Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-01-04


thing for him; it had softened his
heart towards the creatures of the
woods. He knew what it was to lie
in a steel trap all night, and he spoke
of trapping with a shudder.
If the pubic thoroughly understood
the extent of the cruelty which at
tends the trapping of wild animals,
there'd be mighty few fuFs worn" he
once said to me, and he added: mo
decent woman, nor man, either, for
that matter, would order q garment
which 1t was known could only be
procured by the infliction OF brutal
cruelty; no one has the right to call
for such fearful sacrifice on the part
of living creature. except perhaps
in case of life and death"
l spoke last week OF trappers who
did small business, and who were
thus able to visit their traps once a
day. But professional tTappers, who
set lines of hundreds OF traps, cover
ing many miles of territory, very
often cannot visit them more than
once a week. Knowing what a cap
tured animals may suffer in one night,
try To imagine the desperate straits OF
creature which must remain in the
trap until it dies. And they do not die
quickly or easily, as a rule, these har-
dy, vigorous people of the woods
When see people wearing furs.
sometimes wish that they might see
some of the sights which anyone may
see by travelling with a tTapper for
week When they have seen a few
of the harmless dwellers of the forest
lying in the clutch of steel traps with
limbs torn, stretched or broken, and
with their innocent faces distorted
with pain, with hatred for the one
creature who brings them to this pitt
full condition. wonder how many
of them would care to adorn them
selves with garments which have
thus been paid for 10 the misery of
others.
Few people seem to know the extent
of the trapDer's grewsome trade in this
country alone There are thousands
Of men engaged in it-thOusands OF
men who. for living, put to the tor.
ture from few dozen to several hun
dred animals during the cold season
of every year. The majority of these
men are very ignorant, many of them
barely able to read and write, their
chief literature consisting OF one or
more of the numerous papers and
magazines devoted to trapping and the
fur trade in general Most OF them
are not over-sensitiye when they take
up the work. but. by the daily peTpe-
traton OF cruel acts for profit they
come to have not the slightest regard
for The feelings of the animals they
capture and will stop at nothing
which means an extra Is cents.
To be sure, they do often arrange their
traps for such animals as muskrats,
mink and otter in such a way that
when the creatures seek safety by
plunging into the water they are un-
able to regain the bank and are
drowned But this comparatively mer-
ciful arrangement is not made in the
interest of the animals, but to prevent
them from escaping by twisting or
chewing Off their legs.
Thanks to the Audubon society and
to many Individual workers. the traffic
in the plunage OF American wild birds
has been greatly Curtailed within the
last few years; let us hope that as the
object OF this society has now been
made to include the protection of four
footed beasts as well as birds, some
persistent effort will be made to save
from the torture Of the damned the
millions Of innocent creatures which
are every year trapped to supnly the
demands Of the FUR trade.
ERNEST HAROLD RArNEs.