FRANKLIN COUNTY OHIO - HISTORY: Grand Squirrel Hunt (published 1880)
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Histrical Collections of Ohio
By Henry Howe LL. D.

We here insert a curiosity from the Columbus Gazette of Aug. 20,  1822. 
At an early day there was a law offering a bounty for the scalps of
squirrels.  Whether in force at that time we do not know;  if so,  it
must have made quite a draft upon the public treasury.

Grand Squirrel Hunt!---

The squirrels are becoming so numerous in the county as to threaten
serious injury,  if not destruction,  to the hopes of the farmer during
the ensuing fall.  Much good might be done by a general turnout of all
citizens whose convenience will permit,  for two or three days,  in
order to prevent the alarming ravages of these mischievious neighbors. 
It is therefore respectfully submitted to the different townships each
to meet and choose two or three of their citizens to meet in a hunting
caucus,  at the house of Christian Heyl,  on Saturday,  the 31st inst., 
at 2 o'clock P.M.  Should the time above stated prove too short for the
townships to hold meetings,  as above recommended,  the following
persons are respectfully nominated and invited to attend the meeting at
Columbus:
Montgomery,  Jeremiah McLene and Edward Livingston.  Hamilton,  George
W. Williams and Andrew Dill.  madison,  Nicholas Goetschius and W.H.
Richardson.  Truro,  Abiather V. Taylor and John Hanson.  Jefferson, 
John Edgar and Elias Ogden.  Plain,  Thomas B. Patterson and Jonathon
Whithead.  Harrison,  F.C. Olmstead and Capt. Bishop.  Sharon,  Matthew
Matthews and Bulkley Comstock.  Perry,  Griffith Thomas and William
Mickey.  Washington,  Peter Sells and Uriah Clark.  Norwich,  Robert
Elliott and Alanson Perry.  Clinton,  Col. Cook and Samuel Henderson. 
Franklin,  John McIlvain and Lewis Williams.  Prairie,  John Hunter and
Jacob Neff.  Pleasant,  James Gardiner and Reuben Golliday.  Jackson, 
Wollery Coonrod,  and Nicholas Hoover.  Mifflin,  Adam Reed and William
Dalzell.

In case any township should be unrepresented in the meeting those
prresent will take the liberty of nominating suitable persons for said
absent township.

Ralph Osborn,  Lucas Sullivant,  Gustavus Swan,  Samuel G. Flenniken, 
Christian Hey,  John A. McDowell.

A subsequent paper says:  "The hunt was conducted agreeably to the
instructions in our last paper.  On counting the scalps it appeared that
19,660 scalps were produced.  It is impossible to say what number in all
were killed,  as a great many of the hunters did not come in.  We think
we can safely challenge any other county in the State to kill squirrels
with us."


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