Vosper’s Dog and the Goat

(July 10, 1910)When the late rederick C.B. Vosper was editing the “Coolgardie Miner” for Billy Clare (the founder), in the middle nineties (1890’s), the long-haired litterateur owned a 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 sooner. 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 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 home, and Billy Clare remained behind to open the door and let the goat out.

Nanny didn’t immediately bound out, and when Clare went in to investigate the neighbourhood vibrated to a yell of anguish.

The office was remarkably short of copy at the time, 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.

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.

“Thank God,” later on muttered Vosper, “it left us the scissors”.

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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