The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-04-27
AN OLD wooDCHUCk'S FATE.

'Speakin' of woodchucks," said an
old Long Island farmer the other day,
reminds me of some curious incidents
with 'em. 'Twarn't more'n fifty years
g when they were as thick as flies on
this island, an we ate them instead of
rabbits, an made muifers an mittens
out of their skins. They was mighty
warm, too. those old woodchuck nit
tens and muffiers. When n nan wanted
a big fellow he only had ter walk
down into the nearest field and take
his pick out of two or three. They
was so plentiful that it was no trouble
to kill en-. But they have been killed
off now ST that there amt many more
'roun'. Once in awhile a big
fellow brings up a litter into the
lower clover lot, ami we have to root
EN- out.
Eve hunt w~oodchucks? Wa-al, 1t
amt much eff they be Young ones. II
O wait long enough you'll catch
them. runnin' across the lot in broad
daylight. If you are a good shot you
can bring one down. They're tough,
an n big fellow will carry away a big
load of shot. But if you get hold of a
oAf IN hh ohA ~ ~ 'f,."
you'll find it no easy job tn dislodge
him. He's too KNOWN a GUS to live.
He'll only eat your clover at night, an
Lord! how much he can get away with
in one night! In the daytime he keeps
close into his hole and laughs at you.
Dig him ont? Waa,, yes; you can try
it; but he'll dig a great deal faster on
the other end than you will, and take
it easy at that. Mind ye, I'm talkin'
of old ones-those that know all the
tricks of the business. The wood
chucks that We find on Long Island are
wiser than those most anywhere else.
cause they have to be cunnin' and
shrewd not to get killed. They're so
close to civilization that they learn
new tricks all the time.
"A few years ago a cunning old fell
low took up his home in that clover
field Just off the lower medders, an we
had the hardest time to kill him We can
imagine. l guess afore we got through
with him he cost us bout one hundred
dollars-that is fur clover destroyed,
and labor at one dollar and q half per
day lost in trying to capture him.
Twarn't any use layin' in wait for him
with a shotgun. He was too wise to
poke his nose out of the hole. But ev-
cry night he'd come out and eat clover
fast enough. He brought up sever lit
tiers of young chucks in that field, but
we killed 'em all except the old one
He'd bring a new mate with him to his
home every season, but she'd get shot
in trying to save her young ones. But
we could never get a shot at the prime
mover of the whole trouble. We wait
ed fur him on moonlight nights, AM
did get a shot at him onct. But l guess
we only crippled him, an he never rem
tured out again except on dark nights.
We had nc chance then. We tried to
dig him out, but after three days of
steady work we got tired. Then we
started to burn and smoke him out, but
1t amt no easy matter to make smoke
&c down hill and get into all of the
holes that a w~oodchuck can make.
Finally, we decided to drown the old
critter out. We got together all the
old pork and oil barrels that we could
find an filed them full OF water.
Then, when everything was ready, 81
an Jake, my two sons, stood ready
with a pitchfork and shotgun, while |
poured the water into the hole. WAL,
sir, that hole held more water than
any millpond.
at took the hull ten barrelsful to
bring il up to the surface, and then,
jest as l put in the last pailful, that
pesky old chuck showed his nose. 81
jabbed at him with the pitchfork, and
Jake shot the handle to pieces as he
banged away at the %critter. But it
warn't no use. The water soaked
away rapidly, and the woodchuck
went down again. grinning at our
failure.
But we warn't SO easily discour-
aged. Next day we added five more
barrels and all the tubs and pals
round the house. Then we began to
flood the hole again. This time we
had plenty of water, but there was no
w~oodchuck to appear. The water
came up to the surface and flowed out
of the hole, but no woodchuck. We
thought he had left his home for good
after his first ducking. But no; he
came out again hat night, an ate
more clover than usual jest as eff to
spite us WAL, we found out in time
hat the critter was so wise hat he
had dug his hole way up toward a hill
so that he could sit up there and watch
us pouring water in at the other end.
This put a stop to any attempt to
drow him out.
ut was 81 that rugged up the trap
that finally caught the old fellow. He
took a big stone weighing bout fifty
pounds and suspended it right over the
hole. Then he liked a little stick down
below list as he would set a rabbit
trap. The old muskrat couldn't ge,
out of the hole noway without hitting
that stick, and-well, the thing hap.
pened two nights later. The first night
the critter didn't venture out, but the
second morning the stone was down,
an the old fellow was crushed beneath
it. We amt had non in the fields
since them. Y. Post.