Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-06-21
tricks OF A Pr RAccooN.
His Fondness for the Churn and RAID upor
a Nee Hive.

a see-Hive.
Until within few wears past hunt
inc the TaccOon was TIE favorite sport
of young men and BOYS of plattsburg.
The ltottun lands of Horse Fork and
Smiths Forks OF the Platte River
abouIdcd in wild honey. grapes, ber-
rics, perSimmons, pawPaws, aud 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 inau@urated
with the blowing of horns, shouting of
boys. and barking of dogs. Only the
country cEa}sy;tri 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. Some
times he shows fight and keeps the dogs
al bay until he can climb Il tree, which
proves only = trap for him. as the hun
tiers quickly cut down the tree and cap
ture him. The raccO0n is valuable for
his meat, which. roasted, SURPRISES the
opossum or Young pig as 4 toothsome
dish. He Is also valuable for his fur,
which is thick and long during the
winter month.
The writer well remembers the PreS-
idential campaign of 1910. 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 4 live raccoon and a
great hurrah for ''Tippecanoe and Ty-
Ter too" There are old citizens in
Plat;sbur9 who talk of the early DAYS
when the racc0on skin was current
money for the payment Of small debts,
and the buying of goods-two skins for
81. There Is 4 story of Il fellow mar
rowly escaping lynching for counter,
feiting raccoon skins by sewingraccoon
tails TO cat hides.
But t. appreciate the raccoon it is
necessary to know him as a pet. /
wish to give a truthful accounto of Il pet
raccoon that | came near losing few
months back. He had watched the
operation of churning butter one morn
ing, and for his attention and patience
my wife had rewarded him with a
spoonful of butter and aDlate of honey.
In the cOulse Of the morning the churn,
half filled with buttermilk, was set
aside. She. some hours afterward,
wanting bUttermilk for dinner, sentme
to get it. | saw 4 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 amaze
ment, out jumped the raccoon. He
a., \
foremost, completely hiding his coon
ship in the buttermilk, 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
buttermilk, sneaked into the corner
grocery near by, and, getting upper
ceived behind the counter, took refuge
in a barrel half filed with brown sugar
The groceryman soon hustled him out
of tkat, with his furry sides matted
with buttermilk and sugar. | could
occasionally get a glimpse OF him, lick
ing his furry sides, but could not get
in reach of him to chastise him. He
avoided me while | had au~er il my
eye. In day or two he disappeared.
The flies aud honey bees may have
stung him to distraction, or the dogs
may have discovered that he was
friendlcss and chased him away.
4 few weeks after this some boys
who had been gathering pawpaws in
the woods came into town and report
ed that "A raccoon's tail was hanging
out of Il hole in 4 dead limb Of Il tree
in Fancc's pasture. The tree was cut
down and the raccoon captured, and it
proved to be my runaway pet.-PiattS-
t1rg (N0.) Letter.