The Violent Reformation of Bumble the Dog
A notorious St. Bernard, known for terrorizing local residents, has a new owner with a questionable theory on canine rehabilitation.
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.
Col. Hewlett has disposed of his St. Bernard dog, 'Bumble,' to Dr. H—. Bumble hasn't the best disposition in the world, and his former owner kept him chained, while the doctor allows him his liberty, having a theory that he has inaugurated a system of reformation. Bumble's reformation started in with whipping all the dogs in town and then holding up for half the nights a man who was trying to get from the hill to the city.
“Bumble's reformation started in with whipping all the dogs in town and then holding up for half the nights a man who was trying to get from the hill to the city.”
This story serves as a humorous, if slightly dark, look at local character. It highlights the way early newspapers often focused on the 'local color' of eccentric pets and neighbors, a practice that continues in modern community journalism's 'human interest' sections.
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