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On a wall in my home, two framed documents hang side by side. These documents deal with a famous legal case.The trial took place in the state of Missouri in 1870. The two documents are about a hunting  dog named Drum, his owner named Burden, the accused named Hornsby & an attorney named George Graham Vest. Years later, Vest was to go on to become a member of the United States Senate. 

Drum had a wonderful nose & a melodious voice. Rural people would refer to the hound's bark as mountain music.The dog was to his owner, something  he loved & something of real value. Although Drum was a dog that helped put meat on the table, he was not viewed as a commodity. He was truly a member of Burden's family.

What follows is a small part of Senator Geoge Graham Vests final summation, in the trial of Burden vs. Hornsby.

" Gentlemen Of The Jury,a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground when the wintry winds blow and snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come encountering the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince."

Hornsby, with out cause shot Burden's dog, Drum. As a result of Vest's touching summation-eulogy,Burden won his case. His compensation was $50.00. A bronze statue was erected in 1870 in memory of a beloved Coon Hound called Drum. The murder, as well as the trial garnerd international  attention.

 George Graham Vest died in 1904. He is buried in the Bellfontaine Cemetery, in St. Louis Missouri, not far from the bronze statue of the dog called Drum.

On April 23rd 1990, on the Senate floor, another Senator named Byrd, recited the (entire) George Graham Vest  "Eulogy Of The Dog," by memory. In doing so, Byrd demonstrated Senator Vest's penchant for the English Language, as well as Senator Vest's love for dogs.