A Brutal Case of Animal Cruelty
A Richland rancher faces local justice after beating his horse until exhaustion.
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.
Chas. Zachow, a rancher living north of Richland, was arrested last Friday for cruelty to animals and tried before Justice Howes. The evidence showed that Zachow had loaded up his wagon with a great deal more than any ordinary horse should haul and when the animal got stuck in a sand hill, he began beating it unmercifully. He kept this up until exhausted and then deliberately went home, leaving the poor beast standing in the middle of the road, still hitched to the wagon. He left the horse there all night and until the afternoon of the next day, when he returned to the scene and commenced beating it again. He then decided he could do nothing by that method and finally succeeded in getting the load home. Deputy Sheriff M. P. Davidson arrested him and on hearing the evidence, Justice Howes scored him in no measured terms for his inhuman treatment of a dumb beast and fined him $10 and costs. However, Zachow stated that he had never paid a fine and did not intend to do so this time and would appeal to a higher court.
“Justice Howes scored him in no measured terms for his inhuman treatment of a dumb beast.”
Public outrage regarding the treatment of working animals was a foundational element of early 20th-century civic morality, often reflecting a broader societal shift toward formalizing standards of 'humane' treatment in rural industry.
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