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There are always some interesting short stories in the Troy Messenger archives.  Here are three stories that involve animals.  The stories range from 1889 to 1917.

There was quite an incident occurred last afternoon at this place, when Dr. Threadgill removed a real silver quarter of a dollar from the anterior forearm of a horse belonging to Mr. J. S. Copeland.

The piece of money was minted in 1900, and was embedded amount four inches in tissue, and produced a considerable enlargement.

The shoulder of the horse was becoming inflamed and Mr. Copeland decided to have it operated upon, with the above result.

The coin is supposed to have been placed in the flesh of the horse by some superstitious former owner of the animal, who believed in the virtue of a coin to keep the horse in perfect condition, etc.

Such an incident is, perhaps, the first of its kind to occur in the Southeast.

The coin is defaced to some extent, and may be seen at the store of J. S. Copeland, on the north side of Court Square.

A cow on Mr. Lloyd Williams’ place, near Harmony, was suddenly attacked last week with all the symptoms of hydrophobia.  She made a furious attack upon her calf, pursuing it, and in an effort to gore it, knocked it down with her horns.  Her actions generally indicated that she was  as mad as a March hare.  She was killed before doing any great damage.  We have heard of several other cows exhibiting the same symptoms, which were killed.  All the dogs that ate of the carcasses died.

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To harbor in one’s pocket a big moccasin is a very unusual, and it might be added, uncomfortable occurrence.

And yet this is what happened to a member of a Brundidge fishing party at Cole’s bridge a few days ago.

Four or five prominent Brundidge citizens had gone fishing.  At noon, when lunch had been prepared, Fox French noted the absence of Dr. Lon Hendricks.  He went to call Dr. Hendricks who had been sitting quietly on the bank of the stream fishing for an hour or more.  When Dr. Hendricks arose he felt an unusual weight in one of his coat pockets, and looking down he saw that a large moccasin had crawled into the pocket and made himself at home.  Dr. Hendricks went out of the coat like a flash, and before the moccasin could become astonished at the idea that he was unwelcome.

The moccasin was killed, and was found to weight about three pounds.

Can you blame certain Brundidge people for being “up with the fishing?” (1917)

All of these articles can be found in previous editions of The Troy Messenger.  Stay tuned for more.  Dianne Smith is the President of the Pike County Historical, Genealogical and Preservation Society.