The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31
KILLED A Blue FOT.
Mr.. Dresser Thinks n Wanderer from the Far
North stole His Chickens.

WORCESTER, Oct. 3d.. c. Dresser and John
Driscoll of Gardner. Worcester county. are
e~xulting over the ending of n feud that existed
for some ten days between them and a mystcri-
GUS beast whose appetite for fowl caused the
demise OF several fanCy.brcd birds of the Hey.
wood farm, of which Mr.. Dresser is the man.
agcr. Their pleasure is the greater as the
marnudcr proved TO be an animal OF q Kind rare
hcrcahOuts, at any rate.
Not long ago it became evident that some very
hungry and cunning creature was paying fire.
quent visits TO the Haywood farmyard. Birds
were missed and occasionally piles of feathers
were found when the thief had apparently
been too hungry TO wait until he got home.
Generally the fowls disappeared absolutely,
which was taken 10 mean that there was n den
in the neighborhOOl with other hungry mouth,
Finally one fair evening Mr.. Dresser saw AN
animal sncaking along in the vicinity of the
poultry yards. He called DrisColl. who is II
farm hand. and they tried to capture the beast
alive, for the manager is something OF n
hunter AM tho visitor locked a stran,
within Ave feet OF him, but he III out for the
woods just as they thought they had him. They
got u good look ut him, and were sure that no
man had ever seen anything like the creature
in the neiEhborhood of Gardner. A few nights
by the stranger, but it was his last. Driscoll is
II first:rate shot aud is u patient waiter when
game is atoot. After losing, much good, sleep he
$500 $50 ~ - nv Ni't''i "t'A F'h
n fir shot at sixty yards. The rifle bullet
struck in n most appropriate spot-thc neck.
All Sunduy-thc shooting WAS on saturday
hight-Mr. Dresser spent trying 10 discover
what manner of beast ne, had acquired. The
oldest hunters Of the nCiGhborhOod had never
seen anything like il. The general opinion WAS
that 1t WAS u freak. a cross between two dis
tlnct species. But what were the species Z The
rather less il anything. and n tail u foot and
moro long that bespoke the fox and nOthiuE
else. only u was thicker than that of u common
red FOX. The weight WAS n triilc moro than
twelve pounds. Tho head was ulzHllng. There
was n distinct reminder OF the bear IN Is con:
tours; tho sharp depression below the frontal
bone that marks the fox WAS lacking. Quccru-t
OF all were tho cropped ears. with no %tasscls,
knife close TO the skull. Thick fur covered thcln
within and without, and the feet were also
warmly clad with fur. The color was the blue
gray of the Maltese cat.
the carcass TO see il he could lind out what the
animal was, and chanccd to meet y well known
%furrier, who instantly PRONOUNCED II a blue ioN.
which is the name the animal goes by when lac
wears his summer ovcrcOat. In winter II turns
10 q pure white, and ~ AS beautiful II NOT 20
striking as the warm. rich gray, IN" I"N is
OFTEN clad in a brownish gray in the warm
months, which IL not 81 good n color hs IN" hIuc.
and Is less valuable. \ blue pcil brings from
fGn 10 r ~. dressed.
There is u good deal of discussion among
sportsIncn AZ To the presence Of the animal 50
far, south. The natural histories give Labrador
aud Ncwionldland as the southern limits OF his
habitat. Yet the picture Of the ,Arciic toT ~
books are those of the little ihict Killed IN
Gardner. Either he wandered SOuthwnrd over
hundreds Of miles or else his parents did before
him. bringing the race to Massachusetts. Icy
gradual stages, until tho hen roOals of the Hey
wood farm lured the rascal, whose prii. Is now
stretching In the shop OF u taxidcrInist, to u
sudden death.