The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-29
FARMER PomFREr GOT nAD.
But 1t Was Well He Did, for Ie Sub
stantiated His Theory About Hawks.
From the New York sun.


Roulette, Pa, July IA man is fool
ish even to get mad at anything" said
Eli Pomfret of tue SinnemahOning
county, but if hadn't forgotten myself
and let my dander get way up the other
day, I'd had TO eat all the words Eve
been saying in favor of hawks for the
past nineteen years and stand up and ad
NIT that hawks are SLY and destructive
enemies of the farmer, as all my neigh
bors have always declared they were, in
stead of being the farmers friend, as |
have spent a good deal of my time during
the past nineteen years in trying TO
demonstrate
My wife said a few days ago that
something was carrying OF our chickens
the worst way
'Weasels,' said I.
No il amt, said she
"'Then it's rats said l.
1T amt rats, either, said she. It's
hawks
Then I had to laugh, of course, and
talked about now hawks didn't steal
chickens, but lowered over US, picking up
rats and weasels, and the like of such
things that were the real destroyers of
our chickens.
81 think weasels are killing en- said
l. IN set trap and catch en-
$50 l set a trap | baited it with
a chicken. l tied a live chicken to the
trap, 50 that any weasel or rat that came
to capture the chicken had to step on the
jaws of the trap first, and that would be
the end of the rat or weasel
Next morning l was up and around
early. l said to myself that l guessed I'd
go out and see which my trap had caught,
rat or weasel. AS | started toward
the poultry yard saw tremendous big
hawk dropping down upon it like can
non ball let loose from somewhere or
other. ! stopped in my tracks, astounded
hurt.
"'This to mep murmured. This to
me! l, who have never dared to run for
office in my township because l have
stood up and swore by the hawk as the
farmers friend This is fought
But the hawk came right on. and the
next instant was away again, taking trap,
chicken, and all. Then l was mad |
swOre vengeance against all hawks. l
would thencefOrth buy ball and powder,
and lay for hawks with my gun, l said.
At breakfast | said to my wife:
You are right, Lucretia. 1t is
hawks
AN hour later, being, busy about the
barn, l saw hawk soaring from the
wood lot, and drawing rapidly near |
went into the house and got my gun l
lay low behind the fence. The hawk
came straight toward my poultry yard,
and so swift was his intent that he had
swooped down upon it before l hardly
knew what was going on.
All = said !. Another marauder to
make me out an idle theorist and to hum
Bile me before my neighbOrs I'll put a
| ball in him =
And l did. As.he rose from the yard.
| 10 nv Sl1rnTlGn without a nbiplyan in hi c
claws, | fired. The hawk fell to the
ground dead. walked over to the yard
Imagine my establishment to find there,
the centre of an excited and surprised
! group of chickens, the chicken which l
had made decOy of at the trap had set
| for weasels, and which the hawk had
carried away an hour before.
This was pulling. l picked up the
! dead hawk. One of my boys said he
would like to have it skinned and
1unted. dressed the big bird myself
side of it was weasel that had not
oeen there long. Then l was pleased.
The whole thing was plain to me. More
than ever, then, knew that hawks were
| the farmers friend. That hawk had seen
| the weasel just as it got in the trap while
stealing my chicken tied to the trap. The
hawk, not knowing anything about the
trap, had swooped down and snatched the
weasel. Trap. chicken and all had to go
along The hawk took the whole business
! home swallowed the weasel, and then
| brought the chicken back home without
feather on it mussed. Is the hawk the
! farmers friendI ! should say So But if
| hadn't fsrgotten myself and got mad the
other day I'd be going around now and
| doing hawks untold injustice, and my bill
for powder and shot this year would have
been as big as the price of farm"