The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-05-24
Concluded next week.
How They scared Folks.

A group of old-timers were talking
together yesterday at the courthouse
corner. They were talking about how
they had been scared as boys by the
grave-yards and ghosts of Il long time
ago.
''Well, sir" said one of the group,
his eyes twinkling at the recollection,
"there's a swamp in Fayettc county
they call the haunted swamp to this
day because we fixed up a scarecrow
there one night about '54 and scared
some negroes nearly to death. l re-
member they were coming back from q
frolic about 2 O'Clock, all of 'em to-
gcther, because they were scared any
how. We rugged up pole fifteen or
twenty feet long and covered it with
white cloth. Then for a head we hol-
lowed out great big pumpkin with
the eyes and mouth cut out, and Il can
die inside. They were within twenty
feet of it before they saw it. never
saw folks scared SO before nor since"
Yes said another old gentleman,
81 remember mighty we'll. But the
dumb b%ulls-they will make any mar
run. Take II hollow black-gum log, 8
to 16 inches in diameter, and saw out
II length of about II to 16 inches. That
makes n cylinder, followed out smooth
inside, and the thinner the better,
Stretch q rawhide tight like n drum
head over end. Make an awl hole
and run 4 string through the drum
head, tying a knot in the end so it
cant slip through entirely. Then take
some English resin and resin the string
thoroughly and the thumb and fore
finger of your right hand. You hold
that dumb bull in your leftarm and pull
the string, allowing it to slip between
your thumb and forelinger. It's the
most unearthly combination of groans,
and screaks, and whistles a man ever
listened to. 1t would scare Il dead
mule"
Chats so," said the old fellow from
Henry. "a dumb bull is hard to
beat. Next to the dumb bull comes
the rattle trap. You fix a cog wheel
on a stick aud arrange around it II
frame SO fixed that a stiff wooden
tongue Just touches the cogs. Then,
by revolving the frame, the tongue
jumps from one cog toanoticr-rnltle!
rattle. rattle! Dogs! My Lord, it
beats n tin can all to pieces
Horse whistles = you remember
them?H asked another of the group.
Everybody remembered.
"Well, then, we used to go cow
hunting after school with those horse
whistles. A COW that wouldn't run
from a horse whistle is a dead COW. l
started to say she must be deaf, but l
remember an olddeaf COW thateouldn't
hear it thundcr. One day we slipped
up behind her and put that whistle to
grooming. 1t was a week before they
found her, over here in Campbell
county, thirty miles away. The best
way to make horse whistles was to
take a piece of white pine about an
inch square and il inchcs long. Then
make Il wedge of it, the edge being an
inch across, as wide as the top, but as
sharp and thin as you can make
it. Bore a hole through the thick part
and pass Il string through. The other
end of the string is around II stick and
the whistle ought to be about a yard
from the stick. Set your stick in mo-
ton and get that whistle revolving.
Some folks say it sounds sorter like the
wind blowing, but it didn't sound that
way to me.n-1ttanta Constitution.