Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1903 — From Wild And Wolfey Curtis Creek. [ARTICLE]

From Wild And Wolfey Curtis Creek.

The region of country some, six or seven miles west of town, where the Curtis Creek ditch is being surveyed, if not "wild and woolly” is at least wild and wolfey, accord ing to reports of the parties who are surveying the ditch. They report seeing a number of wolves at different times, and sometimes were near enough to have shot them, had they been provided with “weapons of precision.” Moreover the region is a little foxy also, although the conduct of one fox seen out there a few days ago was far from being foxy. -On this occasion he was seen prowling along the banks of the creek, by John Alter, son of L. 8. Alter, the engineer of the ditch. The fox seemed to beL conducting himself like a peaoable citizen, but for some cause, and a good many caws, he was set upon by a big flock of crows, who followed along in the tree tops, hurling at the poor fox all kinds of vituperative and threatning language. The fox turned on his course and trot ted back towards where John was standing, and was so busy watching the hostile crows that he walked right up to the tree behind which John stood. John gathered a club and while the fox still had his head turned watching the crows, John swatted him one with the club. The blow knocked the fox down, and seemed to temporarily disable his legs, but not his jaws, and he lay snapping and snarling and evidently wholly on the fight. The club was a brittle one and broke off close to John’s hands on the first blow. Not caring to get near enough the vicious fox to recover the club, John started to look for another, but before be found it, the fox had recovered sufficiently to get up and limp off into the underbrush. John watched its departure feeling that* there was a $1.50 bounty and a nied fox skin slipping through his fingers.