Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-11-30
A COON PULLING IN MAINE.
Many Dogs Worsted Before Jeff Won the
Fight by Novel Tactics.

Fight by Novel, IactlcSs
Abe's coon pullings are always held in
the cellar under his store. Ihey De-
gin about 9 o'clock at night, or as soon
thereafter as the women and children
have gone to bed, and they last until ev-
cry dog in the neighborhood has had his
pull at the coon, unless the coon dies be-
fore the late dogs have a chance at MIN.
About thirty men and twenty dogs at,
tended the 1896 pulling, which was held
November Z. The new coon was put
into a -four barrel and headed up until
he was taken to the cellar and the. spec
tators had arrived. Then the barrel
was unheaded and laid on its side with
the end facing the crowd of men ana
dogs.
Archer, was the first dog to take TIT
with the coon. He did not stop to snlH
around the barrel, but plunged in head
first and tried to grapple with the coon,
holding his long, peaked nose well down
on the slaves and making rush to get
under his nose and grab it by the WIND
pipe. The coon waited until their noses
nearly met and Hoped over sideways,
bringing the two back to back. AS the
dog shot ahead under full speed the coon
nestled down beside him ana began 10
grip and claw like patent cardlng mill.
For half a minute wads OF SILKY come
hair, mixed with snarls, groWls,. splls
poured from the barrel like chaH from
winnower. These were followed by
kiyis and bowls of pain from Sam, ana
when the noise was loudest out came
Sam with his tail between his legs. he
leaped on top of the cellar wall. yelllng
so loud that the spectators let MN oul.
The coon, having revoked on his own
axis two or three times, to- learn II ne
was all right, laid himself down facing
the crowd and was ready for more.
Clowley's mastiff was led up to make
the next effort, but he had evldenly met
coons before and refused to sacrlhce NM
self for the good of the public. A New
foundland from Otis and mongrel from
Ellsworth Falls were soon whipped out
of the ring. After these, Grip. one,
eyed bull-terrier that followed the mail
stage was invited to go in. The terrier
received two or three bad scratches IN the
face and then his teeth closed on the
coon's foreleg just above the paw, caus-
ing the coon to do a great deal OF spit
ting and scratching, which, amounted to
nothing. The coon pitched somersaults
in the barrel, vainly trying to bring MS
claws to bear on the underSlde OF the
dog. Over and over they went like the
fans of windmill, and every time the
dog came on top his tail raped the SIDES
of the barrel. as II he enjoyed hlmseI
and his situation first rate. The excited
mon, holding lanterns in front OF them,
drew nearer every second, cheering on
the dogs and yelling to one another to
stand back About this time two wait
ing dogs escaped from the men who held
them and got up fight OF their own
While this was going on a boy kicked IN
the remaining barrel head and the coon
backed out dragging the terrier after
him. As the dog gave no sign OF letting
go the coon drew him out to see the dog
fight whereupon both dogs forgot their
anger and jumped for the coon.
When the coon was at last put into
another barrel there were three or four
badly scratched men in the cellar, who
were mad as well as sore, and therefore
ready for anything short of cyclone.
Old jeff, hound with a score OF dead
coons to his credit, being called, stepped
up and looked in below the barrel chinks.
He scratched at the sides of the hoops,
ratified his great teeth on the slaves.
looked up at he people and gave out his
long, sad cry:
'OW, ow, O-o-Ow!
Seek him, jeff" cried some; go in,
old man." yelled others.
Jeff looked at he men, faced about, and
stuck his great Topping tail IL inside the
with a snap like dead fall, and Jeffs
tail was between them. From here he
proceeded to claw the dogs back until
hurt beyond endurance and having no
means of redress, Jeff gave a despair
ing hown and fed, dragging the nearly
dead coon behind him.-Waltham (A1e.)
letter to New York Sun.
Sixty Thousand Seeds in One Plant.
The common purslane is one of the
wonders of botany, as far as seeds are
concerned, at least. A single seed of this
plant will produce about twenty seed
pods in a season. The average number
of seeds in each Of these, by actual count,
is 6O00 making $4,000 in all. AS far as
we have been able to learn, there is no
instance of similar fruitfulness in any
plant found growing in this county. A
single plant of either the jamestown weed
r.jimson'O, the butter weed, the rag weed
and some of the vervines produce an
enormous number of Seeds but it is
doubtful if any one of them produces one
fourth as many in year as the purs-
lane does.-St. Louis Republic