The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-05-06
THE WILD HOG OF TEXAS
AsToRx OF THE PEccARx's rHDolEK.
TABLE COURAGE.
a Drove Tackles u Railroad Train
and Dies ON the Track-EHunting
the Peccary.

a Drove Tackles n Railroad Train
and Dies ON the Track-Hunting
the Peccary.
'I'll never forget the first time 1 ran
into drove of peccaries," said an Erie
locomotive engineer, recalling some of
his experiences.
ga drove of peccariesl" said the re-
porter, and his tone must have grated
on the engineer, for he replied, testify
eyes, drove of peccaries. You'll
admit s'pose, that there are peccariesl
Didn't you ever hear that they ran in
droves2n
ooh, certainly" said the reporter.
''But they're down in South America,
Mexico, or Central America, some
where"
care they7 Thank you'll" said the
engineer. ''Did you spose 1 thought
they were roofing round in this railroad
| yard2 Had you an idea they were chasing
the beechnut and the acorn up along the
Erie line2 l know where peccaries are,
and think 1 ought to. And it wasn't
in South America, Mexico, nor Central
America that 1 met 'em, neither. 1t
was in Texas, and, as 1 said before, I'll
never forget the first time ran into
drove of 'em.
'I had gone down to take a Job on a
Texas railroad, like a good many other
sap-headed railroaders from the North.
didn't know any more about Texas
than-well, than you do, but / went
down there to run train, and thought
| could do it. got passenger train,
and had fireman who was from the
North. Ihad got the hang of the road
] fairly, and was billing along one day
through piece of woods when all of a
sudden my fireman hollers:
Jewhillikinsl yonder's drove of
hogs on the trackp
"Sure enough, about three train
lengths ahead was a big drove of the
ugiest-looking hogs ! ever saw. They
were taking their time in walking across
the track. At first thought I'd sock on
the brakes and try TO stop, but on Sec
ond thought / made up my mind that it
would be safer to cut through the drove
with full head on. pulled her wide
open and let the whistle sing. OF course,
l thought the sound of the whistle would
scare the hogs and likely cause 'em to
scatter and make an opening for me.
they all stopped dead, and the ones that
had got off the track came crowding
back to get on again. Every hog bris-
tied up and showed fight, and when
struck 'em they were standing there like
wall to receive me. OF course the en-
gine knocked 'em right and left, and
cut swath through the drove
like red-hot iron through a piece of
butter, but the ones that were left flew
fiercely at the wheels of the cars as they
passed, and were crushed to death by
the dozen. When we got through them
1 looked back. and there stood the rem
nant of the drove, as defiant as
ever.
"'Well, says to my fireman, lis that
gritp
"'Is itq says he. is No. sandpaper
gritp
g" Funny looking hogs, amt theyP
says l.
"'No Berkshire in 'em, you bet" says
he.
$50 when we got to the next station I
says to the agent:
"I ran into drove % somebody's
hogs back yonder, and killed couple
dozen % them. s'pose we'll find out
whose they are when the suit for dam
ages comes in TO the company. SAYS |,
as pulled out. The agent just laid down
and howled, and wondered what allied
him. When we got to the end of the
run / was telling a native railroader
about the drove of ugly hogs, and he
says:
"'Oh that's nawthin.' Them's pec'-
- tuo,, Hfdu3f ofomr uar
train
"'Why" says he. 'Waal. eff ye had
a stawped them pec'ries ID a bounced
inter yer cab quicker'n a t'rantuly kin
kill mouse, AN thud a chawed ye up
thrum yer cow-lick down to yer last
bunion. Then thud a s'round-
ed them there cars, an the
fust galoot that would "a opened a
door thud chawed him up. Arter a
day or so the comp'ny d a missed the
train an d a sent another ingine out to
look it up an when the ingineer found
it an stawped his ingine to hook on to
it, them pec'ries ID a bounced on his
ingine an chawed him up, an so it'd a
gone on, an the business O. the road d a
suffered
According to that, says ], the
peccary must be pusher.'
''' Got more vim in him. says the
native, than any other citizen o. Texas
'cept the centipede. He'll make We laugh.
The pec'ry's got a mem'ry longer'n thrum
h'yer to New Orleans, too, an the
chances is that you'll meet them fellers
agin that We see to-day. Mind ye, now!
Don't stawp yer injine.
Sure as guns, when we went back
next day, there in the very same spot
was the remnant of that drove of pee
carries.
Z" Waitin for us, by gravy' said my
fireman.
" So they were. As we tore down on
'em they braced up and met us face to
face They sprang at the wheels, grabbed
at the side rods. and fought every truck
in the train as the cars passed them. A