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The Old Drum Story. The story of the Burden v. Hornsby trial, involving the untimely death of a black and tan hound dog named Old Drum, comprises people and events that have become more legend than fact.
When Leonidas Hornsby shot his neighbor and brother-in-law Charles Burden’s best hunting dog, Old Drum, Burden first threatened to kill Hornsby but instead sued for $100. Hornsby had been employing his nephew to guard his flock of sheep, but denied giving any instruction to shoot Old Drum.
Burden and Hornsby are buried a few yards apart in Hornsby Cemetery outside of Kingsville, Missouri. The shot that rang out on the night of October 18, 1869 affected dog lovers everywhere. Learn more about Old Drum.
Jan 19, 2024 · During the fourth trial that commenced on September 21, 1870, Hornsby admitted to having his nephew shoot at a dog but vehemently denied that the dog in question was Old Drum. Instead, the defense attempted to demonstrate that Old Drum had been sighted and shot at Haymaker's Mill.
Old Drum, Missouri’s official historic dog. This Missouri dog’s life and death sparked America’s most famous use of the phrase, man’s best friend.
On October 28, 1869, Charles Burden found his favorite dog, Old Drum, shot dead. Burden learned that his neighbor and brother-in-law, Leonidas Hornsby, had killed Drum because he had been harassing his livestock.
Through the direction of the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce and coordinated efforts by many dog lovers across the country, Old Drum was immortalized in a statue on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn in Warrensburg on September 23, 1958.
Jan 28, 2010 · It's easy to miss--a bronze statue of a black and tan hound on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn in Warrensburg, Mo. But the dog, called Old Drum, has a legacy that will last longer than that...
May 15, 2023 · Follow in the pawprints of man’s best friend. If not for a celebrated trial and the heartfelt closing argument from a future U.S. senator, no one would remember a hound named Drum. Drum’s tragic death sparked his owner’s quest for satisfaction.
In 2017, Old Drum became the official historical dog of Missouri. Drum, owned by Charles Burden, was a black and tan hunting hound whose shooting death became the subject of a long series of court cases leading up to an 1872 Missouri Supreme Court decision.
