Pep (dog)

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Pep (c. 1923 – 1930) was a black Labrador Retriever who was falsely accused of murdering a cat. On August 31, 1924, Pep was sent to the Eastern State Penitentiary where he received inmate number C-2559 and had his mugshot and paw prints taken. His log into the prison ledger indicates life sentence for murder, a tongue-in-cheek gesture that prompted widespread outrage. In reality, Pep was brought to prison to boost inmate morale. Before his incarceration, Pep was given as a gift from Maine governor Percival Baxter, who had many dogs, to Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot. One of Baxter's dogs named "Governor" had successfully lived alongside inmates in a Maine prison, and Governor Pinchot was inspired to do the same with Pep. Upon Pep's incarceration, international newspapers seized upon the murder reported in Pep's police record and publicly declared him "cat murderer." Governor Pinchot and his wife Cornelia adamantly denied Pep's murder accusation, calling it a "slanderous and unjustified...

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