St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1884-12-06


who raise hogs in the swamny, Vermin
Astounding regions of Louisiana. The
panther and bear are both as fond OF
fresh pork as negro is of watermelon,
and are serious drawback to successful
hog raising in that section.
The farmers persistently hunt the var
mint with dogs and try to KEEP them at
the minimum. As an additional precau-
ton, the half wild punches of hogs are
taught that they can get sWill every
day by coming home for ii and while
eating it are, by the use OF a mop on
the end of long pole, sprinkled with
human offal which makes them safe
from bruins attacks as long as the scent
lasts, for one Whit from a properly per-
fumed porker is enough to run bear
through two counties.
witnessed most comical, though
costly, illustration of the hogs dread of
bear in the Teche country during the
war.
Convalescent in hospital eagerly ac-
cepted the invitation of a gentleman to
spend a few days on his plantation or
Bayou Teche. The evening we arrived
/ heard the planter GLOWING up his
overseer for not having the hogs, that
ranged in the timber bordering the
swamp, out of the corn-field. The next
day the hogs got in again, and again
the overseer ''caught it. " johnson, ]
know the fence is poor and should have
been renewed last winter, but there
no chance to do it now and insist that
you have the holes in it chinked so as
to keep the hogs out, or they will de-
stroy the CROP
During this lecture two of the plant.
er's sons rode up with the skin of s
bear that they had just killed on the
edge of the swamp, near the corn-tield
Johnson's eyes glistened as he saw the
fresh skin. ''All right, Mr.. Parker, III
keep them hogs out Of the field now, y
was his reply.
very well. Don't you kill them
thought"
''No, I'll not kill them
That evening johnson succeeded If
tolling large boar into the lot. He
was penned and sewed up in the bear
skin.
The next day the hogs made thei1
regular raid on the corn-feld, and then,
with all hands present to witness opera.
tions, the boar was turned into the same
field. Scared badly at his surround
ing" he rushed at full speed for his
comrades for countenance and pro-
lection.
Terrified at the sight of an apparent
bear charging towards them, a STAN
pede ensued among his comrades, anc
the finest scrub race occurred right
there that I ever witnessed.
''Booh! booh!'' was the starting sig
nal and away they went at full speed,
closely pursued by their supposed enc
my. The nearer the bear got the faster
the bunch ran. When the leading ones
got to the hole in the fence, where they
had crowded in one st a time, a few
got through in regular style; but the
balance were too much pressed for time
by the demon in pursuit to await their
turn-they charged the old fence, which
gave way, and into the woods, headed
in the direction of the swamp, hotly
pursued by their handicapped comrade,
they disappeared.
Two years afterward while walking
down the strand in Galveston was ac-
costed by the negro porter of a drug
store, who reminded me of having seen
him at Mr.. Parker's, his old master, the
time they seWed up the boar in the bear
skin
Il remember you now, Nelson.
How long after I left Mr.. Parkers was
it that the hogs came back?"
Guess them hogs mus be runnin'
yet, mass'r, or all got drowned in de
swamp" was Nelson's reply; sat 3eas'
we neber seed hide nor har of a single
one of 'em back dar up to de time | lief,
bout two months ago. ''-Arka7s8as0