The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-06-05
BUTT HEADED BUNN|ES
Both Seton, Thompson and
Teddy Roosevelt.
CwaIace Chadman in Tampa Tines

who lives in the vicinity Of Alligator
creek, got up early yesterday morning g
and with a rod and tackle and a well
filled lunch basket went off on a fish
ing trip to Peace river. He returned
yesterday evening minus his rod, with
an empty lunch basket, without any
fish but from his belt hung a couple
Of the largest buck rabbits ever seen
in township IL south.
Just as Marcy reached his home he
was met by a game warden who placed
him under arrest for trapping rabbits
out Of season, as. the rabbits bore no
gunshot wounds or other marks of
violence.
On the witness stand this morning
before Squire McLain Marcy related
how he came into possession of the
rabbits. Everybody was curious to
know whether or not he had caught
them with his hook and tackle as he
carried no other weapon. offensive or
defensive, when he started on his fish
ing excursion the day before.
Your honor" began Marcy, ''It was
the funniest trip l ever went on in my
life. l went up the creek and thought
I'd try my luck in the bay opposite
pretty good appetite by the time
I got there I ate some of the lunch
my wife had put up for me before
tried my new steel tackle. Now you
know, Judge, my wife can make the
best apple dumplings OF any woman
in the county and she is pretty gen
erous with the brandy sauce she pours
over them. Well, l am satisfied she
must have put two quarts on those
dumplings and L tried a generous por-
ton of it before l put out my hook.
Before that I had rowed ashore near
the old pier and sat down in the shade
OF the mangroves, leaving the line
float from the end of the boat.
ct must have fallen asleep because
when | awoke my tackle was gone,
and so were my dumplings and brandy
sauce. l had left the basket open. l
looked around for my tackle and my
lunch and to my surprise I saw the
tackle speeding around the bay in
a circle al a terrific rate.
Then l heard peculiar noise be-
hind me and turning around 1 saw
two of the largest rabbits | ever saw
about forty feet apart and running
toward each other head down, like
two butting billy goats fighting. They
met half way head on with such aw
fu force that they were thrown on
their backs till they fairly cracked.
They lay that way for a second or
| two, and then got up and returned for
another charge Well Judge they
charged each other that way for over
ten minutes before I looked around to
| see whether my tackle was still on
the bay, aid it surely was, going round
| and round at a greater speed than
| when l first discovered it.
| Il went down to the waters edge
to see if l could catch it as it came
| by, and waded out in my rubber boots
| to my knees, where l succeeded in
J grabbing it as it ca near the place
where 1 was standing. I got good
hold on the tackle and feeling sure
had a twenty FOUNDER of some kind
of fish the other end, you can
Judge my surprise to see a big wild
duck come to the surface at the end
of the line and flap his wings and hiss
| like a goose.
Il was taken so aback at my unex-
pected discovery that | dropped the
rod and the duck. feeling free again
flew straight up in the air with M
| hook. the line and tackle dangling
from it. 1t flew over the tree tops an5
that was the last 1 saw Of my fishing
outfit.
Il then returned to my lunch bas-
ket doubling whether I was dream
ing or awake. The rabbits were still
fighting viciOusly. l lit my pipe, sa'
down to take a smoke and watched
! them battle for over an hour and {
half They became weaker and weak
er, their charges grew less frequent
and finally ehey couldn't move any
more I went over to where they lay
and picked them up, got my empty
lunch basket, came to town and wa:
arrested
| The squire sat in deep thought 70,
a while, and then asked If there was
doctor in court. Doctor Whidden o
the sanitorium arose from the audi
ence. The squire asked him what h
thought Of the testimony just given b,
Mr. Marcy The doctor said he knew
Mr. Marcy to be truthful man. II
fact. he said. he could corroborat,
Marcy's story about the duck ever
though he had not witnessed the af
fair.
Early on that morning one Of tn
doctors boys had brought in a half
dead duck with fish hook imbedde'
in its beak, to which was attache,
lust such a tackle as that describe'
by Marcy. The doctor had remove
the hook and the duck was not mucl
the worse for lis experience.
What do You think Of these billy
goat rabbits Mr. Marcy testifie,
about" asked the squire.
The doctor said the rabbits had in
dulged too greedily in Marcy's appl
sauce. had played awhile and thel