Nineteen Rabbits And Twenty Nine Guinea Pigs Are Killed.

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Saturday night somebody took it upon themselves to perform as cowardly a stunt as has ever been pulled off in this city. Since Dr. W. C. Ross has become a member of the Fritsche Clinic in this city he has kept a number of rabbits and guinea pigs which he uses in conducting experiments in connection with pathologist work which he is performing for the doctors of the city. On Sunday morning when Dr. Ross went out to look over his animals he found that some fiend had killed the entire lot of rabbits and guinea pigs, consisting of 19 of the former and 29 of the latter. The rabbits were full blooded New Zealand reds.

Kept In Rear Of Home

The animal were in boxes at the rear of Dr. Ross’ home on North Broadway, next to Vogel’s Lumber Yard and according to Dr. Ross there must have been two members of the marauding party as the boxes are too heavy for one man to lift. The locks were broken on the boxes containing the guinea pigs and the wire netting was cut on the boxes containing the rabbits. From appearances there must have been a dog present to help in the killing altho it was impossible for a dog to do the job without aid from human (?) beings.

Dr. Ross believes that the act was committed before twelve in the evening as he was attending the meeting of the doctors of the county which was being held that evening. Mrs. Ross had also been gone for the evening. No com-motion was heard at any time during the night.

Used to Aid Science

While the value of the animals is not so great it is the experimental value which has been lost. Five of the guinea pigs had been inoculated in an attempt to diagnose and seek a remedy for a spinal trouble from which a patient is suffering. Three others had been inoculated with a material to establish whether another patient had tubercular kidneys and several rabbits were inoculated for various other purposes. People,as a rule, little realize the valve of these animals to humanity as they are used by doctors to determine disease and their cures. As a result of Saturday night’s doings a good deal of research work has been wasted and has to be done over again. Dr. Ross states that he knows of no one who has a grudge against him and can see no reason why the act was done.

New Ulm Review,

April 8, 1925

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