Evening star., 1901-07-02
RADGER-AND-DOG FIGHT.
How Some Boston Drummers Amused
Themselves i'm q Maine Town.

now some Boston Drummers Amusc d
Themselves i'm a Maine Town.
Lewiston tAe.) Correspondence Boston Adver,iser
All in all. the drummers furnish lots D:
entertainment for the people in Maine
all kinds of entertainment too Here's
something that happened up country few
days ago, and it hasn't got into print as
yet. As it produced such profound SEN
sation in certain Maine village it is worth
relating.
Seventy-fve Boston drummers assembled
During the day prior to the banquet in the
evening one OF the drummers went through
the hotel office several times with a biz
hunk of raw meat in his hand Apparently
by accident he would let this meat fall on
the floor once in while. OF course all
the bystanders asked him what IL meant.
It's for the badger" he'd say. Then he
explained that a friend in the west had
Ger that the drummers might lend gayety
to the feast by badger fight. Then the
drummer went on and explained how they
did II in the west. and how exciting was
contest between dog and a badger.
Pretty soon all the drummers were talk
ing about the approaching fight, and then
the matter got On the streets. The drum
NOR would admit no one to his room. be-
cause he didn't want the badger fooled
with.
In one corner of the hotel office was tied
a big shepherd dog that had been kept
without food since morning. This was
planned, in order that he might have cour-
age to tackle the badger. which is ordi-
narily more than match for a dog.
hen the wife of the hotel proprieto or
heard about the preparations. she arose
and rebelled most vigorously. She declared
there should be no such brutality in the
house.
Her husband explained that 1t would
never do to offend the men who were spend
ing so much money with them. but his wife
continued unyielding. and when she dis
covered that the drummers insisted on put
tlns the fight through over her protest, she
LETT the hotel She declared that she would
no. return until every one of the gang WAS
cut of the house.
Then the people along the street took the
matter up, and agent for the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
came around and talked with the drum
merS. They said they didn't know any
thing about the matter. and referred him
to the drummer who had the badger locked
up in his room. The agent gave orders that
the fight must not take place. The drum
mer was recalcitrant-
The agent threatened to take away the
badger. The drummer dared him to do so.
and up to that time no law had been broh-
So the agent went away and collected
posse and made preparations to be pres
ent at the banquet and stop the fight.
the banquet the owner Of the badger arose
and explained the nature of badgers to an
audience that listened very intently. He
said that IL it were possible they did not
He said that under ordinary circumstances
a badger would kill a dog. So they had
taken precautions to prevent this result.
He said that after the fight the badger
would be presented to Merrymeeting Park.
One of the owners of the park was present.
and in neat little speech accepted the
animal for the Maine pleasure resort.
Then the crowd adjourned to the spacious
hotel office. They found there about one
hundred of the men of the village, packed
around the walls of the room in order that
there might be plenty of fighting space for
the badger and the dog. In the front row
of the people stood the agent of the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
and his posse. They looked very deter
mined. and had police clubs under their
coat tails.
The owner of the badger came tussling
down the stairs with a barrel in his hands.
The dog had hardly spied him and the bar
rel when he began to bark vigorously. The
barrel was let down in the middle OF the
floor, and when the dog was released ne
made a leap for it. began to sniff at the
holes bored in the side and barked franti-
cally. The crowd. rather apprehensive,
jammed together still more closely around
the walls of the room.
The drummer who was running the show
called attention to two pieces of rope that
extended from the mouth Of the barrel,
suspended on the floor
Those ropes" explained he ARE at
tached to the collar of the badger. Each
rope is fifteen feet long. Now l want to
cali two volunteers to hold the ends
Of those ropes in order that both the dog
and the badger may have a fair show and
that the fight may be stopped at the right
time. Who will hold the ropes?"
No one volunteered at first. Then after
a pause the agent Of the Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals stepped
forward. "Will you allow me and one of
That doesn't seem hardly regular" OBJ
jected the drummer.
well. I'll warn you right here and now IL
there's any brutality shall stop this fight.
So you might as well allow me to take the
ropes now as to have me break in when the
fight starts
"WiN you allow the fight to go on II the re
is no bloodshed?" asked the drummer.
Il shall reserve to myself the right to
stop the matter at any time" returned the
agent with much stiffness. There seemed
to be nothing else to do and so the ropes
were passed over to the man and one of his
assistants. The drummer glanced about to
see that all was in readiness and then sud
"wough' the dog leaped into the mouth
of the barrel and backed out dragging a
piece of meat that had been hanging on a
hook inside. The Society for the Preven-
tiOn of Cruelty to Animals men had bracsd
their feet when the barrel was tipped. They
found themselves pulling vigorously at
each end of rope and from the center OF
the rope dangled this placard. Tag, you re
it!'