New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-12-07

mostly women and children
1.-The beginning of the drive and the siaugn-
ter pen were three miles apart Inc Iacler' {"
death tran. was a corral. 100 feet square. IN
closed by a closely woven wire fence elsht req
high. and having arms a half mile long extend
inc In onnosite directions to assist In driving
the rabbits into the pen At o'clock the grand
marshal stood up IN his wagon and gave ms
orders as to the conduct of the drive Ine
Pendleton men were ordered TO take IAe le1s
wing which the marshal personally connahoeo'
as well as the centre Heppner ana lone hieH
were ordered to take the right wing undI
separate commanders, while the local men were
ordered tc the centre. All the horsemen "era
ordered to the extreme outskirts of a driving
line of men two miles long The driving line
was V-shaped. the men being armed with al
sorts of clubs On a given signal the march
began toward the slaughter PEN Eagerly and
excitedly the drivers beat the sage brush AT
first only few Dummies showed themselves,
but as the army advanced they became more
and more numerous Those which escaped the
clubs of the beaters, sped with characteristic
leaps toward the slaughter pen When they
attempted to leap through the line on retro
grade movement, death from club surely fof-
lowed Hundreds of dead Dummies marked the
path of the invaders AS the army of rabbits
approached the netting followed by the army Oh
drivers the frightened Dummies" leaped over
each other and in all directions. seeking to AVOID
the death dealing clubs With the loud yeus
of the crowd and roar Of voices, the exclte1nent
became intense. The rabbits that had escaped
I'D to the netting made frantic leaps to get INTO
the corral. Here, they piled two and three
Deep leaping and on each other, and fierce
Iv attacking the netting. Occasionally. By
giant leap a 'bunnie' cleared the S-foot fence
and escaped.
THE scene within the corr al as the cluboers
entered dealing death blows was nauseatinS
| In the extreme The rabbits, when wounded or
dying uttered their peculiar and pitfful cries
Some men dubbed away with fendish delight
and others kept stolidly at 1t because OF INC
| necessity. as it seemed to them Fully six hum
| dred of the animals were captured alive ana
| taken away for a live rabbit shoot A few ten
| der hearted persons saved some alive, and lib
Grated them at the first opportunity Still
! others carried away many live rabbits TO kill
| and eat when desired Altogether. the rabbits
| slain and taken away alive amounted TO thirty
| five hundred. Personally. I took the part OK
| spectator only and that only to limited extent
| 1T is conceded that the rabbits a menace
to stocknen. and that their wholesale elnina
| ton is a necessity. They destroy the al1alIa-
and where their numbers are large. clean the
| ground as a herd of sheep would do. 1t IS only
by the aid of these periodical drives that their
numbers are sufficiently kept down TO prevent
the stock from starving. On the ground where
the present drive took place it was stated that
In ten days the rabbits would be as numerous
as ever and that another immediate drIvs
| would be a necessity, followed by still others
| AS soon as snow flies the rabbits desert the
hills and flock to the protection OF the s4ss
brush of the Iowland It is then that the in
habitants plan the greatest slaughter Inc
nronacation of coyotes is here protected. as the
COYOTE is a natural exterminator OF the RABBIT
| After the drive free luncheon was served. ana
the peopIe dispersed to their homes"