Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-06-19
TIN BUNKER ON SHEEP
TRAPS.

n@u gun over MS shoulder, ana
held In his hand whs, might have
been mistaken for game, at a short
distance. On closer examination,
the object revealed q pair Of short
ears, o prominent nose, a long
clean pair OF jaws, well armed with
sharp, bloody teeth. II was what
IL left OF q dog after his tail has
been cut of just behind his eGrs.
THAT Is what / call a sheep
trap" said Seth, rs he flung the
head upon the grass, pulled his
pipe out Of one pocket, and a
match out of the other. and
lighted.
why that is Jake Frink's dogr
exclaimed Uncle lothian.
faint Jske's any longer" re-
piled Seth. "Ye see I caught him
In the act, this morning airly. He
was gnawing away at a sheep he
had run down, and that is sleeps
blood you see on his teeth now. l
put that bullet between his eyes,
and he hadn't time TO clean his
teeth before be emigrated to t'other
country. That trap has caught
three sheep of mine this Spring,
besides lots Of my neighbors, to
say nothing Of the lambs, and I
was so afraid the trap might be
set again that / jest cut his head
of after shot him, to make sure
work Of it. That critter has
destroyed hundred dollars
worth Of property this Spring, I
haven't a doubt. Sheep have been
found dead, and badly manned,
and he has been seen chasing
them. When complaint has been
made To Jake, he could not believe
he was guilty Of even chasing
sheep. He did not allow him in
such tricks. His dog was as in
nocent as a lamb. Children could
play with him, and he wouldn't
even growl. To hear Jake talk.
you would think the dogs mother
must have been a sheep. WAL,
now, We see, that talk didn't 90
down with me. I can tell a sheep
stealth dog as soon as / lay my
eye on him. There is a kind of
guilty look about the critter, that
says mutton, as plainly as if it
stuck in his jaws. Jake has never
been able to raise sheep. If he
tried, his lambs disappeared
mysteriously when that dog was a
puppy. He always laid it to other
folks dogs. But Rover was the
guilty wretch that drunk lambs
blood. / have been watching him
for about week, and We see this
morning got him jest where /
wanted him. There was a piece
Of mutton in his mouth when /
fired. 1t will take a smarter man
than Jake Frink to get away from
that fact"
II guess you'll catch it when
Jake hears of it."
HE won't have to wait long,
for I'm going to take home Jake =
sheep trap this morning. l
wouldn't have you think that I'd
shoot mans dog, and then not
own it. That would be too much
like sheep stealing dog. 1 cal
culate 20 take the responsibility"
This conversation of my neigh
bors shows the way the current is
setting in the dog question, and
the progress the reform is making,
under the new laws, and especially
under the high prices of wool and
mutton. This last, / think, has
more TO do with dog killing, than
all the laws that have been enacted.
With wool at dollar a pound or
in that neighborhood, everybody
that owns land wants q few sheep.
Even Jake Frink rubs his eyes and
wakes up to the fact that sheep
raising will be a paying business.
Sheep will live and do well on his
poor pastures where bis cows grow
poor. He will buster of course.
when be learns that his dog is
killed. but he will be resigned and
conclude that his sheep as well as
his neighbors' will be safer with
that sheep trap out Of the way. A
large number Of poor farmers, and
rather poor citizens, who have the
dog mania will invest in sheep,
and that will make them the
natural enemies OF dogs. ! have
noticed that it makes a mighty
deal Of difference whether it is
your sheep or your neighbors' that
are bitten or killed. Resignation
is a virtue easily practised, when a
pack of dogs get into your neigh
boris flock and worry and Stay
But when you go out some fine
morning and find your latest
weather half eaten up, or your full
blood Merinos made into mutton
prematurely. it stirs the blood at
once against dogs. You owe the
whole race a grudge. You think
of steel traps, bullets, and small
stout cords in close proximity to
dogs necks. You talk fiercely
and threaten vengeance. Men in
such q humor are prepared to
legislate nationally upon the dog
question They see very clearly
that one vile cur, not worth cop !
par To any body. NAV easily /