The San Francisco call., 1896-03-22
Estimates Place the Number
at Twenty Thousand or
More.
PENNED IN BY A HUMAN WALL
Frenzied Animals Charge the Line
of Men and Boys in Efforts to
Escape.

selves. The kill to-day has been variOusly
estimated at from $1,000 to 10000, so that
10000 is a fair and conservative estimate
1t was the peoples day, and well they did
their work.
The estimate of the kill was based on
that of the G. A. R. drive of 1892, when
Governor Markham was in attendance.
There was then bounty of ~ cents on
each pair of ears. and the county paid for
over $1,000 pairs from that drive; 10000
more OF those caught were lost or hauled
away aud the number of slain rabbits was
placed at 25 900. The slaughter then, it is
conceded, was greater than on the pres ent
occasion.
The double-entrance corral plan worked
to a charm to-day. The line of people
crescent shaped, started about seven
miles on either side of the corral, and was.
at the outset, about eighteen miles in
length. The great semicircle was grad
ually contracted until the corral was
reached NJ. Very few of the pests got
away, and no complaint this time attaches
to the right wing.
About 5000 people took part in the drive.
The extreme north point of the crescent
started near Coils, and the south point
near Caruthers. On the approach the
right or north wing outspeeded the south
field, and this forced the great body of
pests to the south of the spur-fence line.
When the lines had sufficiently contracted
to permit the elbows of the men and boys
to touch the order was given to drop to
their knees.
Then they formed such a compact mass
OF humanity armed with clubs that escape
for the rabbits was impossible, but the
little animals boldly charged the solid line,
and nearly half the great slaughter took
place outside the corral. At least 10000
animals were forced into the enclosure
and there killed.
In few minutes after the corral was
reached wagons with four ana six horse
teams were loaded with dead rabbits and
were being hauled in every direction for
the benefit of neighboring hogs and
chickens. Hundreds of others will be
shipped to San Francisco. where they will
form part OF many chicken" tomales.
Two coyotes met their death in the drive
and another was overwhelmed and killed
by mass OF rabbits after he entered the
corral. Hundreds of the rabbits were also
killed in like manner. Altogether there
was glory enough for one day.
The territory over which the drive was
made embraced about seventy square
miles. The corral into which the rabbits
were finally driven was situated at point
about fifteen miles southwest of this city,
near the west side railroad. The corral
covered about three acres of ground.
Diverging from it were two wings, made
OF fencing, to form perfect barrier against
escape of the rabbits. The wings extended
about four miles on each side of the corral.
The country which was traversed by the
drivers is of a rabbit producing nature,
being unsettled and just at the edge of the
colonies. In its wild and natural state the
rabbits find perfect home, with delight
full feeding grounds, cultivated by the in
dustrious colonists only a few miles dis
tant. 1t is an ideal location for rabbitdom.
1t was in just such place that the
thousands of rabbits could be found, and
this is why the promoters of the drive Sc
lected it for their operations. Besides an
ideal home for rabbits it was an ideal place
for rabbit-dri
At 10 o'clock the line of march was
formed. 1t stretched for several miles in
semicircle from the extremities OF the
wings. The line was we'll formed and
thoroughly under the control of the COM
mander-in- chief and his aids. The contin-
gent from Oleander, Washington colony.
Fowler and Chicago had started at
o'clock several miles east of the regular
line.
They arrived with good drove.of rab-
bits at 10 clock and took up position at
the southern extremity of the line. Every
thing was in readiness for the general ad-
vance when the word was given.
The people from the city formed the
north end of the line and those from the
country between Fresno and Washington
colony the center.
1t was q most striking gathering of peo-
pie. Vehicles of every description were in
line. Men and boys could not restrain
themselves, and had to go to the front on
foot and hurl their death-dealing clubs.
And such noise! 1t was almost pande-
monium.
Assemblyman Frank Rowell was COM
mander-in-chief, and he showed good gen.
eralship. At the recent drive this feature
was entirely lacking, and failure was
mostly due to this. At to-day's drive the
people were kept in regular line and under
the directions of the marshal throughout
the drive.
A few of the more excited ones, who
would rush ahead of the regular line of
march, were quickly sent back to where
they belonged as soon as Frank Rowell
caught sight of them.
The marshal was ably assisted by II. w.
Skinner and Supervisor G. w. Garratt, who
as aids had charge of the right division.
The left division was under Dan Smith
and ]. T. Lowery, and the Center under
Grand Marshal Rowell. These had num-
erous subordinate aids to carry out their
orders.
Taken as whole the crowd obeyed very
we'll. 1t had been generally given out sew
eral days before the drive that steps would
be taken to keep absolute order in the line
of march. The people came with this
idea and the commands were promptly
obeyed.
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