Local Outrage Over Animal Cruelty
A journalist’s beloved greyhound is maliciously shot, sparking a fierce editorial denunciation of the unknown perpetrator.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Last Saturday the beautiful young Italian greyhound, owned by E. M. Reed of The Herald, was wantonly and maliciously shot by some unfeeling wretch, inflicting wounds which may permanently injure the poor canine. The dog is a valuable animal, of pure blood and intelligence. It is difficult for anyone with the instincts of humanity to understand this mania for cruelty to dumb animals in those beings who are so depraved that suffering in others seems to have absolute attraction for them. The man who would willfully torture a harmless and playful dog will bear watching, for he has within him the instincts of an incendiary and murderer.
“The man who would willfully torture a harmless and playful dog, or any other animal for that matter, will bear watching, for he has within him the instincts of an incendiary and murderer.”
This editorial reflects the intense, protective relationship early settlers had with their animals in a frontier environment where dogs were not just pets, but essential companions and status symbols. The fierce language used to condemn the 'dastard' reflects a deep societal value placed on the sanctity of property and personal companions.
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