The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-01-07
CRAZY FOXES.
THEY CHASE CHILDREN and R9ID
FARM PREMISES.
Ars5 Attack Dogs, Cats, Cows aud
Folks.

h'su AAtuCA DoSsj Shtss So"S "ne
For a month or more, writes the
Richmond Dispatches" special CORE
spondent at New Store, Buckingham
county, Va, the citizens of section Of
this county, Immediately northwest OF
this place, have been repeatedly startled
and annoyed by an unprecedented
mania among the wild gray foxes that
has caused them to attack persons upor
the roads and to go to their houses ano
seek what damage they can do to any
living thing with which they come in
contact.
The matter has become one of quite
serious import. Never before in the
history of this section-one of the best
x-hunting and fox-producing sections
of the state-has Reynard ever proved
such a menace to public safety Here
tofore he has satisfied himself with an
occasional raid upon the chicken
roosts; now he openly goes to mems
houses and seeks to fight the occupant
away from home.
Some have urged that the entire fox
tribe has been attacked with hydro
phobia, but the symptoms of the af-
fected foxes are unlike rabies, and the
many expert hunters here are unable to
determine what strange malady If NAL
ady it be, has possessed the foxes.
Whatever may be the explanation of
the affair, many startling cases of fox
aggressiveness have been recorded
within the past few weeks
Some days ago, two little sons of B.
w. Agee were walking along path
near their home, when they saw fox
approaching them. AS the fox seemed
aggressive the boys turned and ran
back home, the fox following them
biting at them furiously until the door
was shut in his face. The fox even
then remained about the house for some
time seeking for an entrance, and
finally caught couple of fine hens and
went off.
About the same time fox went to
the house of Jackson Matthews,
colored n1an, and created great excite
ment. Matthews was away from home,
and only his wife and a number of
children were there. The fox had
hard fight with an experienced coon
dog in the yard and about the door,
whipped the dog badly caught a large
Shanghai rooster, and went under the
corn house nearby, where he proceeded
to regale himself. The women tried at
first to dislodge him with stones and
clubs, but were met with so many
fierce growls and snarls that they sent
off for a neighbor, who came with his
gun and killed the fox.
Ma 81 1o1 DIV IN, ln
neighborhood was milking in a cowpen,
when fox appeared and began to bite
the cows numerically about the legs.
The old lady armed herself with cart
stander and placed herself upon the de-
fensive, but the fox outbluffed her,
chased her up an apple tree, and freed
her there vigorously for an hour and a
half. Finally, the lady's son came with
"a gun and killed the fox.
A remarkable incident of similar ma
ture occurred at the home of 7. H. |
O'Brien, two miles north of this place.
A large fox chased Mr.. O'Brien's tom
cat home from the woods. where it had
been straying, overlook the cat in the
front porch of the house, and there had
hard fight The fox finally got the
better of it, and seized the cat by the
back and made off. But as Reynard
stopped in the woodpile to get better
grip on the cat Mr.. O'Brien ran out |
with his gun and shot the top of the !
fox's head off The cat was not struck |
with the shot and otherwise was not |
badly injured.
Another almost incredible incident /
took place at the home of r. A,
Morgan. A fox came up to his house
early in the morning, caught rooster
and ate it, and crawled under the barn,
where an old hound was nursing a lit
ter Of puppies. This precipitated a
fight, of course, but the fox was the
victor, and soon assumed possession of
the premises. Mr.. Morgan tried every
means to dislodge the intruder. The
fox whipped seven hounds in success
SION and was not killed until Mr.. Nor
gan ran the risk of burning his barn
by firing his gun under the house and
putting ten buckshot through the fox.
George Gordon and Charles Taylor,
both colored men, say that foxes came
to their houses and whipped their dogs
away from home.
A few nights ago Benjamin David
son, a prominent citizen, heard his dog
fighting In the dark, and thinking
stray dog was about took down his
gun and went out to shoot the tres
passer BY the time he arrived in the
barnyard the fox-for such was the Wis
tol--had whipped the dog, and then
turned upon him, catching a grip upon
his leg. The fox was too close to shoot,
but Mr.. Davidson, who is large and
strong man, finally succeeded in stamp
Ing the animal to death, after having
had a new pair of trousers badly torn
and not little flesh lacerated.
Some nights ago fox chased two
sons of r. A. Glover home, biting
hem upon the legs. The boys finally
;illed the fox with an axe
These are but few of the many in
stances where the foxes have been act
ng in a strange and unprecedented
manner.
Henry Chappell who is one of
he most expert fox hunters in this
,ntire section is at loss to under I
tand the situation He says that his
Jack is not allowed to hunt in the /