Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-09
FLORIDA WILD HOGS.
Vicious Little Man-Eaters, Whose Ma.
lures Know No Fear.
TIE ALLIGATOR'S CHIEF ENEMY.
They Infest the Wilds of Southern Florida,
and Are Source Of
TERROR To HUNTER AND NATIVE ALIKE
TERROR TO HUNTER AND NATIVE ALIKE
WRITTEN FOR THE DrsrArcH.1

| WRITTEN FOR THE DtSEAICd-I
One of the many terrors that the Northern
huntsman has to deal with in Southern
Florida is the ferocious Ni1e W. 30 one
who has not encountered this animal can
appreciate its thorough "eussedness." They
are among the iereest animals that inhabit
the wilds of any land, although but little is
known of them right here in our own cotln-
try. The wild hog of Florida will attack
anything; he seems to fear nothing, and is
BY great odds bolder fighter than the bear.
There is nothing foxy about him. He does
not possess any of the traits OF the coyote or
wolf, but will march. fearlessly into
fight, alone, unaided and with
the odds against him. When as
sailed he becomes a fend incarnate
and will attack anything from a cougar to
an alligator. He has none of the fear
which the latter possesses and while he
keeps away from the caVernous jaws of the
alligator as much as possible, vet he does
not fear to assail him, and ii on dry land,
will sYoop down upon the alligator without
the slightest proVocation, and the chances
are that in less than an hours time there
will not be shred of the alligator left to
tell Of the terrible conflict, except the hide
and skull.
THE HUNTERS FOE.
The huntsman would rather run into a
school oil sleeping, man-eating alligators, or
den of rattlesnakes, than take his chances
with the hog. He is by far the most danger
Gus foe that hunter can encounter in the
wilderness. If he stumbles upon pack Of
them unknowingly he is. nine times out of
Ten, dead hunter. Even should he succeed
in killing any of them, he does not escape,
for their dismal death portending howls
soon bring reinforcements by the dozen.
They attack the hunter at all points. While
some are snarllng and swapping at his legs,
others are springing upon him from all
sides, some have him by the throat, and
others are upon his arms. To shake them
off is an utter impossibility. 1t cannot be
done. Soon the hunter becomes weak, and
sinks to the ground from utter exhaustion.
When this stage arrives, the balance is COM
paratively easy work for the hog, and the
sportsman soon shares the same tate as the
lucklessS alligator. Their teeth are small
and as sharp as razor, and they have been
known to gnaw at tree ior hours in their
mad efforts to
APPEAsE THEIR HUNGER.
Should hunter be fortunate enough on
running across them to have good-sized
tree within easy distance, he may save his
life by taking to it, but he is even then in
bad way. The hogs are bound to scent him
out, and as soon as they do they are sure to
range themselves about the base of the
tree and remain there for hours,
until hunger compels them to start in search
OF pabulum. Even then the old-timers will
not leave until they have thoroughly shown
their disgust by champing their foaming
jaws at the fugitive; and their little eyes,
] full Of malice, seem to snap sparks of fero-
cious fire. For a Northerner who eontem-
plates hunting in South Florida would ad-
wise him to steer clear af the everglades, un-
less accompanied by an experienced native,
who knows the haunts of these maneaters
and how to contend with them. G. d. H.