Both of our hired men have often insisted that a live skunk could be safely carried by the tail, insisting that they had often seen it done. Since the veracity of both men happens to be absolutely unquestionable my father did not hesitate to mention this fact in his writing. He was once “called down by several naturalists, one of them being Prof. Bailey. So it happened the other morning, when I caught a skunk in a trap set for rats in front of my hen house, I at once informed father that I had a skunk for him and it was about time for him to put his theory in practice by taking his own medicine, etc. We all had our misgivings, but were also secretly delighted when he proved, in spite of his 70 years, to be game.
    By means of a long pole the poor skunk was dragged about and roughly treated to make him good and mad. Then my father liberated him, bare handed from the trap, seized him by his waving plume-like tail, and jerked him quickly into the air. There was nothing doing, Prof. Bailey to the contrary notwithstanding. Whether or not the skunk could have discharged his phosphorus-sulfurous essence cannot be said; certainly he did not. After exhibiting and being cheered by the spectators (who all stood out of range) my father dropped the skunk in a barrel.
    Having often watched skunks discharge their perfumery I am firmly convinced that no skunk held in mid air by the tail, could shoot. This is affirmed by a good skunk story that the hired man tells, be being an eye witness:
    “One night when we were out ’coon huntin’ the dogs ran a skunk in the wall. So and so pulled him out by the tail, holding him up with one hand, while he threw rocks at him with the other. Unluckily while feeling for a stone he lowered Mr. Skunk so that he got his front feet on the Quicker’n lightning, before he thought, he got soaked fair right in his eye. He just rolled on the ground; it near blinded him.”
    The nature fakirs often misuse the skunk, speaking of him as though his terrible odor were always present, in being one of his external fixtures. In truth there is no neater or cleaner animal than a skunk or one with lest odor. Those who have very often dug out skunks in the winter time say that their dens even when occupied all winter by five or six skunks, is odorless, dry and clean.—Forest and Stream.

From— The Mahoning Dispatch. (Canfield, Mahoning County, Ohio), 20 May 1910. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.