Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-04

.NOIA. sXXXIV..AHADo

giant and refined amusements otthe present
day. I mention these personal renin-
iscences and general habits only to- show
the wonderful, the Aladdin change
and enterprise Of your people, in the life
time OF one who is not, yet quite willing to
acknowledge himselfa an old man. ~ t--7.,
There is one reminiscence belonging to
the history of the county so characteristic
of pioneer life that Isoannot refrain from
noticing it. 1t is one Of those things the
like of which can never occur again. In
the early settlement of the country, the
common grey squirrel (sciurus ciHereals) eX-
listed in almost fabulous numbers This
fact was not peculiar to the west. 1t ex-
listed everywhere in, the new settlements;
and it is recorded in the early colonial hiss
tory Of Pennsy lYania that S A, 900 was paid
out of the public Golfers, in a single year,
for the scalps of this ,ravenouS but beauti-
full little robher of the corn fields. At
periods of long intervals they were PARTIAL
" migratory in their habits. In the fall Of
1921 or 1922, they were l1ncommonly numer-
Gus in this region, and were terribly 1es-
tructive on the growing crops of corn. The
cultivated lands at that time consisted
mostly of what was called 'sdeadenings,''
the fields being thickly studded over with
girdled and dead forest trees, which afford
ed q ready Fetreating shelter for the squir-
y
and ripening corn. The season alluded5to
was remarkable one tor the elarceneous
habits of this destructive little animal. So
serious had become their wholesale plum
derings, that the people of the county were
driven to the necessity of adopting some
prompt, and, energetic means of ridding
themselves of the annoyance. According
tly, a. grand county hunt was proposed.
| The plan was .ccnsummated by dividing
the county, into two sections, the Scioto
river, running through the county from
north to south, forming the dividing line; Inc;
Three days were allotted for the hunt, and
Lucas SuIlivant was chosen as Captain of
the western division, and Ralph Osborn of
the eastern. A barrel of whisky was the
prize to be contended for, to be drank by
the assembled crowd at Franklinton, on
the fourth day, at which time and place
the scalpswere to be gathered and counted
Accordingly,n on the fourth day large
crowd of hunters and spectators assembled
on the bank of the river at the ancient
county seat, the scalps of the squirrels were
produced and counted by the bagfull, and
the victory, amidst the cheers and shouts
] of at least q portion of the multitude, was
declared in favor of Captain Sullivant and
his party. No ancient tournament, in the
days of knightly chivalry, produced more
excitement or greater interest than did this
contestfor the victory in squirrel scalps. In
my juvenile ambition, / felt as proud of my
three hundred sealps as ever did mailed
cavalier in .unhorsing his antagonist by
/ sword and spear The number of squir-
! rels destroyed was almost fabulous.
b recollect rs there was some error
occurred lin the statement made in
1.-the newspapers of theisday. They put
/ down the number atgnineteen or twenty
Thousand, ID; In q conversation had on last
evening with Mr., j oseph Sullivant, he gave
it as his opinion that that was the number
soh ttoe hor n nu ort or nd f1at
ismy opinion also. I am satisfied, from my
/ recollection of the discussion at the time,
/ in criticism of the published statement,
that the number was largely greater. Upon
thescount being, completed, the head Of a
barrelaof whisky was knocked in, rthe con-
II gourds and tin-cups, and capt. Whisky"
A for the time being, usurped the command of
the day. d CAfeW fights occurred, resulting
in ,blaeked eyes and bloody noses, not alto
i gether uncommon in those days, but which
4 did not at all "mar the festivities of the oe-
casion,n to use a fashionable, repertorial
phrase OF modern times. The diminution
/ not at all perceptible, from the fact of their
being at the time on their migratory jour
II ney, and the places of those killed were
\ soon occupied by their Nitinerant breth-
|. rem The corn crop of the county for that
seasonsWas almost entirely destroyed. The
III riod, was much more thickly populated
Il than that of the west; and We of the east
|, would have been lhe yictors in the contest
Il had the rifle been used as the only weapon
\ in the hunt But the west had the advap-
i taget OF us IN this: the squirrels were on
with the Seiotor river cutting across their
N route. Saad 9Sds69A ? sa5 1890 tf'i'f2'd
II A VOICE IN THE CRowD-No,f sir, the
I squirrels were passing from the west to
; the Feast. n 1j 5IAAt1 -
r Is7 Mr.. YAM TRUMp-My friend over the
way is smistaken,q I9kn9w, from my per-
sonal observation and recollection that
our mutual friend here on the stand, Mr.
Sulliyant, to say whether / am right. s-r.T
Mr.. The, fact is so--the
squirrels were migrating from east te
: west. ri. -
MR.. VAN TRpMp-I knew could not be
t mistaken. But to proceed: 1t is singu:
: lar fact in the natural history of the squir-
: rel, that when they once take to the water
e nothing will turn them from their course
o When they come to stream, they entel
n the water, with their tails, erected il. a per
!. pendicular line like a kind Of sail, and tax
n ing direct line for-the opposite shore
= nothing can turn them an inch from uthei
course9;1I In this way sour western friend
: and competitors killed thousands of then
J, with clubs on their side of the river. Thi
e squirrel huntV was considered great even
r in the county, and its result was publish
e ed in the newspapers throughout eth
lUnion.-. do not think that the dignity o
g this kind of sport is improved or dignifie,
/ by the substitution OF the modern ra
h = IN celebrating the first settlement of !
S, county,, or calling into grateful remem
j. brance the personal virtues, the trials, an
e the generous sacrifices for posterity of tn
lo. II 1osx
+ der within its borders, we, at the sam
y time, analogicaily and synthetically com
ID memorate the original founding of Ih
y whole vast empire of n orth American civ
rs ilization.I There could be no grander sub
y ject for a festival, II the epiphany of Osiri
W among the Egyptians in their most en-
g lighteued days-the Olympic games anon
IS the refined and elegant Greekseand the Cir
l. cepsian games among the martial and in
/ tetlectual Romans-were worthy of com
d manding the solemn attention of the peo
" pie; with how much more of dignity, wit
le what much more elevated sense of past
t. time and recreation, can our people assem-
Or BILE together to commemorate not only tn
&c birthday of American Liberty, but of th
n landing of Columbus as the advent of Civ
rt ilization on this Continent!
n To commemorate the virtues and the e1
r ertions of our pioneer forefathers, is 8
e. much an obligation of duty, as it is a sent
at OF this obligation, we must not only have
i'll Just conception of the benefits conferre
ri upon us, but we must also fully appreciai
II, the motives of their emigration. For wh;
iy did these men labor?-for what did the
or dare the dangers and discomforts of from
p ier life !? Not mere personal comfort, ce
e. tainly. 1t was for a higher object tina
ho that. 1t was to plant the institutions 4
o. liberty, of civil government, of law, and
ne religion, in regions tenanted alone by Wi
hoo Stu still uildar If t0 n