Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-03-20
Our Fox Hunt,

"hNt ICOiS NOoLt vi -
otitdone iii the way of "Rcynard"
searches, by either their Hoo3ier cous-
ms d. their Buckeye brothers, deter
mined TO have a Fox Hunt. Accord.
ingIy a meeti lg of influential and re-
liable citizens was called, resolutions
were passed to the effect that nothing
short Of q veritable Fox Hunt would
prevent Preble. County and her shire
town from sinking into oblivion.
Judge GILMORE was chosen Com
mander-in-Chief; committees were
appointed and last Friday was the
day fixed upon for the grand event.
The excitement for a few days prior
to the great Friday, was intense. The
Schools "struck" for a holiday, and
brought such influence to bear, as re-
conciled the Superintendent and tea
Thursday evening the streets rang
with the announcement from the
threats of an hundred glad hearted
boys that school was dismissed until
Monday. All expecting to attend the
hunt were advised to bring something
to make a noise horns, bells, drums,
tin pans, buckets, &c, sc. Frugal
housewives put their tin-ware under
lock and key, and eager boys were
thrown upon their own resources to
obtain the necessary noise generators.
Friday morning dawned at last and
disclosed to view the streets filled
with Young America, equipped with
horns, pans, cans drums and horse
iddles. They drew up in front of
the residence of the Commander-in-
Chief, beating a reveille not mention
ed In Hardee, but one that must have
satisfied the Commanding General
that the instructions posted az above
Many of the instruments for t~orturing
sounds might have been idolized and
worshiped with impunity such wor-
ship not being prohibited in Holy writ.
AT 10 O'Clock, (6.3O by the Town
Clock) the crowd assembled in front
of the Court House, and was address
ed by the Commander-in-Chie in a
brief, but soul-stirring manner, who
then proceeded to commission his
subordinatcs, who had been named
by a committee appointed for that
purpose, and the mastering of the
troops com nenced.
III l:as.1 1--.-5 ~
charge of their respective divisions
and took up their line of march to the
points designated, in perfect silence,
barring the occasional turn given to
the crank of a horse-fiddle or the
beating of a gong at short intervals,
which could not have been heard be-
yond six miles! The firing of a can
non was the signal for the staff. The
men and boys were properly station
ed-the cannon was fired-the start
was made and the music 90 beganl
Jerusalemi The air turned blue, the
dead and withered leaves upon the
trees, after having stood the blasts
and SHOWS of the long cold winter,
now began to fall by the thousands
birds went crazy, and futtered about
in fruitless efforts TO fy-they knew
not where-many OF them were rem
dered utterly helpless with fright and
were picked up from the ground by
boys. Three or four Foxes were
started. The lines closed in rapidly
and formed round the field where
the foxes we're to be finally captured,
in the centre of which the American
flag foated gracefully from a thirty
foot pole. The word was given to
close in, and the men and boys did,
close, but "nary' Fox was in the ring.
This Fox hunt was a success in ev-
cry particular, except that one half of
one of the lines imagined they heard
the cannon some twenty minutes be-.
fore it went of, and started for the
center. They arrived there about the
time the cannon fired-and were
standing on the fence when the other
lines came up. Reynard had taken
advantage of this opening in the lines,
Ga half mile in EXTENT and escaped
Everybody enjoyed it however, fully
as well as if a Fox had been captured.
After some cheering and much mer-
riment, all hands started for home
and entered the town, n thousand
strong, with anoise that would have
put any well regulated pandemonium
to the blush. They were greeted by
the aged, the decrepit, the women
and babes in arms, with shouts of
joy, and all felt that the credit of our
town and county was preserved
untarnished.
The hunt will be repeated On Satur-
day next, on a much larger scale and
better systematized, and everybody is
invited to come and participate, male
and female.
e bod, pious aud magnanimons Isaac
Morris, ten thousand souls of the size
of yours could dance a hornpipe on