The National tribune., 1902-03-27
HUNTING MULE.F00TED HOGS.
Experience OF Kansas Volunteer While Re
turning from Pursuit of Price.

that the Cherokee Indians mad 4 Dreeu
of hogs that had mule feet. The story
made such an impression on my mind
that | was determined to investigate for
myself some time in The future. In Aug
ust, 1862, after l had enlisted in the 1lth
Kan, and was stationed at Fort Leaven-
worth, L heard some soldiers say that
there was such a breed of hogs in the
mountains of Missouri and Arkansas. In
few weeks my regiment was ordered on
a forced march to the northwest part of
Arkansas. While on this campaign 1
quite often heard the boys speak of see
ing this kind of hogs while out foraging.
And just after the battle of Cain Hill |
heard some members of my regiment say
they had killed two mule-footed hogs in
pen out in the country a mile OF two;
but | did not see them.
In the Spring of 1863 my regiment
went back north to Fort Scott, Kan.
Some time after this my regiment and
the 10th Kan. were ordered south again,
reports said to Vicksburg, Miss; at least,
we marched across the State of Missouri
in that direction until we got to Salem,
III the southeast part of the State. After
We had stopped here few days, my reg
ment was ordered back to Kansas City,
Mo. We stayed there or in that vicinity
until the next Winter. In December my
company (C) was ordered to Humboldt
Kan. In February, 1864, my company
and a detachment of Indians went down
in the Indian Territory to break up a
gang of bushwhackers that murdered
every soldier that travelled the road be-
tween Fort Scott and Fort Gibson. While
on this scout | again heard of this pc
cuiar kind of hogs, but up to this time
| had failed to see one.
In the Fall of 1864, when Gen. Price
invaded Missouri with an army of $4,000
Army of the Frontier had to get Il move
on him. for three months we had no
time TO think about mule-fOoted hogs.
After Price was defeated at WestpOrt,
now n suburb of Kansas City, and start
ed back south, my regiment was close on
his heels until the remnant of his army
crossed the Arkansas River at Weber
Falls, in the Territory, a few miles above
Fort Smith, Ark. Our horses were either
all dead or played out / will not say
anything about the good things we had to
eat for the last week before we got to
Fort Smith, as | am sure that all the
boys in blue" that were On that terrible
march will remember all about it as long
as life lasts.
After our regiment had rested a few
days at Fort Smith, about Dec. ], my
regiment started back north by the way
Of Fort Gibson. As our Commissary was
very scant we all took every opportunity
to hunt for whatever we could find to
eat. We travelled the military road from
Fort Gibson to Fort Scott, until we got
to Horse Creek: there we cut across the
prairie to the Neosho River, little east
of where the town of Chetope is now The
NeOsho River in all dry seasons has no
water in its channel from near this place
TO its junction with the Spring River. /
have Travelled in its bed for eight or 10
miles without seeing drop of water. At
this time there were two or three feet of
water in the channel. We encamped in
grove of timber on the bank Of the
river; on the other side of the river there
was heavy body of timber Ny partner.
Watts Roe. proposed that we wade across
the river TO hunt for something to eat.
It is not very pleasant undertaking to
wade river 200 feet wide and three feet
deep in the month Of December to take
hunt after one has walked % or 80
miles. But when one is starving the case
IS altogether different. So we took our
TevolverS and carbines, and waded the
river. Myi how cold the water was |
can feel the chill yet. While we were
putting on our clothes | noticed some pc
"ullaI-loOking tracks in the sand After
we had walked across the bend we saw
large hog and some small ones on the
other side of the river, but so far away
that Ewe could not get a shot. We went
little higher up the river, where we
found low place i'll the bank. where a
nath led down to the water Just above
the path the bank was % or 30 feet high
On this bank was quite n thicket of black
haws. We stopped to eat the haws. In
a few minutes we heard the report of a
gun ont in the timber, next to the prairie
TfN.T. III. f..lrr -
coming toward us. Watts Roe says:
Now. when | grunt You be ready TO
shoot" When the hog got within 30 or
80 yards of us, he turned sideways to us,
making for the path that led down to
the water. just then Roe made a noise,
the hog stopped; both our carbines
cracked about the same time, but the hog
loped ahead down the bank. and plunged
in the river. as If he had not been touched.
When he had swan about half across the
river young Roe shot at him with his re-
volver. We could see the shot strike him
hetwcen the shoulders, on the back. Just
then the hog turned over on his side and
the current and his kicking turned him
hack To our side of the river. just then
the soldier that had fired the first shot
came TO us. When he saw the dead hog
floating in the river he said: Boys,
will go in and pull him out if you will
hIfiut. vi 'ohiSt, We dSItEu 10 MS
terms very gladly. He waded in to his
neck before he could reach the hog He
nullcd the hog to the shore, but the bank
was so steep we could not pull him out of
the water, so we pulled him up the river
TO a better landing, where we could get
him out of the water. | had often read
stories about hunting the wild boar, but
this was the first one | had ever seen.
But my joy was complete when | discOv-
cred that he was the lOng-loOked for mule
footed hog" Then we knew the strange
looking tracks we had seen in the sand
when we crossed the river were made by
these hogs, and that there was a colony
1f the hogs running wild in the woods
along the river there was no one liv-
ing within miles of this place. How old
the boar was we had no way of telling
except by his teeth; one of his tusks was
broken off close to the jaw, the other was
about five inches long, and looked as il
it had been broken off some time before
ut the point The hog was in fair con-
dition to eat. Young Roe GlAI l cut off
one of the hams; our cOmrGde was well
come TO the rest Of the hog. as we had
all we could very well carry back to camp
strung on a pole between us. | am sat
sfed the hog would have weighed 400
pounds. And the strange part of the
whole story is this: When Watts Roe
and | first shot at the hog with our ear
bines, both balls went square through the
hogs body close to the heart, when from
all appearances we thought we had over
shot; and when Watts Roe shot at the
hog with his revolver. while he was swim
ming in the river, the bali struck the hog
square on the back between the shoulders
and glanced faur mr. 6ya iurbac bafnrn a bo