San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-08-23
WILD HOGS IN ARIZONA.
DESCENDANTS of Tame Swine, But
Now Dangerous TO Hunters.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
The widest of wild hogs live
both above and below Yuma, on
the Colorado River. While the
steamer was lying at Castle Dome
landing few days since, loading
with ore, a fine band of them on
the 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 attention 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 "swish," and
away they all went. Hardly day
passes that the Indians and cattle
men 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, forty-five miles below
Yuma, on the Colorado, he sent
down large number of fine full
bloOded Berkshire and Poland
China pigs, and turned them loose
on the banks of the river near
Lerdo, where they lived on the
roots, grass, weeds, tules and mes
quite beans bred multiplied, kept
fat and filled the low and tule
lands with large number of fine
porkers. Never seeing human
being, except now and then lone
Indian, they soon became wild and
wilder still. and scattered
until the low lands and
woods were full of them.
Notwithstanding that the coy
otes slaugh tered the little ones in
great numbers, they have in.
creased until it is estimated that
at the present time there are more
than 10000 of them roaming up
and down the Colorado and Har-
die rivers, from their mouths up
as high as the tide runs, or from
sixty-five to seventy miles this side
of the gulf.
They 60 wherever they please;
nothing stops them in their course.
When the Colorado is at its flood
they will cross it from shore to
shore, even near the Hardie, where
it is four miles wide when at its
highest gauge. Their range gives
them the finest of feed - white
sweet potatoes, tules, stray fish,
ella ms, dead turtles and sea weed
along the river bank at low tide.
They are unmolested, except now
and then by hunter, who finds
his way down the river. Most of
the hunters give the wild swine
wide berth, except now and then
as they happen to spy nice little
rooster on the bank and within
easy rifle shot.
A few years ago man and his
family were living few miles be-
low the colony, on the banks Of the
Colorado. He had a pair of very
fine staghounds, 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
before he found a large band of
hogs, and turned his dogs loose on
them. No sooner had they start
ed when out of the tuleS near by
Jumped an enormous boar, mons
ter, who, with mouth wide open,
paying no attention to the dogs,
made for the hunter. The latter
drew up his rifle and fired, but or
came the boar, the dogs nipping al
him at every jump.
The hunter fired a second shot
but on came the beast. The hunter
turned and ran for a mesquite tree
few yards distant, the hog close
at his heels. He dropped his CUR
and jumped for his life, grasping g
limb of the tree just as the hos
grabbed his pants and tore one
half of them from him, but he wa
J safe, just out of reach. The dog
all this while ran grabbing the no,
. by the hind legs, to which the beas
paid no attention.
The mad boar seized the bark O
the tree in his great tusks and tor
g it into shreds. Finally he turne
upon the dogs, instantly killed on
and wounded the other so that
died soon after. He then turne'
his attention to the tree where tn
hunter sat. He guarded him unit
1t was dark. Twice did the ma
. get down and try to get his rifle
!. but his foe was on guard and drov
: him hank I'M tho tron Dnrinn fh