Feliciana sentinel., 1892-08-13
i A WILD HOG TRAP.
How Two Boys Made Money *
See the Centennial.

how TWO Boys MACE money 10
See the Centennial
Yesterday heard one farm boy say
to another: "Come and see my two |
calves. I'm going to keep them till |
they're two-year-old steers, and then |
sell them and go to the Columbian expo
sition on the money. They'll bring fifty |
dollars by that time"
, "But I've got a colt that'N bring sew
enty-five by that Time rejoined his
companion, triumphantly.
'sMaybc," replied the first lad, com
posedly. '.But tell You, Frank, there's
q good deal more risk on colts than on
steers"
Their earnestness vividly recalled TO
me q time, fifteen years ago, when
was a boy OF sixteen, and lived in the
Arkansas "backwoods." Twas making
similar plans to visit the centennial ex-
hibition of 1875 at Philadelphia.
A young neighbor, Benton Arbuckle
by name, was equally desirous Of at
tending tho exhibitions; but, like my
self, he was in painful doubt where the
dollars were to come from for railway
fares, for new suit OF clothes and for
other necessary matters.
Often we raised little money by
selling them at the store two miles
away; but the pecan crop was light
that year, and our hopes suffered
blight with it. We knew that seventy
dollars apiece was the least possible
sum that would suffice to transport us
to Philadelphia and return us to our
native country. The case looked hope
less.
We studied hard to think Of some
other means Wild turkeys were get
ting scarce in the woods. Formerly a
good many had been shot and market
ed every fall. Deer, too, were far from
plenty.
After a careful canvass of the situa-
tion, Benton and decided that our
only chance to raise money lay in the
wild hog, which were still to be found
an considerable numbers In the river
bottoms in our part OF the state
These wild hogs are descended from
ordinary swine brought into the coun-
try by the earlier settlers. In several
generations of wildness they have de-
veloped the characteristics of the wild
hogs of the old world. They run swift
ly through the brush upon the slight
est alarm, and are always difficult to
approach.
Shooting is not the best method OF
hunting wild hogs, for unless shot
through q vital part they squeal
frightfully. and often run long dis
tance. The squealing may frighten the
drove away, and cause them to desert
the locality for another tract of forest.
My companion and proposed to trap
them, and so far as possible to conduct
still hunt We intended to make
bacon. for which we were reasonably
L. .a.,. - mr.
We fitted up a disused log-shanty as q
smoke-house, and arranged to bring
home the carcasses on mules from oul
traps.
Benton, who had more time than
spent several days in looking about fol-
a good place in which to set n trap, ant
&. chose one upon Sugar creek. AT {
point where a high bank had beer
! washed out we set stakes and built &
strong corral eight fcet high, in such {
way that the bank formed one side o
: the inclosure, and the fence skirting
= the margin Of the stream formed tn
other sides
4 The yard thus formed included
space fifty or sixty feet across, whicl
q on one side was overhung by a banl
ee from twelve to fifteen feet in height
The earth had been cut away by fresh
cts, so that the roots of the brushwoo
above hung down in stragglin
fringe.
trap gate was constructed to ris
and fall between posts on each side c
: an opening five feet wide. To. sprin
the gate a line was attached TO it, whic
ran across to our hiding place on tn
otner side of the stream.
We did the work very quietly. for y
heard hogs moving about in the swami
Carefully removing all the chips, W
masked the corral and the gate wit
e brush. causing it to look like q thicke
For bait we had bought four bushe
Of corn on the cob. This we broke in
short pieces, which we strewed on trai
leading to the trap. We also gathere
several bushels of &C orns, and the
md the corn trails were sown
a distance of half a mile in three dire
tions-al leading to generous heap
thc r,roveuder inside.
We laid these trails very early .
rsorning after the trap was complete
We were to take turns watching, d'
by day. Benton undertook to wat
the trap the first day, and went hou
We hoped to capture at least one b.
every day.
Before eleven o'clock that forenv