News Items from The Kansas City Journal ~ Old News That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

January 7, 1910

BITTEN BY DOG, IS

DYING WITH RABIES.

STRAY PUP FASTENED TEETH

IN LIP OF CHARLES W. YOUNG.

Police Ordered to Kill All

Stray Dogs in Kansas

City, Kas.

CHARLES W. YOUNG.

Two deaths within a few weeks, as a result of injuries inflicted by dogs suffering form rabies, has aroused public apprehension in Kansas City, Kas., to such an extent that extra precautions are being taken by the police department to protect the citizens against danger from this source. Orders have been issued by Chief of Police W. W. Cook to kill all stray dogs found in the city and a special officer has been detailed on this work. The general public has been notified to communicate with the police department with reference to any dog running at large.

Charles W. Young, a carpenter living at 436 Everett avenue, was bitten three weeks ago yesterday by a small fox terrier and is now in a critical condition at the Grandview sanitarium, where the attending physician said last night he could not live through the day. Violent convulsions, incident to the last stages of hydrophobia, have convinced the physicians that his condition is the result of the injury inflicted by the fox terrier.

A desire to relieve the suffering of a poorly fed tramp dog prompted him to reach down and pick up a little fox terrier, which promptly repaid this act of kindness by snapping his teeth through the lower lip of his would be benefactor.

The injury was dressed by a physician and Mr. Young continued with his daily work at the Union Pacific railroad shop. On Tuesday of this week he was obliged to quit work because of what he believed to be a severe cold in his throat. Yesterday morning Dr. Albert Huber was summoned and pronounced it a case of hydrophobia. The man rapidly grew worse and last night was removed to the sanitarium.

A small child was bitten several weeks ago by a mad dog in the northern part of Kansas City, Kas., and later died with what the physicians said was hydrophobia.

Labels: animals, Grandview, illness, Kansas City Kas, rabies

November 7, 1909

BOY DIES OF HYDROPHOBIA.

Does Not Attempt to Injure Rela-

tives, but Bites Self, Foams at

Mouth When Face Is Washed.

John Benson Willets, 3 years old, whose parents live in the Missouri river bottoms north of Kansas City, Kas., died at 10 o'clock last night of hydrophobia caused by the bite of a dog, believed to have been mad, which was inflicted last September.

The father, A. M. Willets, was forced to move last summer by high water in the Missouri river. The family made its home at 2516 North Fifth street, Kansas City, Kas. While the boy and his sister, Grace, 14 years old, were playing, September 9, in front of their home, a dog attacked the boy. The animal's teeth went trough the child's hands. He was also bitten on the forehead. when the dog was beaten off by the sister the boy was badly lacerated.

Dr. T. C. Duncan, who lives in the neighborhood, treated the boy. The wounds healed, leaving only scars. Wednesday the father took the boy to a hay field on his place. That night the child began scratching his face and hands. Mr. Willets thought that it was caused by irritation of scratches the child had received in the hay field. When an attempt was made to wash his face to ease his pain the boy began to foam at the mouth.

Later he exhibited symptoms declared to be the infallible ones in hydrophobia cases. He would stand rigidly on his heels, and, with his body forming a bow, would touch the floor with his head. The boy did not attempt to bite members of the family in the paroxysms of the rabies, but inflicted wounds upon himself with his teeth.

Labels: animals, children, death, doctors, illness, Kansas City Kas, rabies

October 24, 1909

CAT, PET FOR 10 YEARS, MAD.

Pussy Left in Possession of House

While Police Are Notified.

There were lively doings around the home of Mrs. M. Richardson, 813 East Eighteenth street, yesterday morning when the house cat, which had been the pet of the family for the last ten years, was seized suddenly with an attack of hydrophobia.

The family left pussy to rampage around the house to her heart's content, while they notified police headquarters, Patrolman Adams was detailed to shoot the animal.

Labels: animals, Eighteenth street, police, rabies

August 10, 1909

DIAGNOSED AS HYDROPHOBIA.

Pet Dog's Saliva Infects Wound on

Owner's Hand.

Children living in the neighborhood of Fifty-first street and Prospect avenue are having a hard time of it the last few days. Their mothers refuse to allow them to get out of sight, and if a dog appears the children are hustled into the ho use and doors barred. The cause of the confinement of the kids and the dog scare is a small fox terrier owned by Mr. Van Felt, near Fifty-first street and Prospect avenue.

Six dogs owned by neighbors of Mr. Van Felt were bitten by the fox terrier on last Friday afternoon. Mr. Van Felt played with the dog late Friday afternoon and the dog licked his hand in a playful way. A wound on the hand became infected late that night, and the next day Mr. Van Felt heard that his dog had bitten others. Becoming frightened, Mr. Van Felt consulted a physician who diagnosed the swelling as hydrophobia. The physician left for Chicago last night in charge of his patient who was going to be treated at the Pasteur institute.

The police of No. 6 station were informed of the result of the physician's examination. Sergeant R. L. James sent an officer to round up the dogs that had been bitten. His instructions are that the owners tie the dogs for a period of fifteen days. If symptoms of hydrophobia appeared within that time the dogs are to be killed.

Labels: animals, Chicago, children, doctors, Fifty-first street, health, illness, No 6 police station, police, Prospect avenue, rabies