The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-05-06
THE WILD HOG OF TEXAS.
AsToRY OF THE PEcoARYs IHDoMI-
TABLE COURAGE.
A Drove Tackles a Railroad Train
and Dies on the Track-Hunting
The ReccarK.

an never forget the first time 1 ran
into drove of peccaries," said an Eric
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, a drove of peccaries. You'll
admit, s'pose, that there are peccariesl
Didn't you ever hear that they ran in
drovesY'
ooh, certainly" said the reporter.
''But they're down in South America,
Mexico, or Central America, some
where"
care theyY Thank youl" said the
engineer. "Did you s'pose I 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 I know where peccaries are,
and l think 1 ought to. And it wasn't
in South America, Mexico, nor Central
America that / met 'em, neither. 1t
was in Texas, and as l said before, I'll
never forget the first time l ran into a
drove of 'em.
81 had gone down to take a job on a
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 l went
down there to run train, and 1 thought
| could do it. got passenger train,
and had a fireman who was from the
North. had got the hang of the road
fairly, and was billing along one day
through piece of woods when all of
sudden my fireman hollers:
'Jewhillikinsl yonder's o drove Of
hogs on the trackp
"Sure enough, about three train
lengths ahead was big drove of the
ugliest-looking hogs l 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.
But the minute they heard the sound
they all stopped dead, and the ones that
had got off the track came crowding
tied up and showed fight, and when 1
struck 'em they were standing there like
a wall to receive me. Of course the en-
gine knocked 'em right and left, and
cut swath through the drove
like red d-hot iron through a piece of
butter, but the ones that were left flew
fercely at the wheels of the cars as they
passed. and were crushed to death by
the dozen. When we got through them
looked back. and there stood the rem
nant of the drove, as defiant as
ever.
"'Well, says to my fireman, lis that
grit?
"'Is itp says he. is No. sandpaper
gritp
Funny looking hogs, amt theyP
says 1.
emo Berkshire in 'em, you bet" says
he.
$50 when we got to the next station
says to the agent
"I ran into drove % somebody's
hogs back yonder and killed couple
dozen % them. l 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 l 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 pee
ries. Lucky you didn't stawp yer
train
'Whyg' says I.
"'Why!" says he. 'Waal, eff ye had
a stawped them pec'ries d a bounced
inter yer cab quicker'n 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 bounced on his
ingine an chawed him up, an so it'd a
gone on, an the business o. the road d q
suffered.
According to that, says /, the
peccary must be a 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
hyer 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.
90 Waitin' for us, by gravy' said my
fireman.
$50 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
dozen or more of them were killed. The
peccaries didn't follow us, but when we
went back on the next trip, there, at the
same spot, was posted all that was left
of H. Jro,ro rraftturr 10 n