Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-06-13
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TRICKS OF A RACCOON.
His Fondness for the Churn and Ra
Upon a Beo-HiVe.

Upon u Bee-Hive.
Until within few years past hunting tho
raccoon was the favorite sport of Young
men and boys of Plattsburg, writes a corre-
spondent from that pleasant Missouri town.
The bottom lands of Horse Fork and Smth's
Fork of the Platte river abounded in
wild honey, grapes, berries, persimmons,
pawpaws and acorns, upon which countless
raccoons feasted and fattened The hunt
would be on moonlight nights, beginning
about midnight and lasting till the break of
day. 1t was generally inaugurated with tho
blowing of horns, shouting of boys and
barking of dogs Only the country charivari
is equal to the noise while the hunt is in
progress. As the raccoon does his travelling
by night, his trail through the hazel brush
along the creek border is easily found.
Sometimes he shows fight and keeps the
dogs at bay until he can climb tree, which
proves only trap for him, as the hunters
quickly cut down the tree and capture him.
The raccoon is valuable for his meat, which,
roasted, surpasses the opossum or young
pig as toothsome dish. He is also valuable
for his fur, which is thick and long during
the winter months
The writer well remembers the Presiden-
tial campaign of 1S40, when the live raccoon
was an important factor in politics. Log
cabins, on wheels, were drawn through
the streets of cities and towns, and with
every log cabin there was live raccoon and
great hurrah for "Tippecanoe and Tyler,
too." There are old citizens in Plattsburg
who talk of the early days when the
raccoon skin was current money for the
payment of small debts and the buying Of
goods-two skins for one dollar. There is a
story of fellow narrowly escaping lynch
ing rcounterfeiting raccoon skins by sew
ing raccoon tails to cat hides
But TO appreciate the raccoon it is neces-
sary to know him as pet. wish to give
truthful account of a pet raccoon that l
came near losing a few months back. He
had watched the operation of churning but
ter one morning, and for his att ention and
patience my wife had rewarded him with
spoonful of butter and a plate of honey. In
the course of the morning the churn, half
filed with buttermilk, was set aside, She.
some hours afterward, wanting butterJmill
for dinner, sent me TO get it, saw black
spot on the top OF the milk that could not
quite understand; and then the churn
seemed to be fuller Of milk than when it
was set aside. made pinching grab at
the black spot, when, TO my amazement, out
jumped the raccoon. He had backed him
selfinto the churn, tail foremost, complete
ly hiding his coonship In the bgtter-milk, all
but the tip end of his nose, which was the
black spot on the milk which had perplexed
me.
The pet raccoon, all dripping with butter
milk, sneaked into the corner grocery near
py, and, getting unperceived behind the
counter, took refuge In a barrel half-flIed
with brown sugar, The groceryman soon
hustled HIM out Of that, with his furry sides
matted with buttermilk and sugar. could
occasionally get glimpse at him, licking his
furry sides, but could not get in reach of
him to chastise him. He avoided me while
had anger in my eye In day or two he
disappeared. The flies and honey bees
may have stung him to distraction, or the
dogs may have discovered that he was
friendless and chased him away.
A few weeks after this some boys who
had been gathering pawpaws in the woods
came into town and reported that rae
coon's tail was hanging out of hole in a
dead limb Of tree in vance's pasture.
The tree was cut down and the raccoon cap
tured, and it proved TO be my runaway pet.