Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-12-02
Bunny Was Not Trying"

story in the New York Tribune which
insinuated that a Kansas jackrabbit
could run only forty miles an hour,
clipped a paragraph OF the story and
fired it back to the Tribune along with
certain remarks of his own. The para
graph of the Tribune story follows:
"Out in Kansas a crazy jackrabbit
started up beside passenger train
making forty miles an hour. The pas
sengers crowded the platforms and
the windows and whooped it up for the
jack. The jack went completely in
sane and raced the train for miles, new
er losing an inch or jump. AS the
train and the jack flashed past the last
mile post neck and neck the jack curl
ed up in the air in the middle OF a
jump and lightly squatted on his
launches and rubbed one OF his fore
feet over his nose. The jackrabbit is
speedy, all right, but he's plumb
crazy"
This is what the Kansan arose to say
about the story:
"Shucks! That guy never did see
that rabbit really run. He was just
taking his morning or evening-which
ever time OF day the incident happen
ed-consititutional. He was just cut
for leisurely stroll, so to speak. A
Kansas jackrabbit never really begins
10 run until he lays back his ears and
stretches himself out to about four
times his usual length. Then how he
does 60, looking like gray streak! -
THAT rabbit was just sorta Looping
along to keep ahead Of train going
forty miles an hour. He could have
stopped at neighboring alfalfa aeld,
eaten leisurely breakfast or dinner,
and even lolled around a Bit while he
picked his teeth, and still caught up with
and beaten that train. ne .
"Kansas folk are not inclined to dis
pute the chap who wrote the piece
about the jackrabbit being plumb crazy,
but they do object to Comparing the
speed Of Mr.. Rabbit with any old pas
senger train going forty miles an hour
That's poky-for a jackrabbit.
"There are lot of fellows with high
speed motor cars who have undertaken
the little job of running down a jack
rabbit. They have been successful on
ly when they got to erowding the rab-
bit too close and he lodged back and
got caught under the wheels. Ordin-
arily the rabbit can make the dodge
back and be mile way and just Looping
along by the time the car is turned
around. The rabbit is quite dodger
when it comes to getting away. He
seems to skid his wheels and then put
on sort Of sideslip Motor car
drivers have often actually run down
coyotes and sometimes they are able
| to run down an antelope, but they sell
dom run down a jackrabbit Motor
cycle riders often try the same sport.
Anyone. travelling on the Kansas
railroads will notice that there always
is a nice smooth path right along the
edge Of the ties on the track. Any
railroad man will tell you that the
reason for that nice little smooth track
is speedway for the jackrabbits. Many
engineers regularly race with the rab-
bits every morning or evening. The
rabbits come up on the track and sit
in the middle until the train is about
twenty feet away. Then the rabbit
gives one jump and lands, going fast,
right in the path and the train and rab-
bit are of at an even start for a race.
Inc rabbit may run out Of wind and
quit to take a rest, but he never lets
mat train get up even with him. Any
one with real sporting blood should
ride the cowcatchers of the fast trains
early in the morning or evening and
see those races. Only the engineer and
fireman and an occasional bum ever get
to see the real sport.
"A harvest hand was walking along
the track one morning and stepped
out 10 the side of the track TO LET the
train 90 by. He saw a rabbit coming
along and reached out, expecting to
catch him. The mans arm was broken
IN seven "r eleven places by the impact
and ne was knocked thirty feet out in
10 the right of way. The engineer
stopped AM the train crew picked Inn
up and took him to a hospital. The
engineer cusscd the poor harvest hand
all the way in for interfering with his
regular morning race.
"Jackrabbits may be plumb crazy
but they are pretty blamed smart, too !
They can be killed by shots from a !
high-powered rifle-that is, if the rab.
bit is sitting still. One of the favor.