“The life of Napoleon has been spared.
Fears that Ithaca’s famous thinking bulldog, Napoleon, would have to undergo capital punishment because he bit a trolley car conductor, may now be passed over lightly because kind-hearted Ithacans interceded for the dog and succeeded in having his sentence commuted.
‘Nappy’ was arrested by Chief Buck yesterday morning on complaint of the conductor. The wily canine was locked in a cell while the officials discussed the disposition of his case. It was decided to chloroform the dog is no other arrangement could be made to care for Napoleon.
Members of the Skull fraternity, who own the dog; several kind-hearted women attaches at City Hall, and a number of others, pleaded with Chief Buck not to have the bulldog put to death.
It was finally decided to muzzle ‘Nappy’ for the rest of the summer and on this condition he was released. He appeared to feel real ashamed at having been made to stay in a police-station cell several hours, and his friends stated that he would never bite anyone again because of the ignominy he had suffered.”

“Saved Napoleon From Ignominious Death This Time: Police Had Him in a Cell and Sentence Was Hanging Over Him, but Friends’ Plea Was Granted and ‘Nappy’ Lives On,” Ithaca Journal, August 7, 1914, 7.