The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1893-01-20
WILDCAT IN SCHOOL.
Exciting Times For a Plucl<y Schooima'am
and Her Visitor.

Exciting Times For Plucky ScIiooiih" "'h
and Her Visitor.
HAYDEN Gray, school visitor in the
Alder Ridge, Conn.,, district, and
Alice Griswold, teacher of the shool,
had an exciting experience with a
wildcat day or two ago. The Alder
Ridge district lies among the hills IN
the southern part OF Mlddlesex
county. The schoolhouse stands on
a flat at the foot of high hill. The
day was warm, and a window on the
side of the building toward the hill
was open. The school visitor had
lust dismissed a class that he had
been examining when a dog came
tearing down the hill, and the next
minute an immense wildcat sprang
through the open window and landed
on the floor in front of the teachers
desk.
At sight of the animal the scholars
ran to a corner of the room and hud-
died together on top Of the desks.
! The school visitor, man we'll along
in years, climbed on top of the
teachers desk and yelled for her to
ioin him. Miss GrisWOld stood near
the stove, and picking up heavy
iron poker, held her ground. Close
on the heels of the wildcat came the
dog, which sprang through the
window and landed near the cat.
The two animals clinched at once,
and in less than minute the dog
skunk under the benches with one
side of his scalp torn off and one for
ward leg so badly chewed that it
couldn't use it.
The cat was fully aroused, and
turned its attention to the school
visitor who had taken occasion in
the brief fight between the cat and
the dog to lift chair to the top of
the desk and climb upon it. The
wildcat leaped at the man. The
school visitor had picked up the
school bell as weapon, and when
the wildcat reached the desk he
struck the animal blow on the head
that knocked it to the floor and made
it madder than ever. Digging its
claws into the floor it made another
spring. This time it reached the
chair and knocked it and the school
visitor in a heap tC the floor. 1t
then sprang at the man, who fought
| 1,n oO1 nf hn
the bell, and he would probably have
suffered severely had not the teacher
came to his assistance with the
poker.
The woman hammered at the cat
numerically with the iron bar and
drove it into corner, where she
belabOred it until it was dead. The
school visitor was scratched and his
clothes were torn, but he was not
seriously injured. The teacher came
out of the fray without a mark.
More Hogs. Less Wheat.
Grandin, n. D., Chronicle: This is
the thoughtful studious, season OF
the year, when the farmers of North
Dakota have more leisure than at
any other time Of the year: and this
is the time when they should discuss
in all its aspects the feasibility and
profit of diversifying crops. For
instance, there is no reason why the
number of hogs raised in North Da-
kota should not be tenfold greater than
at present. ALI kinds of grains suit
able for feed are extremely low, and
pork in eastern markets is inordi-
nately high. Present values are
higher than they have been since
1888, and only once since 1892 have
they exceeded the present prices.
Since American pork product was
admitted to the markets Of the world
the increase in the demand has been
wonderful. Government statistics
show that in May, 1892, 82,0OO,OOO
pounds of pork product were exported
against $1,000, 900 pounds for the same
month in 1891, and in June there
were $4,000, ,OOO'pounds shipped against
100000 pounds in June, 1891. There
is every reason to presume that the
export demand in 1893 will almost
double that of 1892, which, taken
with the enormous shortage in the
supply, the fact that the great pack
ers have practically ceased operations
and that the visible supply of pork
product on Jan. is less than for
years, leads the Herald to believe that
hogs and hog product will 90 higher
in 1893. The export demand must be
supplied, and the 10000 decrease in
the supply cannot be overcome during
1893.
Let the farmers of North Dakota
ponder we'll the subject of raising
hogs. Let them raise more hog feed
and less wheat for a few years, and
they will have solved the great prob
lem OF low prices for breadstuffs.