Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-11-09
A SUNDAY FOX HUNT.
An Impromptu Chase That Brought MOT
tiAcation to the Participants.

tifcation to the Participants.
Benjamin S. Rup2 Of Talmage, Wis.,
tells this story Of his personal expert
ences: Il
lone Sunday about a year ago
mounted horse often used for fox hunt
ing to ride down to the back pasture
lot to give the calves bit of SALT and,
as usual, my four hounds followed. IL
was a beautiful clear morning, just
after q rain, with the roads decidedly
muddy. Suddenly over toward Earlyl!!e
I heard a pack of hounds on hot trail
So did my horse and dogs. My horse
was bound to 60, and as could not
keep the dogs back, and fearing they
would be lost, I thought l would 60 a
little way up the hill and see what the
racket was about. My horse was so ex-
cited that could not hold him.
"Ipassed several staid old Meunonites
going to church and splattered them
full of mud, but 1 pulled my hat down,
looked solemn and as If crying, and they
thought I was going for doctor. 1 had
not run a mile till had met Sam Car
ponter, who has % dogs; Sylvester Mil
Ter. who has ten dogs, and who were
ont sailing their calves and could not
hold their horses any better than /
could. AS we went on, at some cross
roads or forks we met Rudy Frank
houser, Jacob Sewers, ROLAND Roger,
John Sewers, Martin Balmer, Mart
Kuppenhafer, Adam Hoover and about
20 more who had gone out that morn
ing also to salt calves. 1t was regular
sailing day, and never knew that there
were so many calves in West Earl town
ship and that they were all given lick
Of salted bran on the same day. 1t was
q really singular coincidence. Now,
some Of the men were riding barebacked,
some were on mules, some only with
blind brides on their steeds; none was
dressed for either church meetingor fox
hunting. ,
ut was tho most innocent party
ever saw, and they did all they could to
curb mules and horses and call of the
hounds. But the trail was hot and the
dogs eager. We might just as well have
whistled jigs to milestones and expect
them to dance. So the hunt went on, and
we could not stop 1t. We ran to Farm
ersville, then to Hinkletown, next to
Voeansville and wound up at Groffdale
about 90 riders who had all gone out
in the most pious way on Sunday morn.
inc IN salt calves in the back lots and
were led astray by circumstances over
which they had no control. The worst
OF the whole matter was that that In
fernal fox, possessed by the devil, took
US by every church in the neighborhood.
He almost ran into one church, and we
were forced to ride by-splattering mud
In all directions, soaring the old people
and taking the thoughts OF the young
folks off sacred things.
"When we first started, we tried to
make tho people believe we were after
a thief, the doctor, priest, or that we
thought we were late for church sery-
ice and so were riding fast and furious.
But this racket would not do There
were too many Of US and 100 dogs on
hot trail. We pulled our horses and
mules and shouted at the wicked, un'
godly dogs, but no good. He had
through ticket at special rates and
could not stop off. There wero all kinds
Of creeds among US riders, and that fox
took as by our respective churches The
preachers saw us, our elders, deacons,
our wives, daughters and sweethearts
beheld us, and every one wept great
weeps. New York Advertiser.