Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-15
WILD HOGS IN ARIZONA.
The Degenerate Progeny of Swine of Ari
 tocratic Ancestry.

The Degenerate Progeny of Swine of Aris-
 tocratic Ancestry.
 The widest of wild hogs live both above and below Yuma. on the Colora- do river. While the steamer was lying at Castle Dome landing n few days since, loading with ore, n fine band of them on tho opposite shore came down to the river to feed on the banks, where the grass and weeds were green, and to get drink of water. They paid no at- tention to the boat nor to the Indians at work. After loafing around for awhile an old boar came out of the brush. and on spying us gave a swish" and away they all went. Hardly day passes that the Indians and cattlemen do not run upon them These bands seem to be more timid than ugly.
 When the late Thomas Blythe was trying to settle a colony at Lerdo. 45 miles below Yuma, on the Colorado, Inc sent down n large number of very fine full blooded Berkshire and Poland China pigs and turned them loose on the banks of the ri yer near Lcrdo, where they lived on the roots, grass, weeds, jules and mesquite beans; bred, multi piled, kept fat and filled the low and tule lands with large number of fine porkers. Never seeing n human being, except now and then a lone Indian, they soon became wild and wilder still, and scattered until the lowlands and woods were full of them.
 Notwithstanding that tho coyotes slaughtered tho little ones in great num- bers, they have increased until it is es- timated that at the present time there arc more than 10, 900 of them roaming up and down the Colorado and Hardie rivers, from their mouths up as high as tho tide runs, or from 65 to 70 miles this side of the gulf.
 They 20 wherever they please. Noth- ing stops them in their course When the Colorado is at its flood, they will cross it from shore to shore, even near tho Hardic, where it is four miles wide when at its highest gauge. Their range gives them the finest of fccd-wild sweet potatoes, jules, stray fish, clans, dead turtles and scawccd along tho river bank at low tide.
 They arc unmolcstcd, except now and then by n hunter who finds his way down the river. Most of tho hunters give tho wild swine wido berth, OK cept now and then as they happen to spy nice little roastcr on tho bank and within easy rife shot.
 A few years ago a man aud his family were living n few miles below tho col. ony on tho bank of tlc Colorado. He had a pair of very fine, large staShounds. which the owner claimed could run down and kill any wild hog in that region. One day he took dogs and rifle and went for nice little one, just right for the oven. He had not gone far b,' fore he found largo band of hogs and turned his dogs loose on them. Nc sooner had they started when out of the jules near by jumped an enormous boar, n monster, who, with mouth wide open. paying no attention to the dogS.s madt for tho hunter. The latter drew up his rife and fired. but on came the boar, the dogs nipping him at every jump The hunter fired second shot, but on came the beast. The hunter turnC, and ran for mesquite trcc few yard. distant. the hog cloSc to his heels II, dropped his gun and jumped for life | graspiug n limb of the tr,'c just as tn, hog grabbed his pants and turC one hal of them from him. hut Inc was safe. jus out of reach. The dogs all this whil, ran grabbing the hog by the hind legs to which the beast paid nn attention. The mad hnar seized the bark of tn, tree in his great tuSkS and turr it intt shrcds Finally he turned upon th, dogs, instantly killed one and wuuud,t the other sn that it died soon after. II, then turned his attention tu the tr,t where sat the hunter. He guarded hin until it was dark. Twice did the maI get down and try to get his rifle, bu his foe was on guard and druvo hin back up tho tree. During tho night tn, boar left. Daylight came. and so dit help. The men had hardly reached tn, river and got i'll their boat when dowr came tho old hog after thcm ill vain pur suit.-San Francisco Chronicle.