Equicide

Before him lay extended the brown body of a donkey, whose broken lariot and fixed eye told the tale. I thought for a moment that its hoof was moving; but before a word had passed, all was still.[…] / “Messieurs, it was not my fault. I told them at Weggis the animal was too small; but they forced him on me, saying that he was a convenient size. My legs touched ground. They said I should escape a fall. The donkey was hungry and emulous. I had no guide to restrain him; but I did not urge him. He weakened as he warmed. He drank of the cold rills. He brayed aloud. He passed the châlet with a snort;—he snorted out his breath. Ah, Messieurs! it is all over with him and me. How shall I get down to-morrow with a gout and no donkey? This air is sharpening it into rheumatism,” swore he with a German oath, as, resting on one leg, he / “Steadfastly gazed on the face of the dead, / And bitterly thought of the morrow.” / “Rank equicide!” growled the Scot. “Puir mewel!” / By this time, the entire procession was gathered round the deceased.

The idea of making beef out of that noble animal, for which every man of heart entertains an affection only second to that which binds him to his own race—the animal which approaches nearer than any other of the four-footed creation to man, in the nobler traits of soul and character—could only emanate from bipeds of the Greeley species. There should be a law passed for such sneaks, against killing the horse to eat, unless it be a broken-legged or used-up animal, which would be relieved by death, and that would be pretty good diet for such creatures. The offense of equicide must be defied and provided for by our next Legislature, or the Greeleyites will be getting up a horse-eating phalanx and party.

There was a large band of wild horses belonging to Captain Sutter, which were ranging in the foot-hills on that side of the river where the emigrants’ camp was located. The question of killing one of these had been seriously discussed. The proposition had been earnestly opposed by Martin Murphy, who had declared that it was not food fit for human beings, and that although in the last stages of starvation his stomach would revolt at such diet. The respect that the young men had for Mr. Murphy restrained them from committing equicide for some time. But at last it became a question of horse meat or starvation.

“Murder Makes the Mare Co,” by Jack Oolph, deals with horse-loving Doc connor who dredges Into the lives of his Broadway clientele to learn the answer to an equicide and the murders preceding the death of a promising mare.

But had Mary shot Pond Pen, the things that alleged race horse had done to her would certainly have caused any fair judge to pronounce Pond Pen’s violent passing justifiable equicide.

For, as soon as the serious matters of “settin’ them up” had been attended to, the first court trial in the history of the Territory—“for wilful and malicious equicide”—would get under way.

The final four stories in New Adventures were conceived and written as a series. In each of them Ellery [Queen] solves a crime—homicide, attempted equicide, jewel theft—that is connected with a major sporting event.

[…]second wife suddenly rudely raped by a centaur[…]shot the horrid horseman it was excusable equicide[…]harmless homicide!