How much havoc would a woodchuck wreak if a woodchuck were set loose?
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| An aerial photo of Kerrville shows the location where the groundhog was trapped. |
During the summer of 1935, a strange creature was vandalizing property and causing destruction in downtown Kerrville.
In late June of that year, Kerrville residents, mostly in the 800 block of Jefferson Street, started to complain about a mysterious animal that was uprooting gardens, destroying lawns and digging large holes under the foundations of buildings.
The creature, covered in thick fur and sporting a bushy tail, was about the size of a raccoon but looked nothing like any of the native wildlife in Kerr County. Sightings of this exotic, elusive animal took place mostly during the early morning and evening hours.
Not only was it a prolific digger and stealing produce from gardens, it was also observed to have the ability to climb shrubs and trees.
On Aug. 8, 1935, both The Kerrville Daily Times and Kerrville Mountain Sun reported that the destructive animal had finally been caught. The Daily Times headline read “Kerr’s Public Enemy No. 1 Falls in Trap.”
Will Council, at 829 Jefferson St., noticed a fresh burrow under a wood pile near his barn. He also noted that the creature was particularly fond of the watermelon growing in his garden, so he set a spring trap, baited with a slice of melon, near the burrow.
Soon, the animal was caught and moved to a larger cage where “scores” of curious Kerrville residents came by to look at the trapped animal, feed it watermelon and wonder about its identity and where it came from.
The animal was finally identified as a groundhog by summer visitors from the Midwest and was given the name “Tony Woodchuck.”
The author of the article in The Daily Times suggested “… since he probably never saw his shadow last February, he has immigrated to the Hill Country’s sunshine to see what a shadow really is!”
A couple of days after Tony’s capture, Joe and Elsie Harris, who lived close to where the groundhog was captured, admitted that they were responsible for the animal’s presence in Kerrville.
While on a trip to Pulaski County, Tennessee, Mr. and Mrs. Harris decided to bring a young woodchuck home with them as a type of souvenir.
After two short days of living in a cage at the Harris home, Tony escaped and spent the rest of his summer wreaking havoc in the yards and gardens near the Kerr County Courthouse.
The Harrises did not take Tony home with them after their admission, and the groundhog continued to reside at the Council home, enjoying a diet of watermelon and other vegetables.
After 10 days in captivity, Tony Woodchuck proved himself an accomplished escape artist and freed himself from his cage.
Unfortunately for this poor little weather-forecaster, his freedom was cut short briefly after his emancipation when he was killed by a pack of dogs.
Both The Daily Times and the Kerrville Mountain Sun reported on the sad end of Tony Woodchuck on Aug. 15.
I have included the full Daily Times article about Tony’s demise with this column. The un-named author of the article had entirely too much fun writing Tony’s obituary.
I wish you a safe and warm Groundhog Day.
Next week, I will write a story from Ingram and how the wrong narrative can become part of the official story.
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