UUKEAU OF ANIMAL IKDUSTRY. 433 



tlieir liaTjility under tlie circumstancos, and liavo assured me that they will use every 

 precaution to prevent the spread of the disease, and every effort in their power to ex- 

 tirpate it if it really exists among their cattle. "S^Tiat precautionary methods should 

 be taken by other cattle dealers and breeders will of course bo dictated by their own 

 prudence and intelligence. The only suggestion that I can make is that the law 

 should be rigidly enforced wherever the circumstances require it; that, if anything, 

 will insure the extirpation of the disease, as it must result in the destruction of the 

 diseased animals themselves, if necessary. 

 With sentiments of great respect, I am, very truly, your obedient servant, 



J. PROCTOR KNOTT. 



It will be seen that in this communication Governor Knott points out 

 a course of procedure which, if enforced, would seem to inevitably lead 

 to the aunihilation of all dangerous cattle in the State. As a matter of 

 fiict it was not enforced. The diseased cattle were handled so recklessly 

 that many others were infected ; the plague notoriously existed in the 

 herd of Messrs. Frisbie & Lake for month after month, endangering 

 the stock of their neighbors and causing burdensome restrictions to be 

 placed upon the cattle trade of the whole State, but no legal measures 

 were adopted in accordance with the plan so forcibly outlined by the 

 governor. . Whether this action was deferred because of the intimation 

 in the above letter that the i^arties enforcing this law "would be com- 

 pelled to answer in damages in case they should resort to ^^olence be- 

 yond what is actually needed, or the fact should turn out to bo insuffi- 

 cient to authorize such peremptory intervention," or whether it was 

 because of a general feeling that the measures indicated were not as 

 practical and efficient as the governor thought, is not clear, but it is be- 

 lieved that both of these reasons had considerable influence. 



The Department received many letters from citizens of Kentucky 

 stating that the infected cattle were not isolated sufficiently to prevent 

 the spread of the contagion, that some cows believed to be affected were 

 allowed to mingle with other cows belonging to citizens of Cynthiana, 

 and asking that an inspector be sent there to watch the course of events 

 and to do whatever was possible towards checking the disease, until 

 more efficient and practical legislation could be enacted either by Con- 

 gress or the State legislature. In view of the great amount of property 

 threatened, and the possibility of violations or evasions of the act of 

 Congress prohibiting the movement of affected animals from one State 

 or Territory into another, it was deemed advisable to accede to these 

 requests. Accordingly Dr. H. A. Woodroffc, a gentleman who was well 

 recommended for professional ability, and who had acquitted himself 

 with credit in the English veterinary service, was appointed December 

 3, 1884, and instructed to proceed at once to Kentucky. He was to con- 

 sult with the leading stock-owners, to keep a supervision of the cattle 

 about Cynthiana, and to inform the Department of any violation of the 

 law, or of any movement of cattle that there was reason to believe had 

 been exposed to the contagion. 



On Saturday, December 27, 1884, a letter was received at the Depart- 

 ment from Dr. TVoodroffe stating that Messrs. Frisbie & Lake were 

 about to make a large shipment of animals from their herd to the State 

 of Texas, and that he had given them a certificate of health after hav- 

 ing made an examination of them. The Chief of the Bureau was then 

 absent in New York, where he had gone on official business, but was 

 expected in hisoffice on Monday morning. His immediate return was 

 delayed, however, by serious illness, which prevented any attention to 

 business for nearly a week. As a consequence, no action was taken to 

 prevent the shipment of these cattle until Friday, January 2, 1885, at 

 which time the Commissioner of Agriculture notified the owners and tho 

 28 AG— '85 



