The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-06-26

Pull Off a Badger Fight.

Hill and County Justice Miss will
their heads together, you a make
W Your mind that they contem'
plate doing full justice to some ONE
by a clever prank, as the following
Will demonstrate.
Some how or other a real live
badger became their property Mon
day, and that was enough to start
them off on a scheme. They noised
1t around that a badger fight was
to be pulled off in the garage, pro.
vidlng they could get hold Of a
vic Il dog OF good weight, etc.
etc. The dog was promised, anG
after getting all the preliminaries
arranged they began to weave their
net around Mayor Smith and At.
to- ney Morrison.
The mayor did not like the idea
worth Il cent at first until 1t was
explained to him that it was no
more than a test to find out if the
reports of the fighting ability of a
badger were anything like the
truth, and as soon as that fact was
demonstrated the animals would be
separated, etc, etc. The mayor
fell for the smooth talk: Z, G.. was
a bit skeptical, as the knows the
orlginators quite well and held
aloOf, like the fox he is.
About 40 men assembled in the
Trail garage; the police came
around and were quietly tipped off
and they got in the clear until just
at the last end, when they came
slipping in. Automobiles were
backed out, a long bench was
brought in. two bits collected from
everybody, bets were all placed,
Judges were appointed, rules de-
cided on, the dog arrett's big
yellow one was tied with a rope
and was whimpering and straining
with expectancy, then the barrel
was brought in that contained the
badger! The end of the barrel
was covered and the covering tied
on SO as to keep the badger in, a
little more argument, everybody
standing on radiators, boxes or
benches expecting to see the bad
ger come out of the end of hat bar
rel like a Kansas cpclone, strewing
death and disaster all over the
hoor-the very air was surcharged.
Then it was explained to our esti-
mable and honofed mayor, seeing
that he didn't have any money up
and it was necessary for some one
to pull the string that would liber-
ate the ALTERED animal, would he
do it? Sure. A place beyond the
danger zone was made for him on
top of one of the radiators; just at
that time the badger began to
scratch and struggle in the barrel.
the dog became highly excited,
everybody who was not wise was
filled with expectancy. Miss then
shouted Pull the string" and the
mayor responded nobly. pulling
forth with a rush and a slam a re-
ceptacle of a rather delicate nature,
good capacity and durable build.
The crowd. including the mayor,
let out a gasp, then yell which
increased in volume with laughter
and stamping of feet, lasting about
ten minutes. The laughter lasted
that long, but not the mayor; he
hoped off the radiator, stood still
about a second, cheeks all afame,
and, hurting the receptacle at the
crowd, he shot through them and
out the door, the way everybody
expected to see the badger come
out of the barrel-into the rear
door of the Rexal store he dived,
and home. The crowd arrived in
front Of the store in about fifteen
minutes and consumed about all of
his liquid refreshments while talk
and laughing about the way he
pulled the string.
Mayor Smith showed up next
morning at his place of business
fine and dandy, and seems to en-
JOY the joke on himself as well as
anyone else. He is not the only
one who would have fallen for the
string pulling part Of the game,
but he sure made excellent mater
ial. Our cup of JOY would have
been filled to the brim and running
if Attorney Morrison could have
been added as "a victim also.