[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."1 SIR,—The following notes
relating to Crib,' a white bull- terrier, were dictated by his owner, William Essex, iron- warehouseman, who had charge of a horse.—I am, Sir, &c., Almswood, Evesham, September 24th. D. DAVIS.
" Being away for a day, another man was left in charge of the horse. Crib' took possession of the stable, and would not let him go in to feed the horse. One of the blacksmiths thought of a plan, went into the next yard and shouted Essex !" Crib ' ran out to see where Essex was, and they shut the door for the man to attend to the horse. Crib' frequently went with my fellow-workman, George Harcourt, home to meals. On one occasion he missed him. When he (Harcourt) came back from breakfast, he told the dog he ought to have gone as he had a lot of small bones for him ; but he must go up to dinner with him. Taking him at dinner-time, he told his wife he had brought Crib' to have the bones. She replied,
You had not been gone ten minutes from breakfast before he came and had them' He had never been known to go there by himself before. An old man, a Quaker named Fletcher, lodged with me, and would frequently take Crib' a walk. Going across Merstowe Green the clock commenced striking the quarters for 5, which was my tea-time. At the first stroke of the clock, the dog stood still, put his head on one side, and attentively listened till the clock struck 5. With the last stroke, Crib' turned round, ran home, and met me as I went to tea. We had been at oppo- site ends of the town. Mr. Fletcher arriving at home, the first word was to my wife, Mary, what time did "Crib " come home ? '
About three minutes past 5.' 0 beggar him, he knows what o'clock it is; for as soon as it began striking he stood still and listened; and as soon as it had struck the last stroke he ran back home.' On another occasion I and Thomas Handy were at work in my cellar. Handy, seated on the second step, pulled out a packet of lollipops, asked me to take one,' asked `Crib' to take one, took one himself, screwed the paper up, and put it in his pocket. Crib' then left the cellar. In about fifteen minutes Handy asked me to have another, put his hand in his pocket, and cried out, That d—d dog 'a got 'em.' Crib' had meantime been up the cellar steps on his left hand side, picked his pocket unperceived, returned on his right-hand side, gone into the back kitchen, opened the paper which he left there empty, and quietly enjoyed what he had quietly stolen. On another occasion we had young potatoes for dinner. As we could not mash them with the gravy, 'Crib' would not eat them, licked all gravy from the potatoes, hooked them off the the plate and placed them out of sight under the rim. My wife went into the back kitchen to see if he had eaten his dinner, and said, ' There's a good dog for eating the 'taters.' Crib ' looked up, wagging his tail, with a bow-wow' As soon as she stooped to pick up the plate he dropped his tail, went into the front room, and ran under the easy-chair out of sight. My wife called the rest of the family to see the potatoes in a perfect ring under the edge of the plate. On Sunday night my wife put my everyday working-jacket in my elbow-chair for Crib' to sleep on as usual. He went and looked at the coat, then crossed the room, looked at and smelt my black Sunday coat. My wife asked him, Do you want Daddy's Sunday coat ? ' and he answered with a bow-wow.' She took the coat, removed the one that he was in, and before she could place the other, Crib' was in the chair. She took the coat, remarking that he could not have the Sunday coat, and replaced the other. Looking very disappointed, he jumped down and remained all night on the cold stones. The undisturbed cushion showed that he never went to his usual bed. `Crib' always took tea, but would not drink it except from my wife's saucer, which was different from the rest. If it was given in any other he would go and look, but would not touch it till it was put in my wife's saucer. Being a Good Templar I was accustomed to take from home a jug of cold water on
Lodge' night, Friday. Crib' unperceived followed us one night. He was admitted, properly clothed in the regalia (the broad ribbon being put round his neck and crossed over his back), sat very quiet and looked very pleased for an hour and a quarter. From that time we could never keep him from 'Lodge.' After- wards when the jug was placed on the table before starting from home, if the door was open, he would immediately start and go to the lodge room in the next street. Crib's' master was caretaker of the Friend's Meeting House, the door of his house opening into the passage up which the Friends had to pass. 'Crib' would lie still and take not the slightest notice whilst the Friends belonging to Evesham went up the passage. Should a stranger be with them, Crib' would bark the moment an unaccustomed step was heard. At one time there was something wrong with `Crib' internally. When the pain came on, he would set up his back, go round and round and cry out most piteously. I was recommended to give him laudanum. When he found the pain coming on, be would stand and look up at the bottle on the shelf, then look at my wife or daughter. then at the bottle, jump up in the big chair and lie quiet for a dose of laudanum. This he did twenty times. Poor Crib' went mad, and had to be destroyed in his eleventh year, September, 1874."
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