Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-08-24
TOUGH AND FEARLESS.
Two Remarkable Able Yarns
About the Peccary.
A Drove Tackles a Railroad Train and
Dies on the Track to the Last Hog
Battle Between Wild Hogs and
o Tornado.

"I'll never forget the first time l ran
into drove of peccaries," said an Erie
locomotive engineer, recalling some OF
his experiences.
"a drove of peccaries!" said the re-
porter, and his tone must have grated
on the engineer, for he replied, testify:
"Yes, drove of peccaries! You'll
admit, Is'pose, that there are peccariesP
Didn't you ever hear that they ran in
drovesp"
"Oh, certainly!' said the reporter.
"Bnt they're down i'll South America,
Mexico, or Central America, some
where
Are theyP Thank your said the
engineer. Ibid you s'pose thought
they were roofing round in this rail
road yard? Had you an idea that l
meant they were chasing the beechnut
and the acorn up along the Erie lineP
/ know where peccaries are, and think
ought to. And it wasn't in South
America, Mexico, nor Central America
that l met 'em, neither. 1t was in
Texas, and, as / said before, I'll never
forget the first time ran into a drove
of EN-"
81 had gone down to take a job on q
Texas railroad. like 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 torun train, and thought
l 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
q sudden my fireman hollers:
"Jewhillikins! yonder's a drove of
hog|on the trackn'
"Sure enough, about three train
lengths ahead was big drove of the
ugliest 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 second thought l made up my
mind that it would be safer to cut
through the drove with full head on.
l pulled her wide open and let the
whistle sing. Of course, thought the
sound of the whistle would scare the
hogs and likely cause them to scatter
and make an opening for me. But the
minute they heard the sound they all
stopped dead, and the ones that'had
got off of the track came crowding
back to get on again. Every hog bris-
tied up and showed fight, and when
struck EN- they were standing there
like wall to receive me. Of course
the engine knocked 'em right and left
and cut swatb through the drove like
red-hot iron through piece of but
ter, but the ones that were left flew
tierccly at the wheels of the cars a.
they passed, and were crushed t.
death by the dozen. When we go
through them looked back, and there
stood the remnant of the drove, as de
faint as ever.
well says to my fireman, ii
that grit?'
lis itP' says he. Is No. sandpape
gritPn
Funny looking hogs, amt theyP
says l.
"'No Berkshire in 'em, you bet,
says he.
$50 when we got to the next station
says to the agent:
"I ran into drove o. somebody
hogs back yonder, and killed a coupl
o. dozen of EN-. | s'pose we'll find GU
whose they are when the suit for dam
ages comes in to the company says ]
as | pulled out. The agent Just lai
down and howled, and | wonders
what allied him. When we got to tn
end of the run was telling a nativ
railroader about the drove of ugly hog
" and he says:
"'Oh! that's nawthin. Them
pec'res. Lucky We didn't stop yer train
"'WhyP' says l.
"'Whyr says he. WAL, eff We ha
stawpcd them precries d bounce
inter yer cab quicker'n t'rantuly XII
kill mouse, an thud chawed We u
thrum yer cow-lick down to yer la:
bunion. Then thud a s'rounded thel
cars, an the fust galoot that opened
door thud a chawed him up. AFTER
day or so the comply d Il missed tn
rain an d sent another ingine OF
TO look it up, an when the ingineC
found it an stawped his ingine to hoo
ON to it, them pec'rie d a bounced o
his ingine an chawed him up, an S
it'd gone ON, an the business o. til
road d u suffered.
"According to- that says l, I'll
peccary must be pusher.
"'Got more vim in him, says Il
native. than any other citizen o. Texi