March 19, 1P85.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



151 



the Mmml 



FIXTURES. 



BTT.NCH SHOWS. 

 Mare!. 18. 19 and 20. 1885.—Se(5BBd Annual Show of the New Haven 



Kennel Club. E. S. iY>rter, Secretary. New Haven, Conn. 



April ? to 10. I860.— First Annual Dog Show N. E. Kennel Club, 

 Music Hall, Boston. 5, A. NICkerson, Secretary, 159A Tremont street. 



April 21. 23 and l3.— Annual Dog Show of the St. Louis Gun Club. 

 W. A. Albright. Secretary. St, Louis, Mo. 



April i'S. an, .'M ana May 1.— Ninth Annual Dog Show of the West- 

 minster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden. Entries close April 

 14. .lames Mortimer. Superintendent, !S Broad street, New York. 



May r>, (i. ; and S. ISSr,. — Second Annual Dog Show of the Cincin- 

 nati Sport -man s Club. Cincinnati. O. W A. Coster, Superintendent. 



May 13. 14 and 15.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Toronto Dog 

 Show Association. W. S. Jackson. Secretary, Toronto, Ont. 



June 2, B, 4 and 5.— First Annua! Dog Show of the Hlinois Kennel 



Club. John H. Nay lor, Secretary, 3.183 Archer avenue, Chicago, 111. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



November. -Seventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club. High Point, N. 0. Entries for Derby close May 1. W. 

 A. Oostei", Secretary, Flatbuab. L I. 



Dec. 7.- Seventh Annual Field Trials of the National Field Trials 

 Cluh, Grand Junction, Tenn. Entries for Derby close April 1. B. M. 

 Stephenson, La Grange. Tenn., Secretary. 



A. K. R. -SPECIAL NOTICE. 



npHE AIVILKICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration of 

 -*- pedigrees, etc. (with prize lists of all shows and trials), is pub- 

 lished every month. Entries close on the 1st. Should be in early. 

 Entry blanks sent on receipt of stamped and addressed envelope. 

 Registration fee (50 cents) must accompany each entry. No entries 

 inserted unless paid in advance. Yearly subscription §1.50. Address 

 "American Kennel Register." P. O. Box 3882, New York. Number 

 Of entries, already printed 2200. 



CROSS-AS-THUNDER. 



IfY WIFE bad always wanted to keep a dog, but 1 opposed 

 ItJL it. This bad been a bone of contention between us for 

 many years. I had an insane dread of hydrophobia, and 

 firrniy believed that, like distemper, every dog had it some 

 time or other. 



One night about two years ago my house was robbed. Mrs, 

 Logic then argued more strongly than ever in favor of a dog, 

 but 1 compromised the matter by putting in an electric 

 burglar alarm that rang a bell and turned up the gas when- 

 ever the shutters or doors were tampered with at night. 

 After that patent alarm was in, life became not worth living. 

 Ou an average of twice a week the confounded thing got out 

 of order, and in the middle of the night the bell would start to 

 ringing and I would go prowling around the house armed 

 with a revolvei only to find every thing all right and no signs 

 of burglars. I wanted to have it taken out, but mj wife 

 would not listen to any such proposition unless I promised to 

 substitute a dog So, at last, wearied with the loss of sleep, I 

 made up my mind that even hydrophobia would be a 

 pleasanter and speedier death than mental exhaustion, and I 

 consented to substitute a canine for an electric alarm. 



"Kovr, Paul," said Mrs, Logic, the morning after I had 

 agreed with her upon the dog question, "don't you think of 

 such a thing as coming home without a dog— a real cross 

 creature that will bite off a thief's leg," So during the day I 

 went to a store that I had seen advertised as a place where 

 dogs were sold, 



"I want a dog." explained I to the proprietor, "that com- 

 bines tremendous power of jaws with a moderate appetite. 

 My family is small and the amonnt of table scraps limited." 



The man went down a trap door into the cellar and soon re- 

 appeared leading a cariine with a very battered appearance. 

 He was white with a brindle patch over his left eye, would 

 weigh forty pounds and was of the kind commonly known as 

 bull-terrier, but his face was much shorter than the show type 

 of that breed. 



"There, sor," said the man. "is a dog as will fill yer bill ex- 

 actly. He won't eat more nor a canary burd. " 

 "Is he cross?" I inquired. 



By the way 7 of reply the fellow cried "Sketch 'im!"and 

 the brute made a rush at me. Had the chain broken I should 

 have been badly mutilated. 



"Softly, my good man, softly," said I, very much frightened 

 "I need no further proof than your single word. What is his 

 name?" 



"Cross-as- Thunder is wat he is called, but yer can call him 

 Beauty or anything yer like ; a dog soon larns to know a new 

 name." 



"Why is he so cut up?" I queried. "He looks as if he had 

 been run through a sausage machine, but was so tough that 

 the knives only scarred him." 



"Well, yer see, sor," replyed the man, "this 'ere dog was 

 onct owned by a f ellar wot fights dogs for a livin', but Cross- 

 as-Thunder got to lickin' all the terriers as was turned up, so 

 he had to part with 'im, as no dog can be found to pit agin 

 'im." 



Here, I thought, is a golden opportunity to disgust my 

 wife forever with dogs, so I bought Cross-as-Thunder and 

 had him sent to my office, first getting a muzzle to avoid the 

 possibility of an unpleasant accident. 



That night when I went home to supper, leading the dog, 

 my wife greeted me with: 



"So, Paul, you have actually kept your promise, and what 

 a delightf uily ugly creature you have bought. What massive 

 strength of jaws. Woo to the burglar who falls into his 

 clutches. But see, the poor thing has been greatly abused, for 

 he is covered with cruel scars." 



I did not think it politic to mention the real cause of the 

 scars. 



"I was reading only this morning," added my wife, after 

 further inspection of Cross-as-Thunder, "in a fashion paper, 

 that the uglier a dog was the more fashionable he is, and lam 

 sure that when I appear on the street with this one, Mrs. Rob- 

 inson won't put on quite so many airs about her pug. I am 

 certain I shall team to like him very much." 



After supper my wife suggested that it would be the proper 

 thing to feed "Crossy," as she had already nicknamed him. 

 Here was a quandary. The dog could not eat with his muzzle 

 on, and I was afraid that with it off he might be inclined to 

 make a meal off of his new owners. 



Mrs. L. patted him and talked baby talk to him until she 

 actually got him to wagging what little tail he had remaining 

 from his numerous battles in the pit. 



Finally she took off bis muzzle and he behaved very nicely, 

 eating his supper and curling himself up in mv easy chair out 

 of which I was afraid to drive him. 



"Now Julia," said my wife to our maid, "bring in Malty; 

 he and "Crossy" might as well get acquainted at once." 



Malty was a large Maltese cat, a great pet of my wife. 

 Toward this cat I had an undying hatred from, the fact that 

 he had several times killed some fancy poultry I was breeding 

 in the back yard. 



When the cat was brought in, Cross-as-Thunder needed no 

 formal introduction. He jumped from the chair, and in the 

 twinkling of an eye his enormous jaws had crushed the life 

 out of poor pussy's body. 



Of course my wife cried and put all the blame on my de- 

 voted head for bringing such a horrid brute into our peaceful 

 home, and insisted upon Cross-as-Thunder being turned into 

 the street at once. 



But I had taken a Jikiug to the dog for ridding me of my 

 poultry's enemy and I took his part, and after considerable 

 coaxing prevailed on rav wif e to let hi to, remain,. 



A week or so after I had bought the dog a rough-looking 

 man in a. red shirt called at my office, and inquired: 



"Be you the gentleman as owns the fighting dog Cross-as- 

 Thunder?" 

 "I am. Why?" 



"Well, I knows a greeny as has a dog he will turn up agin 

 yours. He'll bet fifty bulls on the light, and if you'll give me 

 a fiver I'll bring him to you." 



I explained that the dog's fighting days were over, and the 

 fellow left, shaking bis head mournfully and muttering. 

 "Such a soft snap. What fools some people are," 



The owner of the dog shop evidently made no secret of my 

 name and address. So many of the sporting fraternity called 

 on me with similar offers and requests for the use of Cross-as- 

 Thunder for stud purposes, that at last I had to give toy clerk 

 instructions to tell all persons who looked as if they belonged 

 to the "fancy" that I was out of town. 



As time went by I grew very much attached to Cross-as- 

 Thunder, and succeeded in training him so well that I could 

 take him on the street unmuzzled and he wotdd bother neither 

 man nor beast. 



One Sunday as I was taking a walk, accompanied by my 

 dog as usual, a man with a Newfoundland came suddenly 

 around the corner. 



The two dogs sniffed around each other as dogs will. The 

 owner of the Newfoundland who had not noticed me, said to 

 his dog, "Sick him, Bruno!" 



Bruno obeyed his master's command, but the bull-terrier 

 grabbed him" by the ear and held on like grim death. The man 

 rushed up with cane uplifted, but I reached the spot at the 

 same time, and catching his arm, cried: 



"Don't strike that dog. You started the fight, and I will see 

 fair play. May the best dog win." 



I spoke as if I meant business, and as I was the larger the 

 man dropped his cane and waited. 



Cross-as-Thunder did not keep us long in suspense, The ear 

 to which his jaws were glued came off, and the Newfound- 

 land ran bleeding and whining to his master. 



I called my dog to me, although he seemed hungry for the 

 other ear, and as I walked away said : "My friend, the next 

 time you 'sick' your dog on another, be sure that dog is not 'a 

 bull-terrier." 



Shortly afterward I discovered that this man was a new 

 neighbor, and in the course of time we became acquainted, 

 mutually apologized on the dog fracas, and were quite inti- 

 mate. 



A year afterward we went on a gunning trip together, and 

 one night after a successful day's shoot both of us drank more 

 wine than was good for us. 



"Logic." said my neighbor, "I have bought a new dug.' 

 "It is about tune," I answered, •you got rid of that one 

 eared Newfoundland." 



"This one is a bull-terrier," said he, and can whip any dog 

 that stands on four legs. " 

 "Pshaw!" retorted I, "always except mv dog Crossy.* 1 

 "T will except none." 



"For how much money will yon back your opinion,'' 

 ' For all yon choose. " 

 ' • All right, say for $ LOO. ' ' 



So we each made note of the. bet. and nothing tnorewas 

 said about it during the remainder of our trip. After return- 

 ing home I thought how scandalous it was for two respectable 

 middle-aged gentlemen to sink to the level of dog fighters. I 

 called on my neighbor and explained my views to him. 



"Mr. Logic, "said he, after hearing all I had to say, "1 esteem 

 and respect you greatly but I hate your dog. He mutilated 

 poor Bruno for life, and i intend to be revenged on him. 

 Promise that you will kill the ugly brute, and I will not only 

 call the het 'off,' but I wilt buy you another and a handsomer 

 dog," 



"Never!" cried 1, getting into a passion. "1 would not kill 

 Cross-as-Thunder for a dozen Newfoundlands. As for your 

 new bull-terrier, he will have the biggest contract a dog ever 

 undertook when he tackles Crossy." 



"I'll bet you $500 instead of S 100 that he will whip him," 

 shouted rny neighbor, also getting angry. 

 "Agreed!" 1 yelled, now greatly excited. 

 So it was arranged that the fight should come off four weeks 

 from time. 



Here I had gone and actually bet four hundred dollars in 

 addition to my former wager. What would my wife say if 

 she knew ft? 



However, if Cross-as-Thunder must fight, he should have 

 proper framing, so I visited the dog fancier from whom I had 

 bought him, and acted tmder his advice. 



The first day I gave the dog a dose of medicine consisting of 

 three grains 01 tartar emetic and four grains of calomel. The. 

 next day I followed with a dose, of castor oil. I kept him in 

 a warm and dry place while under this treatment to prevent 

 his taking cold. This prescription was supposed to clean him 

 out, which it certainly did. Then I got a sheep's head, split it 

 open, and boiled brains and all thoroughly 7 . In the liquor thus 

 obtained I stirred bran until 1 had a thick soup. This was 

 fed to the dog for four days. He had now lost all his fat. 

 After that I put him on a diet of lean beef and rye bread 

 boiled together, which was fed twice a day, giving him all he 

 would eat. This was kept up until four days before the fight. 

 To exercise him I got up every morning at daybreak, and 

 putting a cat in a bag attached by a rope to. a pole, I would 

 swing it around my head and get him to jump at it. This was 

 rather hard on the cat but as I never allowed him to catch 

 bold she suffered nothing but mental torture. After a half 

 horn- of such exercise I carefully rubbed the dog down with a 

 coarse towel and put on his muzzle which was kept on the rest 

 of the day to prevent him from eating anything but his 

 regular diet. After returning from business in the afternoon 

 I took him out for a long walk, getting him to run as much as 

 possible. On reaching home I rubbed him down again as 1 did 

 in the morning. 



My wife began to wonder what all these mysterious pro- 

 ceedings were about. I told her I was training Crossy for a 

 running match, and the credulous woman believed me. 



Four days before the fight I mixed two raw eggs with a 

 pound of lean raw beef chopped tine, and fed to him twice a 

 day. 



From forty -two pounds he was now reduced to thirty, hav- 

 ing lost twelve pounds by the training he had received. His 

 condition was excellent, his muscles being like iron. 



I had engaged his former owner to handle Crossy, and my 

 neighbor had hired another member of the fancy to do the 

 same for his dog. 



The fight came off at a tavern on the outskirts of the city 

 (Philadelphia) and took place at 12 o'clock at night in a private 

 room. 



That night as I drove to the place in a cab I would have 

 been willing to lose my bet not to have witnessed the fight. I 

 felt positive it would sicken me when I saw the two brutes 

 chew each other up. 



When the two dogs were put to the scratch my handler, 

 pointing to the other animal, whispered to me: 



"You see how the hair on t' other dog's back is riz up? I 

 never seen a terrier yet do that as wasn't a cur!" 



This seemed curious to me, as the hair bristling up gave him 

 the appearance of being terribly savage, but the man's 

 prophesy came true, for in the fifth round my neighbor's dog 

 went yelping from the ring and refused to come to time. Old 

 Cross-as-Thunder had scarcely a scratch. 



It may seem strange, but after the fight had fairly begun, I 

 lost all sense of the depravity of the thing and grew gieatly 

 excited, and felt a sort of demoniac joy every time my dog 

 tore a piece of flesh from his opponent. " After all civilization 

 is but a thin wash that rubs oft when we are brought face to 

 face to a fight in which only pluck and endurance can win, 

 There is much that is brutish in human nature yet, 



Shortly after the fight Cross-as-Thunder was ran over by the 

 cars and killed. In looking around for another dog, I became 

 acquainted with Mr. Watson, and through him received a 

 bull-terrier that, though he may not be the equal of old Cross- 

 as-Thunder in the pit, I hope to see whip any bull-terrier in the 

 open class at the New York bench show in Mav next. 



"Path, Logic. 



DOGS BY EXPRESS. 



BMtor Forest and Stream: 



1 wish to call your attention and the attention of the readers 

 of your valuable paper to the injustice done by railroads and 

 express companies both to the buyers and shippers of dogs. I 

 will spoak of but one of the many express companies simply 

 from my own personal knowledge. As I live at a point on 

 the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad, where there 

 is but one express company represented, I am obliged to re- 

 ceive, and ship all goods over the United States Express route 

 via the above named railroad. It has always been a rule with 

 me to go to the express company's office after boxing as 

 lightly as possible (with a view to safety and comfort), and 

 trying to make rates as low as possible, as I know it to be ex- 

 ceedingly annoying for one to pay even a fair price for an 

 animal, and when it arrives, go through the same operation by 

 paying to the express company for carriage as much as the 

 animal cost originally 7 . I propose to explain the modus oper- 

 ant! i of the United States Express Company. Whether 

 oihcr companies have adopted the same rule I cannot say. In 

 the first place this company charges SI. 40 per 100 pounds "from 

 Now York to this station, distance 368 miles, with nochange or 

 transfer, for merchandise. For a dog boxed securely with no 

 food or water, and at the owner's risk, it is double that 

 amount, $2.80, per 100 pounds. You must also sign a release, 

 which reads as follows: 





LIVE STOCK CONTRACT, 



United States .Express Company. 





*£Srjf 



iNTII'K, ..MJ in .1 PSS*CCU- S7 



Il»h»d.l„,ri 



Now the whole matter is summed up here in this way : The 

 U S. Ex. Co. compels you to prepay or guarantee charges on 

 a dbg in a box, with no food or care, together with no respon- 

 sibility on consideration of the saidU. S. Ex. Oo.'s reducing 

 the regular freight rates by charging you double the amount 

 charged for carrying any merchandise for which they assume 

 the responsibility of safe delivery. Certainly, consistency thou 

 art a jewel. When I first saw one of the above documents I 

 ivas led to believe that I was getting a reduction of rates by 

 signing th* release, but as I was shipping a valuable dog, and 

 it being small I was willing to pay more and be sure of good 

 treatment,butwhen I communicated with the company's agent, 

 he told me it was not optional at all with me but I must sign 

 the release or he could not receive the dog for shipment, as 

 bis orders were imperative not to receive a dog under any con- 

 sideration excepting as stated in the above named release, 

 which I was obliged to sign or not ship the dog. 



I should like very much to hear from other shippers, and to 

 know if they meet" with the same obstructions to shipping their 

 animals in safety. There should be some remedy certainly to 

 this great evil. In the last twenty years doing business I find 

 that two-thirds of my customers ask the question of cost of 

 delivery and seem to dread it much more than the price paid 

 for an animal; and in all cases shippers should take great 

 pains to box veiy light and secure, and in the case of large 

 dogs to always supply a good collar and chain on the dog and 

 drive a staple in bottom of box at one end and fasten securely 

 to tbis, then if a dog escapes from the box he can be secured 

 before escaping from the car or freight room. I inclose 

 yroti a copy of the live stock contract issued by the U. S. Ex- 

 press Company for your own inspection. I should like to see 

 copies of this issue reach some of the superintendents of the 

 different express companies, and hear their views of the 

 matter. Burr Hollis. 



Wellsville, N. Y. 



THE NEW ORLEANS DOG SHOW. 



[from a special correspondent.] 



THE dog show given under the auspices of the World's Cot- 

 ton Centennial and Industrial Exposition, opened on 

 Thursday, March 5, with one hundred and seventy-five entries 

 in the various classes, and closed Monday, March 9. The 

 weather during the entire time was all that could be wished 

 for, and the attendance during the entire five days was un- 

 precedented. To the able superintendent, Mr. L. F. Whitman, 

 belongs the entire credit for its success. The selection of 

 judges met with universal approval among the exhibitors. 

 Major J. M. Taylor, of Lexington, Ky., was judge of the setter 

 and pointer classes. Col. F. G. Skinner, Atlanta, (la., judged 

 the foxhounds, hard-haired Scotch and Dandie Dinmont ter- 

 riers, while Mr. .John H. Naylor, of Chicago, 111., judged the 

 mastiff, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, terrier, and all non- 

 sporting classes. 



In the large pointer champion classes there were no entries. 

 In the open dog class there were seven entries, of which one 

 was absent, and one was under weight and transferred to the 

 small class. They were rather a sorry lot and the judge very 

 properly withheld first prize. Second went to Doii, who also 

 took special for best pointer dog. The class for bitches under 

 50 pounds had no entries, and champion classes for small 

 pointers had one entry each, Bravo and Daisy Bravo, both, 

 absent. Pointer dogs "under 50 pounds had seven entries, of 

 which six were' present. None of them were considered 

 worthy of first and second went to Duke, a fairly good looking 

 animal. The bitch class was of the same character and first 

 was also withheld. There were but six entries in the puppy 

 class and contained as poor a display of the kind as one coulu 

 find. Both first and second prize was withheld as there was 

 not a dog in the lot that can ever hope to come to the front on 

 the bench. Armstrong's Dot was given a vhc. and the special 

 f»r best pointer puppy, the only award given in the class. 

 This finished the pointer classes and certainly it would puzzle 

 one to congregate a similar Jot of worthless specimens of this 

 famous breed of dogs. Of the twenty-six entries seven were 

 absent. Nineteen competed and none of the lot were found 

 worthy of a first. 



In the English setter classes there were thirty-nine entries, 

 of which number thirty-two were present. The majority of 

 those shown were in Held trial form, as at this season of the 

 year their owners, at least such of them as reside in the South, 

 avail themselves of every opportunity that offers to give their 

 favorite animals a "spin" on quail, snipe, etc. Dick Laver- 

 act, winner of the extra champion prize, is now the property 

 of Mr Samuel McCuen, of this city. He was in magnificent 



