The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-27
TAR HBRL oooNs.
How Jim Felrs Boy Protected the
Corn Field.
From The Ne,O York sun.

Der OF peitS or XIII the DlRRosb string OF game
in a given time. Felrs experience of many
years gave him great advantages, which,
until within the past year, made the old
man the victor, but lately young Jack has
discounted the old man, sharp and shrewd
as he is, to such an extent hat now, when
old Jim and Jack want to accomplish any
given object in their pursuit. old Jim leaves
it all to Jacks ingenuity and retires to the
shade OF favorite tree, where he smokes
his pipe in comfort and peace. The
biggest scoop jack ever got on the old man
was last fall The crop of corn had been
cut and shucked in the 10-acre field. 1t was
splendid crop, but IL looked as IL there
wouldn't be enough TO make "oohn dod-
ger for the family the coons for miles and
miles about having to all appearances held
council or war, resulting in grand
charge upon the field For several nights
coons of all sizes, ages, ana conditions over
ran the field, and although old Jim thinned
out the ranks, having killed over dozen in
one night. they returned reinforced In num-
bers, until the old man became respondent.
lest his appetite, and forgot to smoke his
pipe for the first time In his life.
mo use tryin' TO wipe them ar coons
out'n 'sistance by shootini or clubbin' 'em,
dad. You jis stay away from the cohn
fleP. dad, an let me manage en-" said
Jack,
60 ahead, young un. but I'll bet ole
Lead the old mans favorite hound that
them coons'lI kerry Off Q ohn, stelks an all,
atore you kin put stop tn It,"
ou'me Jis stay way rum the tels
all ask" replied JACK, and he went to
work.
In the horse shed was a barrel Of tar which
Jim and Jack had made in the pine woods
some time before, and young Jack proposed
to make the tar figure in the business of ex-
termination. A snake fence built of rails,
Al n i
corner touched the deep forest or came 80
close to 1t that there was not more than 100
yards between it and the woods. Jack had
noticed that the army of coons,
when alarmed, would invariably
break for the woods in a
long line, jumping and running along the
top rails OF the fence. Jack got an old
bucket and fiat piece OF wood, and In the
COURSE OF an hour or two had plastered or
coated the top rails with the tar TO the
depth of a quarter OF an inch. Over the
top and along the edges, to prevent the tar
from spreading and running off, he sprin-
kled little dry earth, mingled with leaves.
The trap was in shape for business before
shutdown. After covering the center
touch Of the same stuff and then went to
the house.
The family at his suggestion retired to
the cabin at an early hour, and took the
dogs into the house with them. Before 10
O'clock the noise that came down from the
field was so great that old Jim thought that
the army of coons would carry of the whole
crop or corn in an hour or two, aud he
wanted 10 go out and frighten them off, but
Jack prevailed upon him to keep quiet.
They 'uns III not git away, dad. Not
fur, enybow," Jack said.
Old Jim sat down. chatting and mad as a
hornet. After waiting until near midnight
young Jack armed himself with big hick-
DRY club, handed another to the old man,
and said: KUN on, dad, an let the dogs
loose, too.n
When The party emerged from the cabin
and reached the field it looked as If all the
coons between the Blue Ridge and Aliga-
tor swamp had sprung up in a minute in
that corn field. The ring-tailed foragers
swarmed toward the fences in couples.
platoons, companies and battalions, and
an ear Of corn tightly grasped in his paws.
Old Jim and Jack. with tho four
dogs, charged the fence at the back
line, whooping. yelling, and bark
ing, and away they went. Before they
reached the woods, in fact when they were
still couple Of hundred yards distant.
coons began to tumble off the fence or to
stick where they were, and such snarlinS
and swapping of teeth was never heard in
that section as the men and dogs charged
them, knocking them over with their clubs.
The coons couldn't run on the ground with
auy speed. Neither could they put up their
usual tough battle. Their feet were covered
with tar and dirt and leaves so thickly that
their every step was difficult Some OF them
turned somersaults In their rage, while
others squatted down or sat on their
launches and snarled and snapped.
Right and left the clubs swished through
the air, killing a coon atevery blow, until
the chargers came to the edge OF the woods.
There the tangled and tarred coons were so
thick that it became dangerous to go among
them. After a few nips from the sharp
teeth OF the animals old Jim, Jack aud the
dogs hung around the edges of the mass and
banged away until they were literally worn
out The ground which had been covered
with dry leaves was a rolling, tumbling
mass of living but helpless animals, covered
with tar and leaves. in some
cases 80 thickly that the coous
couldn't even see, their eyes being covered
with leaves and twigs. For half an hour
the death-dealing clubs descended, and at
the end of that time the hunters and their
dogs had killed all the coons within reach.
Some had escaped by climbing the trees
close to the fence, but their escape was only
temporary, IS 1t was evident that they
couldn't get far away. They were let alone
until daylight, when old Jim and Jack re-
there They soon made short work Of the
dozen or 80 coons which had succeeded in
getting into the trees Then the work Of
counting and skinning the game began.
There were lis full-grown coons In the
bunch, and it was no slight contract TO skin
them. After SHINING the game the hunt
ers found narrow but deep gulch, ip which
they threw the bodies, mixing with them
armfuls Of dry brush and leaves They
poured half barrel of tar ON the mass and
set it on FIRE, cremating more coons than
were ever seen before in one crowd. The
hunters gathered up the corn which had
oeen dropped by the fleeing animals
and stored it away 10 their cabin
loft, where 1t made a pile measur-
ing several bushels. From that day
up 20 about a week ago, when old Jim told
the story aud showed the big pile Of coon
skins as evidence, be says not solitary coca
has been seen or heard OF within fifteen
miles OF his place Some OF old Jim's trap
per acquaiptances demurred and charged
old Jim with running the business by exter-
minating the ooons, but when they saw the
big pile of skins and went over the field
they admitted that they would have done
just as old Jim had if they had owned such
big field Of corn and had had as ingenious
a boy as Jack.
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