Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-15
ENeLAND's SACRED BEAST.
Unwritten Law Against Shooting Even
Hen eating Foxes.

Hen-eating Foxes.
Down in the country the other day
there was a village sensation in which
was called upon to adjudicate for the
farmers assembled in the parlor of the
only village inn," writes the London
correspondent Of Town and Country.
One of their number had shot a fox
which had prowled about among the
fowls for so many nights that fowl
keeping was becoming q risky busi-
ness.
1.-The ordinary farmer does not mind
losing an occasional hen but Reynard
is a greedy beast and kills for the
mere pleasure of the thing and the
hunt does not always pay up promptly.
So here was a fine point in sporting
etiquette to be settled. The farmer
had shot fox. He did not deny It, In
fact he preferred to throw out his
chest with pride as If in defiance of all
the unwritten laws Of British sport.
Now custom from time immemorial
has decreed that the fox shall be as
safe from gun and trap as If he were
sacred. He belongs to the hounds
and must be allowed to roam through
the covers and farm yards at will, de-
vouring what may happen in his way.
Custom, too, demands that the hunt
shall pay the damages. The hunt gen.
orally pays, though in innumerable
ic hot
he is being swindled.
But this particular farmer said he
had hunted for many years himself
and had never made a claim for lost
hens. A year or two ago, however, a
fox had had a nocturnal visit to this
fowl yard and had played havoc with
the feathered denizens. A night or
two after 1t happened again. A third
time the fox came around and made
a most deplorable mess Of lot Of fine
Wyandottes and some expensive Buff
Orphingtons.
"Then the farmer wrote to the hunt
secretary and asked for damages. The
reply was that the claim would be at
tended to shortly, and at Christmas the
settlement came in the form of-a ham.
Thereupon the farmer declared war on
all foxes and killed them ruthlessly.
And this was the point which puzzled
the farmers on Saturday night
Jim Crawford shot fox last year.
said one of the men, and no good has
come to him since. 1t hain't lucky and
it ain't sportsmanlike. Let 'em kill
your hens. That's what they are there
for, and If one hunt secretary is mean
there are a hundred who are generous.
There you have it. Sport is sport
and it's rules are adamant. 1t must,
however, be put to the credit Of Brit
ish hunt clubs that they spend mill
lions of pounds a year in England,
Wales and Ireland for the upkeep Of
the sport.
Think Of the hunters that are bred
and sold annually; the packs Of
hounds; the huntsmen, the stable peo-
pie, the dozen of hangers on who make
a living out Of it. Without the hounds
certain districts of England would be
depopulated. Leicestershire and the
Midland countries would be almost i'm
poverished If a law were suddenly put
in force to make an end to the rich
mans pastime. Country houses In
nom hunting districts may be had al
most for the price Of a cottage In
Leicestershire, whereas in the Quorn
and Pytchley country a country house
is as expensive, If not more so, than a
London mansion. Instead Of diminish
ing, hunting has grown in popular ia
yor"