The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-06
A RABBIT DRIVE.
One OF the Annual Round-Ups OF
the California Pest,
Everybody In tho County Turns Out aud
Helps TO Hunt Down and Slaughter
the Destroyers OF Their Vine
yards and Orchards.

A0OOiO oiiNC IllC SSuH Il TUnC1SCO
Chronicle thus depicts the scene:
The pen consists of two immense
wings over half-mile each in length,
made OF rabbit-proof fence firmly fas-
tened to posts. AT the entrance is a
gate leading to chute some thirty
feet into the Enclosure and to the cor
raj proper, surrounded by high wire
screen fence.
The moving line was, at the start,
fully five miles long, extending in the
form of a semi-circlc. The people
closed rapidly, and when the line con-
tracted it formed such n black mass of
many thousands that it reminded one
of the migration of nations in the mid
die ages, when many tribes were leav-
ing their seats and wandered toward
more congenial homes The excite
ment increased with every minute, and
the noise was becoming dreadful.
Yells of the men, screams of the
women mingled together with neigh
ing horses and pitiful cries of the rab-
bits.
1.-THE jacks were driven now by thou
sands toward the pen. The prairie was
fairly alive with them as they, aston
ishcd and bewildcred, ran to and fro.
with no hope of escaping, no chance of
avoiding the cruel club of the hunts
man.
Just before the pen we sighted a
curious spectacle. At once and with
out any apparent reason the rabbits
began to run in n circle, or rather in 81
series of conccntric circles. Taking
into consideration that there were
thousands of them moving with cx-
traordinary rapidity, it can easily be
imagined how curious this perform
ance must have been. The dust rose in
clouds, and this occurrence, together
with tAe swift circular motion of the
maddencd animals, would make any
one believe that whirlwind was ris-
ing We almost saw II hurricane an
preaching, and SO natural was the ap-
pearance of it that MANY present
graspcd their hats to prevent them be-
ing carried away by the would-bc
wind. One minute later and the
scenery was completely changed. Each
of the concentric circles became dis
solved, wcdged itself into the opening
OF the pen and disappeared in the
chute. The rabbits were in.
What happened inside defies DC
scription. Men, women, boys and
girls pushed in, shouting, yelling,
swinging their clubs and sticks, mad
dened, wild, excited. Above in the
skies, the eagles, vulturcs and hawks
screamed rs if waiting for the prey
soon to be left for their use Outside
the corral the ncighing of horses aug
mented still more this pandemonium,
and inside the cry of the dubbed rabbits
had something almost human in it's in
tensity. 1t was like cry of little
children so natural and pitiful TINT
many women present put their fingers
INTO their ears SO as not to listen to
this seemingly pathetic appeal for
mercy.
I'm twenty minutes the slaughter
inside the Enclosure was over. The
rabbits huddled near the side of the
pen in dense masses, and here thev
were easily killed. Some of them tried
to force their heads under the fence.
and were, of course, also easily
reached. Hundreds of others rushed
against the wirc-scrccn fence, appar-
emily to commit suicide. They were
also soon dispatched. None cscaped
from the corral, it was so easy to club
them, yet the slaughter was not ac-
complished without some fiendish cru
city. Instead of killing the animal
some pcrsons-thc toughs and thugs of
Fresno--would capture it, cut off its
ears or break OFF its leg, and let the
rabbit run. Nothing could show bet
ter the cruel disposition Of some per-
sons than this wanton sport
After the battle was over and the
atmosphere became clear of flying fur
the work of counting the victims was
commenced. a dozen of men or so be-
longing to the Rabbit Drivers associa-
ton appeared on the scene armed with
Ions shears TO cut. the cars of the
killed rabbits. As the conntT bS6ivs
one and onc-half cents for each pair OF
ears the association can make some
money, at least enough to cover all the
expenses Besides the iacll-rabbits'
carcasses are sent to San francisco.
where they find ready market among
the Latin population Of that city. The
cotton tails are divided among the
hunters The number of rabbits killed
in this drive was thirty-fve hundred
outside and seven thousand inside the
corral"