When Frederick C. B. Vosper was editing the “Coolgardie Miner” for the founder, Billy Clare, in the middle 1890’s, the long-haired litterateur owned a bull dog that was the terror of all within reach of its teeth.
Frederick Vosper
Day after day complaints poured in to the office in reference to children and other pets who had been more or less chewed by the shaggy maned editor’s canine. At last he violently bit a prize milking goat, and the owner wrathfully lined up with his half masticated nanny.
“For God’s sake keep your goat out of the road, or my dog will eat it!” yelled Vosper, as the man and nanny halted at the office door. They were just in time to shove the horned milker into Vosper’s editorial den when the savage canine broke the chain attaching him to the verandah post and came romping down to further bite the milk maker.
The door was slammed just in time, and Vosper, the owner of the goat and Billy Clare constituted themselves into a rough-and-ready Arbitration Court to assess the damage. The dog meanwhile sniffed savagely at the closed door.
After ten minutes’ wrangling Vosper compromised by promising a year’s free subscription and a copy of his famous Queensland article “Bread or Blood”, Billy Clare also notifying that if the owner of the nanny had any children their photographs would be inserted gratis on the social page.
Finally Vosper lured the dog away, and Billy Clare remained to open the door and let the goat out.
Nanny didn’t immediately bound out, and when Clare went in to investigate the neighborhood vibrated to a yell of anguish.
The office was now remarkably short of copy and the goat had chewed up an unfinished leading article on Anti-Federation, a special on Mangy Mongolians, and a dozen or so pars on various topics from pearling to the age of consent. A full report on a bank robbery and a sheaf of social notes.
The omnivorous nanny had also overturned and licked up a bottle of gloy (glue) and was half-way through a book of quotations when Billy Clare broke in on its browsing.
The last seen of the goat and its owner was flying down the lane pursued by Billy, armed with a paling off the back fence.
Moya Sharp
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Pets leaving us is always a difficult time. I wish they lived as long as we do.
Best wishes.
Ray