The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-08-24
.PORCUPINE PARADISE
ANIMAL WITH THE oUiLLs PRO-
vEcTEp BY LAW.

siatutd ii Wiscensin the rake or
whien Ezistl koehefs Rise IN the
unitsd states l'rsiestsi 10 save host
Men froni Starving
Suppose you took your gun aud your
dog and went into Wisconsin on a
hunting and fishing trip SUPPOSE goe
saw more porcupines. Of the common
hedgehog variety. than you did game
Suppose one OF them sneaked up be-
hind your camp and made of with the
string Of black bass that was an you
had for dinner Suppose your one-hun-
dred-and-hfiy- dollar dog made q dash
at the thief and came back with his
nose so fan Of qnllls that you had TO
sit down and pull them out by main
force, while he hawled loud enough TO
be heard ia the next county. Then
YOU would probably pick up a club and
start for that porcupine. determined 20
send him where there are no black
bass 70 steal. and no hunting dogs e
main And suddenly your guide selzes
fdu and prevents you by main force.
IN answer 70 your argument that a
porcupine Is of no use On eaith, he
tells you that Il is against the state
law Of Wisconsin 20 kill one Wouldn't
you think that law was a queer law?
And suppose you saw acres Of dead
t.-.na..s.r1 .,rI if~rh .,1 ...,ln trnro
that the porcuplnes had killed Would
MT you be inclined to think that the
people Of Wisconsin we're crazy 70
keep such a law on the statute books
ana enforce it7 And wouldn't you
think Wisconsin should be called, in
stead Of the Badger State the
Hedgehog State" or the "Poreupine
Paradise?" This queer Wisconsin law,
the like Of which exists nowhere elsa
IN TIE United States. is apparently de-
signed 10 establish the right OF the
porcuplne 10 life liberty and the pur-
suit Of happiness within the state
boundaries. Il has been on the statute
books ever since there have been any
such volumes, and there has never
been an effort made to repeal IT, OF
course Il ia often violated, but nine out
Of ten country Justices OF the peace
viii inhict the full penalty under or
dinars circumstances. This is severe
the law provides a heavy fine OF Inn
pris0nment for the killing or sharing
OF a porcupine. At first glance. one
Of the queef things about this law Is
the fact that no effort has ever been
made 20 have it repealed. One would
supposu that the lumbermen would
have had II scratched on the books
long ago laundering is one Of the
principal industries OF the state and
the lumbermen naturally have consid-
cradle influence in the legislature
Now, the lumberman does not love the
parcupinei on the contrary, he holds
him In undying hatred. The animal
ruins thousands OF dollars worth Of
timber every year. and the aggregate
Of the damage t has inflicted is al
most beyond computation OF course
the porcupine does not 80 about kill
ing trees for fun: but nature has given
him an Unsuitable appetite for the in
ner bark and tender buds Of the bass
wood. the birch, the maple. and other
forest trees He picks out a cookbook
Ing tree, begins at the top, and ends at
the bottom. When he gets through
with that particular tree there is moth
ing left but the bare trunk and the
stripped limbs. Then he picks out an
other maple or birch and repeats the
performance. Meanwhile his sisters
and bis cousins and his aunts. TO say
nothing OF the male relatives. are do
ing the same thing all around him. So
Il Is easy to see why the lnmbermen
do not love the porcuplne. As a mat
ter Of fact. nobody loves the porcu-
pine. Hunters detest him because he
is eternally nosing about the camp and
making on with anything eatable that
he can secure. He does not eat insects
and small animals that annoy the ag-
riculturlst therefore the farmer has
no use for him Even the beasts Of
prey let him severely alone. The pam
ther, the lynx, the wild cat. the wolf.
the wolverine, and even the bear give
the gentleman Of the quills a wide
berth: they prefer 10 get their meat
somewhere else, Why. then. does tbs
law OF Wisconsin protect the animal?
This Is the reason: The porcupine is
llfe-saver. Nature seems 20 have de-
signed him as a food supply for lost
and unarmed and starving men. Wis
consin forests are vast, and human
hahitations IN certain parts OF the
state are few and far between. But no
man need starve 70 death while the
porcupino hOurishes. For the animal
Is everywhere, waiting to be killed and
eaten. He cannot escape ~ ne would.
and he does not try. He curls up into
a ball and fancies himself secure. but
a blow from a club will kin him easily.
In short the pOrcupine is the only eat
able animal that an unarmed man can
catch an KIN. Every year many a
lost and hungry man in the pathless
forests Of Wisconsin has dined heartily
on roast porcupine and come out alive
and unharmed, whereas otherwise be
would have chewed his belt and boots.
gnawed bark. and died-John Dickn-
son Sherman In Youths Companion.