The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-08
EARS N)R1HHNDOLLARS
cSlt Hunters In the Western Sections
of Rhode Island.
VHOLECARCASS MUST Be SHOWN.
Assistant Secretary Bennett Subjected To
UnpIsasant Work-How Farmers
Search the Foxes I'm Their Dens-
Bounty offered by the state.

Foxes have their holes in the western
part OF Rhode Island, but they must con-
= csaI them with most remarkable care OF
the farmers of that section will 4 interview
them in way that usually results dis
astrously for the foxes.
The Farmers out in Scituate and Foster
are born fox hunters, but their natural
instincts have been ground and honed TO
q razor's sharpness by the 80 reward
offered for the ''whole carcass, OF every
fox killed In this state and certified 10 ac-
= sum 10 the man whose annual crop OF
uuddfng stone Is so abundant tha. he
needs tweezers to cut his hay with. The
loamy soil up In that country Is sparinR
ofits products and il dame nature ever
did Yield fair crop of anything in the
Able line she never repeated the
performances. The memory OF the Oldest
voter abounds in no "reminiscences OF good
crops and the town records whose pages
are filed with notesof politlcal struRies,
dog fights and other important local
events contains no reference to an abun-
dant harvest. But it's great country
for insects, chickens and foxes. The
foxes prey on the chickens and the chick
ems on the insects and SO the aim OF the
farmers life is to track the fox to his den.
Proud Of Its Fox Hunters.
Rhode Island is proud of her fox hunt
sng farmers, and the general assembly.
not wishing the race to become extinct,
passed a law granting S. for every fox
caught trespassing on these plantations.
A. soon AS the law became known 1T would
4 have been hard work to convince the fox
u unters Of Foster that the entire state
government ought not to be translated
IN . body to the realms OF the better
zWorld. Talk TO them of the military ex-
<ploits of the father OF his country and
,it's pair of golden slippers to pair OF
.lsaky rubber shoes that the farmer will
/. AK you who George Washington was.
Speak to them of the beauties OF the
" orlds fair and with open mouth and
CLASSY stare tho listener Will ask you
what votes are going To be worth at the
nsxt town meeting. But only say fox" to
him and the farmer will leave his horse
atanding beside mis- plow; he will even
climb down from his post on the barrel
head in the blacksmith shop aud stop is
animated discussion OF the date OF
4 he will take.a reef In his single suspender.
tighten his walstband. tuck mis- pants into
his boot tops, lay aside his precious
tobacco. grab pitchfork and start after
that fox, and all the powers above the
earth aud beneath cannot stop him u ntil
the fox is unearthed. He can follow
Cox trail In the darkest night.
He's NO Anisebag Hunter
He can tell the printof fox's foot by
moonlight even quicker than the average
man can tell citizen OF Chicago by his
brag.
Aud when the fox tries to burrow his
way out into Connecticut to escape death
,<be farmer will burrow all arouid him,
turn back and meet him face to face be-
fore he has gone five feet toward the
state line.
and place OF killing the foxes are in the
hands OF all the town clerks. but until
within a. month 1T was necessary for the
sunter 20 bring the "whole CARCASS Of
>fhe dead fox to Providence. and here
have his ear cut off. The state off,
luers hal . busy time for few days.
Es f first happy oos 81 the Of for
Of state, and presented it to Assistant
Secretary Bennett. His ear was duly
'removed. and the hunter strode of with
his fox aud O.
Was IN Expert Amputator.
Then Mr.. Bennett became the object of
sdlicitude to those farmers. In one day
no less than four dead foxes were brought
In that their ears might be amputated.
On one occasion two live foxes were
brought in, and the aid Of Janitor Joe
WAS sought to remove the menagerie to
tho cellar, where the animals were duly
'dospatched and returned as dead. On
smother occasion two foxes. who
had BEEN dead . superfiuously long
fime. were brought in -four
sack swung over tho shoulder of
. gaunt hunter. whose presence was made
known through the sense OF smell long
before he was visible to the naked eye. The
man was not kept waiting long with
unnecessary questions. Mr. Bennett took
= sponge saturated with carbolic acid In
one hand and his shears In the other and
performed the statutory requirements,
but Immediately afterwards he went
home and the Office was closed for repairs
for the rest of the day, while deodorizers
and disinfectants We're vigorously piled.
That was . little too much for
'"Charlie."
he objected TO any further desecration of
his office. 1t II the first time on record
that Mr.. Bennett has ever ventured to
protest or TO fail to do more than his
share Of the work that happened his way.
He has done chores for the people in
general for {sars; he h has coa., sent acts % and
he has drawn sketches Of favorite
scenes or cartoons of unimaginab,e
things at the suggestion of the senators
and he has written both dirges
and love poems for the repre-
ssntatives, and never I, uttered a
word of complaint but when the fox
hunter turned his Office into slaughter
house or q refrigerator tear and asked
him TO perform the duties OF severing the
ears from 90 many carcasses that he fore
saw the position of foreman in q state
foxes ear skin tannery staring him in
the face. he objected.
Banished From tho state House.
And his objections prevailed. No more
foxes are brought to the state house, but
the hunting goes on just the same. The
farmers in tho western township are az
ter that five dollars bounty, aud when
the foxes In the state give out they will
burrow over into Connecticut, drive the
foxes back and tell you they killed them
IN Rhode Island, just as isolemnly and
earnestly as the Little Compton farmer
will tell you that the turkey brought to
. HIS farm from New York state. only one
vsok before Thanksgiving. Is a Rhode
Island born and bred bird.
rKar~~a With Intoxsc>tsou