Thursday, January 3, 1924
County Court met Wednesday with Commissioners Dr. U. J. Hannah, E. J. Will-iams and J. Lanty McNeel present. The court organized by the election of Dr. U.H. Hannah as president.
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Married, at Elkins, on Christmas Day, E. W. Cochran and Miss Evelyn Bussard… The bride is a daughter of G. W. Lee Bussard, of Stony Bottom. She is a trained nurse and well known in Marlinton. The groom is a resident of Marlinton and a constable of Pocahontas county.
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Mrs. S. B. Elkins, of Washington, has deeded her fine home and 60 acres of land to Davis & Elkins College. This property is valued at more than a half million dollars. It is presumed that the present site of that college will be sold and other buildings erected on the Elkins property.
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Officers Cochran and Warwick raided a poker game near Cass one night last week. They arrested nine persons. John King was held under bond for the grand jury as proprietor of the place, and the others paid fines in Squire Sutton’s court.
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In last week’s paper, it was printed that Norman Sharp, who was sent to the reform school, was a son of Divers Sharp. The young man is a nephew of Divers Sharp. Deputy Sheriff Elmer Moore took him to Pruntytown last week.
DOG REASONS
Our friend Harvey Cro-mer, of Cheat Bridge, tells us the following interesting story of a remarkable case of a dog’s power of reasoning:
Mr. Cromer has two dogs. Jack is a grade shepherd and Nig, a thoroughbred Scotch Collie. As is characteristic of the Collie, Nig is a one-man dog, and Mr. Cromer is the man.
Whenever he comes around, the dogs appear to be able to anticipate his coming and always meet him some distance from the house. Nig does not allow Jack or anyone to come close to his master. He goes wild with delight whenever his master appears.
On Friday night, two weeks ago, Mr. Cromer came home about 11 o’clock. The dogs did not meet him nor had the family seen them since about 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
The next morning, a systematic hunt was made for the dogs. The boy of the family looked up his traps for fear they had been caught. The bear pen was also visited. They went to the Clubhouse and the neighbors checked their traps and bear pens. They even went to Durbin to see if they had followed some traveler there.
In the family council it was decided, when all searching had failed, that the dogs had gone deer hunting, and were chasing an old doe that lived in the woods nearby.
But at supper Saturday night Nig put in his appearance; he was glad to see the folk, gulped down his food, but disappeared in a few minutes. Calling did not bring him back.
On Sunday morning, Nig was seen coming up Cheat River. The dog greeted his master with joy, but it was noted that he appeared worried. He was fed and pretty soon he started away again. Mr. Cromer called him back and found he was carrying a biscuit in his mouth. It was naturally supposed that he had been given more food than he wanted and he was carrying the bread away to bury it.
A few minutes later, Nig had business down the river again, and the Cromers attempted to see where he was going by following down the railroad on the opposite side of the river. The dog traveled too fast and Mr. Cromer decided to track him up. He followed the trail about half a mile, and lost it. He called and Nig came immediately, from over the river bank.
There, Mr. Cromer found Jack, his foot fast in a trap by the edge of the river, which was rising rapidly. Near the dog were a few crumbs of bread.
The trap was a single spring and Jack was caught by the foot and not badly hurt. He was taken from the trap, and all started for home. In a short distance, Jack got sick and crawled under a bush. Mr. Cromer knew he would be all right in a little while and was going to leave him to make his way home when he felt better. This did not suit Nig, who proceeded to camp by his sick fellow.
Mr. Cromer then took Jack in his arms and carried him home. Nig seemed well pleased and did not display any jealousy whatsoever then, although under usual circumstances he would have killed Jack rather than allow his master to fondle him. In a few hours, Jack was on his feet again, and Nig was just as jealous and mean to him as ever.
Mr. Cromer thinks that Nig would have stayed by Jack until both were dead had they not been found.
