Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-21
HOW sANDUsKY WAS sAyHn rpov
FAMINE.
An histerical Hemiuisceucs O.
FIon fhs Buffalo Rsp,kl,,

| OLe vi the most agreeable duties Of iour.
nallsm Is to chronicle the heroic deeds of those
whom chance or unusual natural develor.
ments have rendered bcnefactors to the hu.
man race liz Is part of our legitimate
province to rescue the fame ofsuch individuals
from oblivion, and by enacting the part of the
historian, TO hand their names and the record 8
OF tteir achievements down 10 the admiration
and gratitude Of future gener tions The viii
lage philapthropist, or the benefactor Of loo II
community, is as uf0eh q part Of the history
Oh ms tine as the heroes Of a State or as the
sacred geese whose Cabling at the rock Tar
pela saved Rome from the horrors of a sack
cur outy In the present instance Ia 10 relate a
home. Aeoisi
lesrs agone, when the course of trade ran
ID 4 counter direction to what we now behold.
9MLhg 70 severe drought, the City of San
dusky underwent all the horrors Of a nro,,ac.
ed famine. The water on the bar al the mouth
Gt the bay was so low that vessels were ms
Ole TO reach the port and as there was no land
transportation at that time which could be
relied upon IN case of sudden emergency In
appeared as II Providence had forssken the
place entirely, and that its inhabitants must
soon perish. For days and weeks their stock
OF pTOvIsions had been gradually disapnear
ing until soon all was gone, and their oniv "a.
lance was upon the few fish which they were
enabled to obtain from the waters of thu hav
and an occasional mesger supply of game from
the neight Oripg forest.
AT the time Of which we write the woods in
that vicinity, and in fact throughout the Wes-
tern reserve, were frequented by vast num-
oers OF Wild hogs which obtained a hountifpI
subsistence and grew fat upon the shack which
everywhere abOunded These hogs were
doubtless originally estrays, but the snarse.
ness of the population in the interior. and the
rsPidlty with which they multiplied, rendered
them strangers to man and very shy of his
presence. During the drouth, Of which men
ton has already been made, large droyes az
these animals wended their way to the lake.
IN the neigh6orboOd of which they continued
70 remain Sandusky Bay in particular was
atayorlte resort for them; in the waters of
which they were accustomed 20 wallOy, after
siaklng their thirst. Those who are scouaint-
ei with the locality Cf which we speak, will
remember the annoyance to which the early
settlers were exposed in the shspe Of fine.
red sand which covered the beach, and which.
Ia times Of high wind, was not only exceed
lnSly troublesome, but dangerous. Thou
sands Of hogs, IN consequence Of freauenting
this spot, became totally blind but still, with
all the cunning which belongs to this peryerse
race In their natural state, they continued to
elude the hunters.
One day when the famine in the city was at
Its height, and when it was apparent that
even the strongest must soon succumb, Joe
i took down his gun and resolved to mako
last effort to rescue bis wife and little ones
from fate the most horrible Of which the
mind has any conception. All day long had
their sunken eyes and shriveled hands i'm
plored him in vain for bread-and alas! he
knew too well that not within the whole city
was there 4 mouthful TO be had, though he
were to offer in exchange thrice its weight in
gold Nerved TO desperation by this refec-
uon, but still with feeble STEPS, he took his
way to the forest, resolved not to return with.
out relief In some shape.
For long time he hunted in vain, trayers.
ing miles of weary pathway, without so much
as seeing single evidence Of animated nature,
until he was on the point Of yielding to de-
spalr. At this moment a noise, as Of approach
Ing footsteps, attracted his attention and he
paused, with every faculty rendered keen by
hunger, TO listen. Nearer and nearer came
the tramping, and just as Joe, to screen him
sell IRON observation, took shelter behind
tree, wild hog emerged from a thicket, ad-
vancing directly toward him, followed imme.
dlately by another and another still. The
hunter, trembling with anxiety and excite.
ment, raised his gun, but suddenly paused in
aStonishment at the singular phenomenon be
fore him. The drove (for drove there was
was approaching him in Indian file, and headed
directly tor the Bay. The second hog held iu
his mouth the tail Of the first, the third that
OF the second, and so on, to the number of
sixty and upward, each was holding fast TO
the caudal appendsge of his predecessor, and
all were being led by the foremost Of the
drove, and he, being the only one that could
see, was thus conveying his afflicted coDpsn-
ions
The hunter comprehended the scene in a
moment, and instantly decided upon his course
Raising bis gun deliberately, he fred, and
severed the tail of the leader close to the roots
His afrighted leadership, with loud squeal,
bounded into the thicket and disappeared.
while his companions came to a dead halt.
Joe quickly divested himself of his boots and
crept stealthIly up to the FIRST Of the band,
which stood quietly holding in bis mouth the
amputated tail of his former conductor. This
the hunter seized and commenced gently pull
ling upon it. First one hog started, then an
other, then another, until soon, like train Of
cars, all were in motion, and, without psusng
to rest for single instant, Joe led them quiet
ly into a huge pen near his residence, whero
they were soon slaughtered, and the city toas
SaUed