after his dog, Old Drum, had been shot and killed. During the trial, Vest stated that he would "win the case or apologize to every dog in Missouri." Vest's closing argument to the jury made no reference to any of the testimony offered during the trial, and instead offered a eulogy of sorts. Vest's "Eulogy of the Dog" is one of the most enduring passages of purple prose in American courtroom history (only a partial transcript has survived): Vest won the case (the jury awarded $50 to the dog's owner) and also won its appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court. In 1958, a statue of Old Drum was erected on the Johnson County Courthouse lawn containing a summation of Vest's closing speech, “A man’s best friend is his dog.” As well, a bust of the dog resides in the Missouri Supreme Court building in Jefferson City, Missouri. Voltaire Much earlier, however, Voltaire had written in his Dictionnaire philosophique of 1764: CHIEN. — Il semble que la nature ait donné le chien à l'homme pour sa défense et pour son plaisir. C'est de tous les animaux le plus fidèle : c'est le meilleur ami que puisse avoir l'homme. Translated, this reads: DOG. — It seems that nature has given the dog to man for his defense and for his pleasure. Of all the animals it is the most faithful : it is the best friend man can possibly have. Ogden Nash In 1941, Ogden Nash wrote "An Introduction to Dogs," beginning: The dog is man's best friend. He has a tail on one end. Up in front he has teeth. And four legs underneath. References Dogs as pets English-language idioms Metaphors referring to dogs 1780s neologisms