Evening star., 1935-10-18
BY WILLIAM H. SHIPPEN. JR.,

Stan Correspondent Of The Star.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. October
18-"He woan suck eggs, either. .
And Furthermore he woan kill
chickens.
Mister, there's a hound dawg that
woan even look at a sheep!"
The salesman at yesterdays "dog
mart" here was only an amateur. but
he had a persuasive tongue. Squatting
on his heels, he opened his pocket
knife and cast about among the
Autumn leaves for something to
whittle.
Are you q night hunter, mister2
Yeah. Well, that's what I took you to
be. Old Buck there is a night hunter,
too. He woan even wind rabbit after
sundowr You say you're coon
hunter! Well, mister, you're lookin' at
the finest coon dawg that ever come
out of Fauquier County"
Hound Bays in Reply.
While the salesman talked. old Buck
lifted up his grizzled head and vented
a throaty below. There were dogs all
about him, hundreds of them. of every
size and description, and the general
air of excitement seemed to annoy
the old-timer.
Listen to that mouth on him." the
salesman went on. Talk to 'em,
Buck. old boy!"
Buck bayed, again and again, and
his deep bass mingled with the high,
thin yapping of poodles and terriers,
the whining Of puppies and the shouts
of excited children racing from exhibit
to exhibit under the trees.
The mart was free show open
to all comers. It marked the revival
of legendary custom dating back
to 1893. At that time, according to
historians, the whites and the Indians
laid aside their animosities long
enough to meet on neutral ground
and trade dogs.
Was Long Abandoned.
The mart was abandoned in 1776
because the whites either were afraid
to trust the Indians or the Indians
were afraid to trust the whites. The
dog mart was started again in 1927
as an annual event which has grown
in popularity each Fall.
Yesterday approximately 800 dogs
in half a hundred classes were entered
to show, trade or sell. Aristocratic
pointers and settlers shared attention
with the leanest hounds which ever
chased rabbits into the pots of COL
ored farm tenants.
The dog mart last year drew an
attendance of $500, and that record
was bettered yesterday. The entire
city and surrounding communities
turned out in holiday mood. Trad
ing and awarding Of ribbons began
in the morning and was followed in
the afternoon by a dog auction.
This did not affect old Buck, how
ever, whose owner said in no uncertain
terms that no canine flesh Of his
would ever go under the auctioneer's
hammer.
Only Good Man Could Buy.
IF that hound-dawg amt worth
SIS, he amt worth nothin'. I want
q good man and coon hunter to
have him. I wouldn't part with that
dawg, except my old woman's too
poorly to look after him, and I'm
afraid an automobile will hit him
now that the highway runs by my
place. But I don't want to part with
him bad enough to sell him to .
stranger"
Meanwhile, the auction got under
way. The crowd drew close about
Bacon Kinsey, an auction
eer Of 81 years experience. Kinsey was
on q platform before q loud
speaker. Dog owners handed up their
pets, describing them before the mi
crophone.
Kinsey repeated the description and
called for bids through the roaring
loud speaker, while rabbit hounds, bird
dogs, terriers and puppies were lifted