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Show I EULOGY. OH TE DOG, BY I SENATOR ViST, OF MISSOURI I Extension of Rimarka of Hen. Clem- I ent C. btcklnMn,, ' MlMourl, In H the Houm of Representative, Frl- diy. October 1, W Mr. Dickinson. Mr. Speaker, I 6,k unanimous consent to extend my remarks In the Record by Inserting a speech made t Warreasburg, Mo., In the district vblch I have the honor to represent, by a distinguished Mis JL tourlan, a former United States Ben-9 Ben-9 ator, Hon. George G. Vest, a match-V match-V ies' orator and leader of tho Democ- tacy of his State, a great character, I admired because ot his ability and fearless courago and Integrity, to be accompanied by a letter from Judge John F. Philips, hta former law part-I part-I ner, and a former distinguished Hop-I Hop-I resentatlve ot this House, reciting the circumstances of said speech a I tribute to the best friend of man: H Eulogy 0n the Dog H (By Senator Vest, of Missouri) I -Gentlemen' of the Jury, the best H friend a man has in this world may I turn against him and become his .nray. His son or daughter whom he lias reared with loving care may I prove ungrateful. Those who are I nearest and dearest to us those I whom wo trust with our happiness I and our good name may become I traitors to their faith. The money ttat a man baa be may lose. It files I away from him perhaps when he H needs It most. A man's reputation H may be sacrificed In a moment ot -ill-H tonstdered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do H us honor when success Is with us I may be the first to throw the stone H of malice when failure settles Its H clouds upon our heads. The one ab-'I ab-'I toluto unselfish friend that man can BH have In this selfish world the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacher-ous treacher-ous Is his dog. "Gentlemen of the Jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and In poverty, In health and In sickness. He will sleep on tho cold ground, where tho wintry winds blow and tho snow drives fiercely, It only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss tho hand that haB no food for offer, ho will lick tho wounds and Bores that come In encounter with the roughness of the world. Ho guards the sleep of his pauper master as It he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation (alls to pieces he is ag constant In his love as the sun In Its Journey thru the heavens. If fortune drives tho master forth an outcast In the world friendless and homeless, tho faithful dog nsks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when tho last scene ot all comes, and death takes tho master n its embrace and his body is laid away In the cold ground, no matter If all other friends pursuo their way, there by his graveside wil tho noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open In alert watchfulness, faithful and truo even to death.". Judge John P. Philips, United States Judge ot the western district ot Missouri (retired), and a former law partner ot Senator Vest, gives the following account of the clicum-stances clicum-stances that occasioned this famous tribute to the dog: "In the early seventies a Kentuck-lan Kentuck-lan residing In Johnson County, Mo., owned a noted hound named Old Drum, Imported from Kentucky. He was always reliable; when ho made outcry on tho hunt, It was an assurance assur-ance that tho trail of tho fox or doer was scented hot, and ho led tho pack in the chase. The owner had for tho faithful dog a devotion akin to affection. One morning Old Drum was found shot to death near a neighbor's neigh-bor's house. Circumstances of small evidential import pointed to that nolghbor a8 the assassin of Old Drum which Induced a suit In Justice of tho peace court to recover ?ir0 damages, dam-ages, the maximum sum recoverable In that Jurisdiction. After one or more hung Juries, there was a verdict ver-dict for the defendant. The plaintiff appealed the case to tho hfgher court. The costs had piled up enormously, and the hot blood of tho litigants was up. Eminent counsel wero employed on cither side. Among those for the plaintiff was Colonel Wells H. Blod-gett, Blod-gett, for many years tho general so llcltor of tho Wabash Railroad Co. When tho case was up for tho second sec-ond trial Vest chanced to bo in attendance at-tendance upon the court. Blodgett persuaded his client to employ VestV who was waiting to try some Important Import-ant caso. Ills fondness for tho good, dog obtained his assent. "Tho trial had already begun; Vest merely sat by as If a spectator during dur-ing the examination ot tho multitude of witnesses. Tho discussion bofore tho Jury by the other counsel had consumed tho short winter day; and tho court. Insisting that tho case should be given to the Jury that eve nlng, took a recess until after sup, per. The dog caso had attracted the attention ot all Warrensburg; and the fact that George Vest was to speak that night In a dog case, filled the court room almost to suffocation wltli men, women and boys. "One of the counsel for the defendant de-fendant had derided such a lawsuit about a hound dog of little value It not a neighborhood nuisance. Vest paid little attention to the evidence or law or tho case, but leveled tho wholo artillery of his genius to n vindication vin-dication of the dog's Invaluable traits. So vlbrunt with pathos was "his oIco that men and women wept, and the Jury was swept from deliberation, and roturned'n verdict at onco for tho plnlntllf for $500, when tho sum sued tor was only $150. The oxcess wns remitted and tho dog case was closed; but Vest's tribute to tho dog Is Immortal." |
