This week’s Footprints story will be a continuation of the stories about the “footprints” left by our animal friends, be they domestic or wild, in Fayette County history. These stories, important enough to appear in our local newspapers, and the subject of talk and gossip amongst our past local citizens, showed the interaction between man and animal. This week, the stories are about some small animals and one very large animal.
“A Faithful Companion” In a story from the October 18, 1928 edition of the La Grange Journal, we learn that: “Professor O. E. Waiser lost a dog two weeks ago, and on last Friday, while leaving the Fairgrounds at La Grange, in company with Mrs. Waiser, noticed a dog running toward them. They stopped the car and sure enough when the canine jumped on the running board, it was their lost dog.” (Note: Mr. and Mrs. Waiser resided in Winchester, a distance of nearly 10 miles “as the crow flies" from the Fairgrounds.)
“A Little Dog Saves a Life” In a story in the La Grange Journal, dated September 10, 1964, “Mrs. Joe Hubenak, hearing a noise resembling the sound of a dripping faucet decided to go outside to investigate. The dog was barking also at the time, but she paid no attention to him, and after examining the faucet, she went back into the house, still hearing this same sound. She then got her flashlight and was determined to find out what the noise was. When she flashed the light on the ground near the faucet, she saw a large rattlesnake, approximately 44 inches in length. The snake had 9 rattlers and one button. The reason the snake did not bite her was because the snake’s attention was on the barking dog.” A neighbor dispatched the snake.
“The Wrong Kind of Hitchhiker”
The March 9, 1950 edition of the La Grange Journal contained a small newspaper clip about an unexpected incident in the Ellinger area. The story recalled that Mrs. Emil Skopik, still using the old method of travel, had an “interesting” traveler accompany her on her trip into town. The occurrence happened as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Skopik “discovered recently that they were rather low on kerosene fuel, and Mrs. Skopik decided to make the half-mile trip to town to purchase some oil. As Mrs. Skopik boarded the horse-drawn vehicle, she headed for Ellinger. When she arrived at the gate to enter Highway 71 at the city limits, she heard a sound in the back of the buggy, and in looking around she saw (of all things) that a ‘hitchhiker’ in the name of a skunk was descending from the buggy.
That’s when the hitchhiker was obliged and paid for his (lift) by offering his reward. When Mrs. Skopik arrived at the Hoelscher Service Station, she was immediately asked where the odor originated.”
“One Big Gator”
The last entry in our animal stories is that of a specimen of massive size. The story, in the October 7, 1897, La Grange Journal, stated that “two weeks ago Mr. Mikolas shot and killed an alligator close to a large pond in the Honorable C.J.H. Meyer pasture at Ellinger, and is supposed to be the largest ever caught in Fayette County. Length, 11 feet 7 inches, and weighed 870 pounds.”
Hence, we are at the tail end of our Animal Footprints Tales. Whether they are large or small, cute and cuddly, or “don’t get too close”, our animals are a necessary part of our lives.
Whether they protect us, provide us with a livelihood, or just bring us pleasure, most people will agree that we like having animals around.
