is made
the duty of any sheriff, constable,
or marshal of any city or village, or any
policeman to immediately arrest any
person or persons violating any provisions
of the act without a warrant or any
process, and to call upon bystanders or
others for assistance when same may be
necessary to consummate the arrest.
Overwork and tormenting is also deemed
a misdemeanor and is punishable the
same as injuring or abandoning.
* * * * * * *
The city ordinance is:
Inhuman treatment of Dumb
Animals -- Section 11. It shall be unlawful
for any person to cruelly, inhumanly or
unnecessarily beat, injure, overload or
overwork, or to insufficiently shelter or
feed any horse, mule or dumb animal, or
to drive, ride or work, or cause to be
ridden, driven or worked, any horse,
mule or dumb animal, which, by reason
of any deformity, injury or disease, or
other cause whatsoever, shall be
incapable of being ridden, driven or worked
without suffering pain or great
annoyance from such deformity, injury,
disease or other cause, or to
otherwise abuse any dumb animal within the
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[Drawing]
II.
So with an empty stomach, the
Turk,
In the early morning started
hard at work.
[Drawing]
III.
He earns the mighty dollar
acting rash,
He assumes a Gould-like cute
away his cash.
[Drawing]
IV.
But, like many worldly mon
hard to keep,
For it seems to want to leave
sudden leap.
M
It is better to e
by the investment
Reliable House than
life trial of Slavish
vain attempt to sav
sary to pay cash do
a single advantage
vations.
Terms T
On a bill of $10
one dollar
cash and one
dollar each
week.
Special
[article continues here]
limits of the city of Omaha, or to
encourage or urge any dogs or other
animals to fight in said city, and every
person violating any provision of this
section shall, on conviction thereof, be
fined not exceeding $50 or be imprisoned
not to exceed thirty days.
* * * * * * *
It is probable that the subject of the
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals will come up before the club
tomorrow. ELIA W. PEATTIE.
ELINOR'S DILEMMA.
"We will not discuss this unfortunate
subject any more today, Elinor, but I
am certain if my daughter will consult
common sense she will very soon see the
wisdom of my choice."
Elinor looked out of the open window
straight into the heart of a bed of
nasturtlums growing beneath, without
seeing any of their glowing beauty. Her
eyes were misty with unshed tears. She
made no effort to answer her mother's
words.
For fully five minutes there was
silence in the room. The soft rustle of a
pencil drawn over paper, in the hands
of a young girl who was drawing in the
clear light of an east window, was
distinctly audible. Dab, dab, went the
broad pencil point on the soft paper.
Mrs. Scott added at least three rows to
the silk mitten growing in
her supple fingers. Suddenly the
gleaming needles were still, and of
her own accord she again approached
the subject she had herself dismissed
five minutes before. She was evidently
determined, womanlike, to have it out
with her daughter.
Mrs. Scott was, in most respects, a
sensible woman; and as the most
sensible people will sometimes err in doing
what they consider, under existing
circumstances, to be their duty, let us not
judge her harshly for insisting that her
eldest daughter should encourage the
attentions of a man so eligible as
Lawrence Aldrich.
"You must tell me, Elinor, just what
