372 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 28, 1893. 



be captured that way. NeTertheless, it was generally be- 

 lieved that Brown had accomplished a feat that could not 

 be done by any other man in that region. 



A few years prior to the time of which I write there 

 were two brothers who were both crippled by an en- 

 Counter with a bear. They were skilled hunters, six- 

 footers, and heavily-built men. It was a sort of hand to 

 hand combat, where the two men were badly worsted, 

 thoroughly "chawed up," ae it were, one having his 

 thigh broken in two places, while the other had a 

 shoulder badly lacerated and the scalp torn from his 

 skull, so that it hung like a flap over the face. The par- 

 ticular circumstances which brought about such a singu- 

 lar episode I have neither time nor space to relate here. 



By a providential circumstance they were found by a 

 party of hunters who happened that way soon after the 

 occurrence. Both men Avere helpless and were carried 

 out of the woods on stretchers. Their recovery remained 

 doubtful for several months: but they finally lived 

 through. But they were both maimed and disabled for 

 life. Antleb. 



GBAKDvrBw, Tenr. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



DES MOINES, la., May 16.— About a week ago, when 

 leaving Chicago on the evening train of the St, 

 Paul & Kansas City road, I witnessed a little incident 

 which interested me at the time, and which may cast 

 some little light on the question of the speed of a flying 

 bird. We Avere about forty or fifty miles out of the city, 

 I should think, and I was at the supper table in the dining 

 car, it being then just a little before dusk, when I saw 

 five prairie chickens flying along parallel with the train 

 and about a hundred yards or more distant. I believe 

 they kept this course for more than a mile before they 

 finally turned around a hill and disappeared. They were 

 doubtless on their regular evening flight to their roost- 

 ing groimds, and any one knows that at such a time they 

 usually fly with great steadiness and rapidity. I lined 

 the birds up with the edge of the window casement, and 

 could see that they did not gain much on the train. 

 Either the train or the birds were irreg-ular, for first one 

 and then the other would see-saw ahead and settle back. 

 The train must have been going over fifty miles an hour, 

 for it makes a fast run through there. From the way 

 the birds followed the surface of the grouad. not holding 

 high up in the arrowy flight of the cold fall days, I 

 should think that they were going at about three-fourths 

 of theu- top speed. Our friends curious in figures might 

 from this formulate a guess not quite so rude as one alto- 

 gether unaided. It had been my impression that apraii-ie 

 chicken would fly right away from a railway train, but 

 in this long race it did not seem that way. 



AU through Iowa and Missouri the country was look- 

 ing simply beautiful in the early spring, lying out fresh 

 and pleasant in a succession of gentle valleys and rolling 

 ripples of green. The crabapples were in bloom and the 

 dandelions covered the banks, and down in Missouri the 

 "redbud" trees were in full flower. It was very pleasant 

 to see the quiet country life unfolded in panorama as we 

 passed, the cattle grazing on the blue grass pastures, the 

 farm dog dozing in the sun, and now and then a turkey 

 strutting through the yard. For sporting purposes, how- 

 ever, most of this region across central and southwestern 

 Iowa and the upper corner of Missouri has seen its day. 

 Its beauty now is the beauty of the garden and not of the 

 forest or prairie. 



And so on to historic Leavenworth, the most beautiful 

 city of Kansas, and indeed one beautiful enough in any 

 company, though 'Kansas does not offer a very hot com- 

 petition for the most part. Familiar with the arid west- 

 ern plains of Kansas, I had never seen this old town 

 before, and it seemed very delightful, albeit quiet and 

 quite done its active work apparentlv. This year Leaven- 

 worth has just 250 inhabitants less than it had last year. 

 Leavenworth supplies the West with prominent citizens. 

 They are scattered all through the mountain and plains 

 country. Nearly everybody in Colorado lived in Leaven- 

 worth once. Provided one be done with the active con- 

 flict, I do not know a better place to settle in, and a better 

 place for a town never was. The hills make a grand 

 amphitheafer down to the river. The country round 

 about is a noble one. Fort Leavenworth, the military 

 post and training school located about three miles above 

 the city, is situated in a bit of country as lovely as ever 

 lay out of doors, "It's nearly as pretty as the Bluegrass 

 country," said Lieut. Hughes, one of the oflicers I met at 

 the post. TMs, coming from a native of the bluegrass 

 section of Tennessee, is certainly much of an admission. 

 But Fort Leavenworth is called bv the army officers one 

 of the most beautiful posts in the United States, and they 

 are glad to be stationed there. I believe, however, tha"t 

 this is largely on account of the feminine population of 

 Leavenworth town, which is numerous and beautiful in 

 the extreme, and therefore of a quality to appeal to the aj^- 

 thetic nature of the gallant gentlemen of the army, Where 

 the officers are gathered together, there are the ladies 

 also, and vice versa. I don't know whether it is the offi- 

 cers, or the ladies, or the bluegrass country around Leav- 

 enworth which is responsible for this state of affairs, but 

 CA^erybody seems very happy over it. 



And hey! for the glory of the army I The only trade 

 for a man, I do think, and one kindly to its followers. 

 The result of the physical training is so apparent. The 

 men are all men, and not stoop-shouldered villeins. The 

 uniformity of the excellence of their physical carriage 

 ought to be a shame to the average dollar hunter. 



"There's the assembly," said Lieut. "Billy" Wright, as 

 a bugle began to sing, "and if you want to see the cavalry 

 parade, get out.'" Presently the troops came by, full trot, 

 shining, resplendent, magnificent, the "Senegambian 

 Hussars," as Lieut. "Billy" called the colored troop in 

 front, each big negro of the lot proud of his job, and rid- 

 ing like a king. If you want to see superb horsemanship, 

 go to Leavenworth. And if you want to feel your back- 

 bone quiver, listen to the ti-umpets. 



After dinner we Aveut out across the town, tliree miles 

 in the opposite direction, to the Soldiers' Home. Here 

 was the obverse of the medal of glory. Two thousand 

 graybeards, hobbling, crawhng, sitting, unranked. half 

 uniformed. All waiting. No trumpets here. There 

 may be trumpets some day sounding m reveille over the 

 white headstones on the green hills yet beyond the 

 buildings of the Home. And so we ran it d'own, this 

 trail of glory, from the epauletted youngster seeking the 

 bubble reputation, to the lean and slippered parodv of 

 that, and finally the end of it all, Funny business, this 



living ! If you go to the Soldiers' Home, you would much 

 better go back to the Fort next day and hear the bugles 

 again, and talk with Lieut. Billy, or Lieut, Wren, or 

 Lieut. Hammond, or Lieut. Cruse, or Lieut, Perkins, or 

 Lieut. Scott, or Lieut. Wilson, or Lieut. French, or Lieut. 

 Evans, or Lieut, Elliott, or Lieut. Nicholson from Eiley, 

 or some of the flock of young officers you may find out 

 there. The woods are full of them, and they are full of 

 fun. 



"Did you ever hear Col. -^s elk story?" asked one of 



these young gentlemen. "You know, it happened after 



dinner one evening. Col. was telling how he chased 



a great elk Avhich he had wounded, and which he was 

 particularly anxious to secure on account of its magnifi- 

 cent antlers, which he declared measured over seven feet 

 from tip to tip. 'I run the old fellow right up to the edge 

 of a heavy wood,' said the Colonel, 'but there I had to 

 stop, and I lost him. The trees stood so thick no horse- 

 man could get through. They weren't over tAvo feet 

 apart anywhere.' 



" 'How wide did you say that elk's antlers were, Colo- 

 nel?' somebody asked him. 



" 'Seven feet, sir; not an inch less, sir,' said th6 Ooi- 

 onel. 



" 'And how far apart were the trees?' 



" 'Not an inch over two feet, sir, not an inch.' 



"Well, now, how in did the elk ever get in there 



himself?' 



"The Colonel stopped a moment, and then straightened 

 up. 'Gentlemen,' fie said, 'he did just exactly as I would 

 have done under the circumstances had I been in his 

 place, and just as I have to do now— he had to take in his 

 horns!' " 



"Well," spoke up another officer near by, "Col. 



got out of that better than Gen. — did out of his fish 



story. Did you ever hear of that?" No one ever had, 



"Yoti see, I don't know whether I ought to tell it or not; 

 but if a general could tell it, I suppose a lieutenant can. 

 It seems that Gen. — was out fishing, down in Flor- 

 ida, The day was warm, and the temptation to go into 

 the water was very great. Fastening his line to a stump, 

 he removed his clothing and went in bathing. 'I was 

 just about to come out and resume my apparel,' said the 

 General, 'when I noticed a terrific tug at my line and 

 knew I had a fish of very considerable size. Loosening 

 the line from the stump, I went to work to land the fish, 

 when to my surprise the creature made a determined 

 rush for the sea and I found I could not control it. In 

 some way I became entangled in the line, and was rap- 

 idly hauled down the beach in spite of my struggles. I 

 felt the water dash above me as I Avas rapidly pulled in, 

 and I gave up all for lost. But, gentlemen, I have never 

 yet known my presence of mind to fail me in a time of 

 danger, and it did not now, I thrust my hand into my 

 pocket, drew out my knife, and in a moment had cut the 

 line and was free! Had it not been for that, you would 

 not see me here to-night." You ought to have seen the 

 General's face when they asked him where the pocket 

 came in in a story like that!" 



All sorts of larking when it isn't dress parade, but 

 when the serious part of life is on at the Post the cere- 

 mony and dignity of the military community is some- 

 thing very pretty. 



Mr. W. W. Carney, so well known to readers of 

 Forest and Stream as former owner of the ranch at 

 Great Bend, where the annual coursing meet of the 

 American Club is held, is now at Leavenworth, and with 

 him and his brother, E. L. Carney, the hours fled all too 

 quickly. In the evening Ave went over and called on 

 Col. Moonlight, one of the best known figures in Kansas 

 and Western history. Col, Moonlight was once governor 

 of Wyoming, and has long been prominent in political 

 circles. We got him to talking of his early Indian fight- 

 ing and hunting days, and passed a great evening. A 

 very romantic career has been Col. Moonlight's, I heard 

 elsewhere. He ran away from Scotland Avhen he was a 

 mere boy, and somehow got into the army in this country 

 and has been in all the wars, I understand, from the 

 French and Indian war on down, including the Seminole 

 Indian Avar, to say nothing of having been a Govern- 

 ment surveyor at the time Avhen a Winchester was more 

 useful at that work than a transit. Sometimes nowadays 

 the Colonel goes out on the range for a while, and as 

 soon as he leaves the settlements he throws off his hat 

 and goes bareheaded, sun or rain, till he comes back 

 again. "When I go on a hunt," said the Colonel, ''I 

 never take but one cooking vessel, and that is a common 

 tin cup. You can cook, any thing you want in a tin cup. 

 I don't see what any one would want with any more 

 dishes than that." I should like a photograph of Gol. 

 Moonlight on a hunt, hatless, and bearing a single tin 

 cup. It seems to me that is traveling about as light as 

 they make it. 



Frqpa Leavenworth to the croppy tournament at St. 

 Joseph, as see small bills. On Thursday evening there I 

 met Mr. A. G. Courtney laboring up the hill to his hotel 

 with his Lefever under his arm. "Where's Charlie 

 Willard and Rolla Heikesr" he asked. 



"Gone home this afternoon," said I. 



"That's all you know about it. They haven't gone 

 home. They missed their train, and I just left them on 

 their way back to the lake to go fishing again. If I didn't 

 have to go to St. Louis I'd go back to the lake myself and 

 fish all day to-morrow." St. Joseph and the lake offer 

 rare attractions for a trap tournament. 



Here at Des Moines I find everybody looking forward to 

 the opening of the Iowa State tournament at this place on 

 Tuesday of next week. This should be a good event, 

 though I believe the croppy fishing at Des Moines is not 

 so exceptionally good. 



From the West comes one more account of shocking acci- 

 dent from shooting carelessness. In this case a husband 

 killed his wife. The affair happened at Colorado Springs, 

 Col. Mr. and Mrs. Winn, of Coronado, Kas., were withtAvo 

 friends returning from a pleasuring trip of over a month 

 in the mountains. Two ladies rode in one buggy, Mrs. 

 Winn being one of these. Mr. Winn and a friend rode in 

 a carriage directly ahead. In this vehicle were two shot- 

 guns, loaded. Mr. Winn moved one of these in some way 

 and it was discharged, the contents striking Mrs. Winn 

 in the neck and killing her almost at once. A fine repri- 

 mand for the man who allowed those loaded guns in the 

 carriage; but perhaps ho didn't like his Avife very much, 

 anyhow. The man who carries a loaded gun in a vehicle 

 ought to be treated as though he expected to kill some 

 one. 



At this date the tremendous forest fires of th^^ Michigan 



lower peninsula are reported abating. Many counties 

 have suffered terribly. No lives are reported lost, but 

 property of the value of several million doUars has been 

 destroyed. Grouse miist have been destroyed in the egg 

 by thousands and thousands, and perhaps many fawns 

 also perished, though as to the season of their birth in 

 that region I am not so certain. These great fires are 

 public calamities and herein should lie a lesson to the 

 careless camper. A newspaper which has gone into this 

 matter somewhat has the following to say: 



"In the great majority of cases these forest fires are 

 caused by willful carelessness. Out of nearly 3,000 in- 

 stances collated in the tenth census, 1.1.53 'fires were 

 started deliberately for clearing land, 638 by hunters' 

 fires, 262 by what the returns called "malice," 197 by 

 reckless efforts to improve pasturage and only 50B by 

 locomotive sparks. In other words, more than 80 per 

 cent, of the fires might have been prevented by the exer- 

 cise of proper and sensible precautions." E. Hough. 



SIX YEARS UNDER MAINE GAME LAWS. 



VII,— ON KILLING DOGS. 



1AM going to give the tradition of the origin of the law 

 permitting the slaughter of deer dogs, to show the 

 consequences of the practice, the unAvisdom of it, the 

 extra-legal abuse of this doubtful privilege, the trouble 

 certain to come from it and the fact that the Game Com- 

 missioners were fully warned of what was sure to hap- 

 pen. We cannot deal with compliments now, and the 

 burden of this whole miserable business of dog-killing 

 Avith its dreadful consequences, must be left to rest where 

 it falls. 



Deer dogging is not a recent practice in the eastern part 

 of the State. As early as the forties considerable of it 

 was done, although it was by no means general: for the 

 people of the southeastern part of the State were a race 

 of still-lmnters. It is hardly necessary to say that at that 

 period there were few if any deer, excep't stragglers, 

 west of the Penobscot, so that both still-hunting and 

 dogging were necessarily confined to the regions where 

 both have fiourished most ever since. Dogging was not 

 illegal at this time, and did not become so at any season 

 of the year previous to 1853, while it was not prohibited 

 until a later date, some time in the sixties, I believe, 

 though my earliest note of it is 1871. 



As has been said, dogging was not at first illegal, andl . 

 though most preferred still-hunting, it was practiced to 

 some extent, especially in the latter part of the forties 

 and during the fifties. It was theu that Eod Park and 

 his i)ack used to make "such gallant chiding" over the 

 rough granite country that slopes down the Union River, 

 It was noble music say those who heard it. Park Avas a 

 Veazie lumberman, Avell known all over the State, an 

 admirable marksman both at game and target, a fine still- 

 hunter for deer, an expert at all outdoor games and em- 

 ployments, the most buoyant, whole-hearted, irrepressible, 

 fun-loving and laughter- making man that ever drew 

 violin bow and loved his friend's quarrel better than his 

 own. His delight in good company drew him from the 

 solitary life of the hunter; his overflowing energy 

 attracted him to the woods, therefore he loved his dogs. 

 He always had a pack of favorites, not blooded, perhaps, 

 but well chosen and remembered long after the limits of 

 their doggish lives. Hunter, and Panther, who were 

 slain, old Jack who fell by a bullet, and old Spot, the 

 most lamented of all, were of them. Two lawyers, Brad- 

 bury and Wiggin, were frequent companions of Park's at 

 this time, and they hunted together in the Union River 

 country, sometimes from canoes, but most frequently on 

 the runAvays, which Park liked best, "A cry more tunea- 

 ble Avas never holla'd to," but it was not music to the 

 still-hunters. There were wolves in the country then and 

 the deer being in constant alarm from these, were more 

 frightened of the dogs than they now are, so that a pack 

 of hounds was a serious disturbance to stili-hunting. But 

 Park was a favorite and the hunters did not wish to 

 trouble him or his dogs, although they complained loudly 

 of his comijanions, Park was a poor man like themselves, 

 they said, but that rich men's sport should destroy their 

 occupation Avas a serious grievance, and on account of it 

 Park lost some dogs. Yet there was in this nothing that 

 would cause recourse to law making. There was, how- 

 ever, another trouble to Avhich Park always attributed the 

 origin of the first law permitting dogs to be killed. 



Park had his enemies as well as his friends. Those 

 who have driven from Bar Harbor to Bangor on the 

 tally-ho which ran eight years ago, before the railroad 

 was put through, may remember just half way between 

 Ellsworth and Bangor, on the top of a long hill, two old, 

 blackened houses, the only ones for some miles, which 

 stood on opposite sides of the road not far apart. They 

 were the half-way taverns on the stage road, Johnson's 

 on the right and Mike Mann's on the left, and the hill is 

 still known as Mike Mann's Hill. This hill lies midway 

 between Fitts's Pond (now Phillips's Lake) and Reed's 

 Pond (now Green Lake) — two places at which Park and 

 his dogs used to run deer. The tavern keepers on the 

 hill had the bitterest enmity to each other, which Mann 

 at least, who was small in spirit as he was large in 

 statm-e, extended to all \A'ho patronized his rival. And 

 Park alAvays stopped at Johnson's. Whether there was 

 any other cause for this ill will is not known, but on ac- 

 count of it Park was subjected to much annoyance by 

 Mann and when he was in Mann's vicinity. At one time 

 the road leading down to Reed's Pond was filled full of 

 big hemlocks at a certain narrow place between ledges. 

 Again, Parks had some birch canoes left near there 

 maliciously destroyed. These and other troubles occurred 

 about 1851, but the feud was continued. 



In 1853, by the margin of the R. S. of 1857, a new and 

 very remarkable game law was passed. "No person 

 shall hunt or kill on any land not his OAvn in this State 

 any moose from the fifteenth day of March to the first 

 day of October, or any deer from the fifteenth day of 

 January to the first day of Sejjtember, under a penalty 

 of $40 for each moose and |30 for each deer so killed. 

 No person not an inhabitant of this State shall, at any 

 time, hunt or kill any moose or deer except on his own 

 land, under the same penalties as above provided. Any 

 person may lawfully shoot or otherwise kill any dog 

 found hunting moose or deer within the time or with the 

 persons herein prohibited." The aliens meant are un- 

 doubtedly Canadians, for summer travel bad not then 

 begun to any extent. But why prohibit hounding in 

 close time only? This is covered by the prohibition to 

 hunt at all at that i5eason one would eupposei P«wk 



