HOOKY JACK & RAGS

From the days of hard-rock mining in the wake of the 1876 Black Hills gold rush through early Prohibition-era South Dakota the streets of Rapid City’s saloon, business and warehouse districts were patrolled at night by onetime gold prospector Jack Leary. For a time his most faithful companion was a scrappy mixed-breed terrier named Rags. “Hooky Jack,” as Leary was known, never carried a gun, only a lantern suspended from one of the hooks attached to the stumps of either arm. The energetic Rags would trot at Leary’s heels as they roamed the streets to break up any alcohol-fueled arguments and ensure thieves hadn’t broken into any businesses or warehouses.

“He is noted. “So accustomed has he become to greeting people abroad early in the morning that his salutation always is, ‘Good morning,’ regardless of the hour of night or day.”