The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-04-20
A WILD HOG TRAP.
How Two Boys Made Money to
SEQ tho Centennial

Yesterday heard one farm boy say
to another: tComc and see my two
calves I'm going TO keep them till
they're two-year-old steers, and then
sell them and 60 70 the Columbian expo
sitiou on the money. They'll bring fifty
dollars b. that time.
But I've got colt that'll bring sew
enty-fve By that time. rejoined his
companion, triumphantly
Maybe, = replied the FIRST lad, com.
posedly ."But tell you, Frank. there's
good deal more risk on colts than on
steers"
Their earnestness wildly recalled 70
me time. fifteen years ago, when |
was q boy Of sixteen, and lived In the
Arkansas 'backwoods.r Twas making
similar plans 10 visit the centennial ex-
hibition Of 1916 at Philadelphia.
A young neighbor. Benton Arbuckle
by name, was equally DESTROYS 81 nt-
tending the exhibition; but, like my
sell, he was In painful doubt where the
dollars were to come from for railway
fares. for new suit 81 clothes and for
other necessary matters
Often we raised little money BY
gathering pecan nuts in the woods aud
selling them at the store two miles
away; but the pecan crop was light
that year, and our hopes suffered
blight with il. We knew that seventy
dollars apiece was the least possible
sum that would suffice to transport rs
to Philadelphia and return US 70 our
native country. The case looked hope
less
We studied hard to think u some
other means Wild turkeys were get
ting scarce In the woods. Formerly d
good many had been shot and market
ed every fall. Deer, too, were far from
plenty.
After careful canvass of the situa-
ton, Benton and decided that our
only chance TO raise money lay in the
wild hog. which were still to DO found
in considerable numbers ia 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
" through the brush upon the slight
est alarm, and are always difficult 10
approach.
Shooting Is not the best method 81
hunting wild hogs, for unless shot
through vital part they sqneal
frightfullY. and often run q long dis
lance. The squealing may brighten the
drove away, and cause them to desert
the locality for another tract Of forest
Ny companion and proposed to trap
them, and 50 far as possible to conduct
still hunt We intended to make
bacon, for which we were reasonably
sure Of obtaining eight cents pound.
We fitted mp disuscd log-shanty as d
smcke-hous and arranged to bring
4 home the carcasses on mules from our
traps
benton, who had more time than 1,
spent several days in looking about for
. good place in which " set 4 tran, and
chose one upon Sugar creek. At d
point where high bank had been
washed out we set stakes and built d
strong corral eight feet high, in snch a
way that the bank formed one side OF
the Enclosure, and the fence slsirtinQ
the margin Of the stream formed the
other sides.
The yard thus formed included q
space fifty or sixty feet across, which
on one side was overhung ~ bank
from twelve to fifteen feet iii height.
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