4B2 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



I Nov. 34, 1893. 



hours the work was ended for the day and the party went to 



*°In° the evenine the judges announced that Castleman's 

 Rex won first, Wise Croxteth second. Don Fis-Hel, Midgett 

 H, and Manitou third. 



FRIDAY. 



Cold and windy weather prevailed. The severe weather 

 had driven the birds to shelter and they were difficult to 

 find, aiir] more difficult to secure points upon when fuund. 

 Grounds were drawn which had been quite successfully 

 worked before, but the finding results were unsatisfactory. 

 Not only were weather conditions unfavorable, but most of 

 the competitors showed inexperience in finding. The work 

 therefore was necessarily light and the decisions made on 

 iferrow margins. 



The English Setter Derby. 



There were three entries. The work done was weaii- 

 somely slow and inferior. It is true the weather was unfav- 

 orable, bixt the work would have been bad under the best of 

 circumstances. Following is the order of drawing: 



L. A. Rice's dog Pembroke's Blue Grouse (Don— Belle of 

 Hatchie), W. B. Stafford, handler, 

 with 



John Roberts's dog Jim Dandy (Braxton Bragg— Gypsy), 

 C. E. Tway, handler. 



Theo. Goodman's bitch Dan's Lady (Dan Gladstone— Lilly 

 Burgess), a bye, J. H. Johnson, handlej. 



First Series. 



Pemrroke's Bute Gbottse and Jim Dandt, — Down at 

 8:43 and up at 9:31. No birds found. Both ranged close to 

 handler and were languid. 



Dan's Lady.— She was started with Coleraine for a brace 

 mate .at 9:.30. Lady false pointed in weeds. She was stylish 

 on point. It was said she pointed a roost. She ranged fairly 

 wide and fast, going with spirit and diligence. Her work 

 showed judgment. Coleraine, standing in the open field, 

 nicely pointed a bevy huddled in a bunch by the side of the 

 fence. Lady backed promptly and nrettily. When the gun 

 was fired she made a wild chase. Up at 10:10. 



The other brace was taken on the scattered birds, but 

 failtd to secure any satisfactory work. They were ordered 

 up in eleven minutes. The judges soon announced the 

 winners: Dan's Lady, first; Blue Grouse, second; Jim 

 Dandy, third. 



The Irish Setter Derby. 



This stake had three entries. The work was poor, and 

 this, coniblned with difficulty in finding birds forced decis- 

 ions on very narrow margins. Following is the order of 

 drawing: 



Glenmore Kennels' Irish setter bitch Glenmore Appie 

 (Desmond II.— Nellie), W. T. Irwin, handler, 



■ivith 



George E, Gray's dog Sage's Tearaway (Teara way— Tilly 

 Boru), J'ohu Mayfleld, handler. * 



Glenmore Kennels' bitch Elphin II. (Tyrconnell— Knivara), 

 W. T Irwin, handler. 



First Series. 



Glen Appie and^Sage's Tearaway— Off at 10:57. Up at 

 11:33. No birds, lioth went merrily. 

 Went to lunch. 



Elphin II. had the bye. Finglas made a running mate. 

 Off at 13:18. After a half-hour's work, Elphin going upwind, 

 flushed a bevy. Finglas pointed a single: Elphin backed. 

 Up at 1:04 Both moved well. 



Second Scries. 



Glenmore Appie and Teabaway.— Off at ];14. On a 

 bevy marked down, Appie flushed twice, and showed some 

 unsteadiness. Poor work. Up at 2, 



No further running in this s(:.ake was done to day, although 

 the judges had intended to fini.sh it. Delays in running 

 other braces prevented it. Mr. Thompson withdrew in this 

 stake. 



The Pointer Stake was begun. 



The Pointer Derby. 



There were .six entries, drawn in the following order: 

 T, G. Barstow's dog Pomme de Terre (Ossiau — Clinawav 

 II.), W. B. Stafford, handler, 



'With 



A. A. Wandell's dog Trinket's Don (Donald's Sensation- 

 Trinket), W. T. Irwin, handler. 



W. A, Thompson's dog Pride of King Don (King Don- 

 Meteor's Dell), J. PI Fisher, handler, 

 ivUh 



Geo. A. Castleman's dog Rex's Maan (Rex— Bird), W. B. 

 Stafford, handler-. 



W. A, Thompson's bitch Trixey of Axtel (Axtel King Don 

 -Patti M. ID, J. E. Fisher, handler, ^ 



iDith 



U. R, Fishel's dog Dick Fis-Hel (Don Fis-Hel— Leos), C 

 W. Tway, handler. 



Pomme de Tbkre and Trinket's Dok.— Began at 2:03 

 Pomme stopped to a flush, held point, and in a moment a 

 single flushed wild in the open. Pomme pointed, Don 

 backed, broke back and ran in: nothing found. Up at 3-47 



Pride King Don and Rex's Maan were cast off at 2:bO i 

 Pride pointed a bevy in the open; Hex backed. The bird 

 flushed wild and both chased. Up at 3;.53. 



NiXEY OF Axtel and Dick Fis-IIel were started at 3-58 

 They were worked around a large stubblefield, then worked 

 on bu-ds scattered in the open. Both failed to point Trixev 

 ranged well. Up at 4:31. 



This ended the day's work. 



SATURDAY. 



A cold, raw morning greeted the field trial party. A stiff 

 wind blew steadily. Birds were not moving, and were 

 therefore, hard to find. ' 



The Irish Setter Derby. 



MLPEttN 11. ran a bye, Coleraine accompanvine; her. Thev 

 were worked from 8:,5.5 till 9:07. No birds fouud. 



The judges then announced Sage's Tearaway, first- Glen- 

 more Apple, second, and Elphin IL third. , 'Jieu 

 The Pointer Derby, 



There were six entries. There was little work on birds 

 and the results were not very definite in conseqaence. 

 Second Series. 



TRINKET'S Don and Pride of King DoK.-Left at o i;^ 

 and ran till 9:33. No work on birds. Both ranged well " 

 «f Q^,™^?^ I'ERHE was run a bye with Coleraine, beginning 



fn^tasSla'i'^.fsho^"""'"^'^°°^P'^^°*^" ^ ^P^'--' 

 The judges then placed the dogs as follows- 



n?."^f^?i ^''f ' Poi^me de Terre and Trinket's 



Don divided second and third 



T'lompson, of Attica, Md., offered as a special 

 l"[:^,^^%^''^^^<^^^ot]>:&sootAxle\ to the best bitch in the 



fo^Ke^t^b^UtraeiS: '^^-^^ 



Tlie Ahsolnte Winner. 

 BASE'S Tearaway and Dan's LADY.-They began at 9:59. 



Lady roaded nicely to a point on a bevy, she standing in the 

 open, while the bevy was on the other .side of the fence in a 

 cornfield. Tearaway backed well for a few moments, broke 

 back and drew in. This disturbed Ladv, She jumped on 

 the fence, the. bevy at the same time flushed and she chased. 

 Lady was the better ranger. She worked with much dash 

 and judgment. Up at 10:14. 



Pride of King Don ran a bye with Winnie. They started 

 at 10:30. Winnie pointed a bevy, Pride backed. Irwin or- 

 dered Winnie on. She then flushed the birds, both dogs 

 broke in, Mr. Fisher shot and the dogs chased. Up at 

 10:30. 



It was announced by the judges that Dan's Lady had won 

 the absolute. 



The Puppy Stakes, 



Birds were so difficult to flnd that it was seriously consid 

 ered better to abandon the Puppy Stakes. It was finally 

 decided that they should be run ten minutes to each brace 

 merely to determine, range, speed, etc. This was the onlv 

 alternative. There were eight starters. Two in the English 

 Setter Puppy Stake, two in the Irish Setter Puppy Stake 

 and four in the Pointer Pappy Stake. 



ENGLISH SETTERS. 



E. C. Waddell's dog Harry L., C. "W. Tway, handler, 

 tvith 



W. J. Beck's bitch Peggy B, (Gus Kneussel— Maza Man a), 

 W. T. Irwin, handler. 

 Harry L., first; Peggy B., second. 



IRISH SETTEES. 

 Glenmore Kennels's dog Donaway, W, T. Irwin, handler, 



loith 



Glenmore Kennels' bitch Flyaway, W. T. Irwin, handler. 

 Flyaway, fir.st; Donaway, second. 



pointers. 



U. R. Fishel's bitch Lady Fis-Hel (Don Fis-Hel— Lady 

 Wallace), C. W. Tway, handler, 



wUh: 



.Tohn B. McGuffiu's dog Tu.Kedo (Ossian— Cornelia G.), 0. 

 Harvey, handler. 



King Don Pointer Kennels' bitch Leach's Bell II. (Grand 

 Duke— Meteor's Dell), a bye, J. E. Fisher, handler. 



Leach's Belle first, Tuxedo second. Lady Fis-Hel third. 



The absolute prize of these stakes was won by Harry L. 



This ended the trials. Mr. W. A. Thompson showed some 

 very superior pointers. 'Crowded space prevents a lengthy 

 mention of them. The trials were most pleasantly con- 

 ducted. There was little dissatisfaction. Every one left 

 with a warm feeling of friendship for the club. At lunch 

 on Friday Messrs. Mayfleld, Irwin, .Johnson and Harvey en- 

 tertained the judges, reporters and some friends with a most 

 enjoyable lunch. On Saturday Messrs. Mayfleld and John- 

 sou gave a similar lunch to the judges, reporters and a few 

 friends. The manner in which the good things disappeared 

 was the strongest testimonial of appreciation. May they 

 always prosper. B. Waters. 



WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS FOX CLUB. 



The fifth annual hunt of the Western Massachusetts Fox 

 Club was held at West field, Mass., Nov. 16 and 17. While 

 the attendance was not so large either at the hunt or ban- 

 quet as last year, owing to the bad weather which ushered 

 in the first day of the hunt, still, take it all in all, the meet- 

 ing was a success, and will long be remembered ^vith, pleas- 

 ure by those who participated. Good fellowship and hospi- 

 tality will put a bright coloring on the dullest day, and 

 even the driving rain and its attendant disappointments 

 were forgotten in the company of the genial Westfield 

 hunters. 



The second day of the meeting made up in many respects 

 for the inclemency of the fir.st. It was as perfect a day as 

 any fox hunter could wish for, but, unfortunately, it came 

 too late to bring a number of well known hunters who had 

 signified their intention to be present. Among these was 

 Mr. John R. Thayer, of Worcester. 



The Forest and STREA.\r representative arrived in West- 

 field Tuesday night, the day before the hunt. It was raining 

 and the Democrats were celebrating their recent victory, two 

 circumstances tendins to dampen one's ardor, if he happens 

 to be a Republican. The hotel was crowded with politician,s, 

 the streets were muddy, and every now and then up to mid- 

 night and after, some devilish rocket would scoot skyward 

 through the rain with a loud .swish, or .some equally'sleep- 

 dispelliiig cannon tro off under the hotel windows. The 

 night was warm and muggy, and the steam heat iu the bed 

 rooms could not be turned oft'. Window.s wide open and a 

 single sheet could only bring partial comfort, .-lod refreshing 

 sleep, during the early part of the night at least, was out of 

 the question. 



Ttiese distressing circumstances, however, only tended to 

 brighten the reception accorded to a .stranger by the club. 

 President Roraback was everywhere at the' same time, in- 

 troducing those who stood in need of introduction, and 

 putting every one else in a good humor. Ho was a flitting 

 (though substantial) sunbeam. Nor were the other mem- 

 bers of the club behind him in .showing hospitality. 



All Tuesday night it rained .steadily. After midnight, 

 when the Democratic entliusiasm bad in measure been sated, 

 one could hear the .«wish of the rain atrainst the windowand 

 its gurgle in the escape pipe?. It did not omen well for the 

 morrow, and sleep when it came was full of troubled dreams. 



The clack in the old town liall across the .'-xiuare from the 

 hotel was just making up its mind to strike the hour of five 

 Wednesday morning when the hunter's horn sounded 

 through the .silent corridors of our hostelry. I had been 

 dreaming of that horn all night long, but despite the fact 

 (or perhaps becau.se of it) was so startled that I almost 

 jumped out of bed. No doubt aLso the strong lungs of Mr. 

 Alstrom, the bugler, had something to do with the electri- 

 fying effect. The night was dark as Pharaoh's Eajpt. Out- 

 .side the rain was beating a disheartening tattoo very damp- 

 ening to the orchestral effects of Mr. Alstrom's bugle. I u-ot 

 up and having found a match, with difficulty dressed and 

 went down stairs. There I met Mr. O. M. Ball, of Wor- 

 cester, who was the first hunter to dress. 



Wednesday was a day of disappointments. About 8 

 0 clock the rain let up a little and thirty or more of the 

 hunters set out in half a dozen vehicles, drivin.g down the 

 broad, elm-arched streets of the town and through its west- 

 ern outskirt into the country. 



Foxes are said to be remarkably plenty about Westfield 

 and before we had driven a mile we saw one. No one shot 

 It, however, for the very good reason that it was a tame fox 

 tied up m a farmer's yard. 



:i-T^® us ovev in a sneaking way and evidentlv 



did not like the looks of the hounds, whose heads appeared 

 above the sideboards of the wagons. Though he felt a little 

 worried, laoubtif he appreciated the full gravity of the 

 situation. The truth is that all through that morning his 

 life hungm the balance, for sundry of the hunters • 



came in torrents and we sought shelter in the tobacco sheds 

 of a nearby farmer. 



That settled our chances for the day's sport and the main 

 body of the hunters soon after made their way homeward. 

 A few, however, remained, and among them Fred F. Mosely 

 and Owen S. Upson, .Jr., and both of these gentlemen were 

 lucky enough to secure a fox. I use the word "lucky" ad- 

 visedly, for no one but a lucky man could hope for success 

 under the unfavorable conditions that then obtained. 



Wednesday evening at 7 o'clock supper was served in the 

 Town Hall. About 135 members and guests were present, 

 or about half the number who had sat down at the banquet 

 last year. Among those present were: District Attorney 

 Chas. E. Hibbard, of PittsBeld, who acted as toastmaster: 

 Senator Kimball, Sheriff Clark and Mr. Chilsen, of 

 Northampton; Major Geo. S. Merrill, of Boston; Insurance 

 Commissioner of the Commonwealth Dr. Hatch, of Pitts- 

 fielr"; Secretary Knowles of the Worcester Firr Club, and O. 

 M. Ball, of Worcester; Dr, H. H. Gamwell, A. S. Kneil, H, 

 N. Kingsbury, J. R. Reed, R. W. Parks, L. F. Thayer, L. 

 M. Clark, R. D. Gillett, Chauncey Allen, Chas. N. bakes, 

 W, B. Rped, Wm. W^arren, C. M. Goodnow, .lohn T. Way, 

 Geo. W. Rnraback, Robt. Kneil, Henry W. Ely, S. D. Con- 

 nor, L. Delos Kellogg and Burton Holcomb, all of West- 

 field. 



After the well cooked and well served supper had received 

 due attention, the toastmaster, Chns. E. Hibbard, of Pitts- 

 field, was introduced by President Roraback. Mr. Hibbard 

 first apologized for the rain, and assured his audience if he 

 had control of the weather he would have given them one of 

 those rare days, ''when it is a joy to be out and the bay of 

 the hounds an indescribable oelight." He alluded very 

 pointedly to the "discipline of disappointment," which is 

 every one's lot as well as the hunter's, and then introduced 

 Henry W. Ely, of Westfield. 



Mr. Ely's subject had to do with the charms of his own 

 native place, and he painted Westfield with all the colors of 

 the rainbow. His speech was of the hurrah kind and 

 brought down t tie house more than once. It is only right 

 to add that if ever exaggeration was warranted it was in 

 this case, for Westfield certainly is an unusually favored 

 town. 



Mr. Ely was followed by Mr. Knowles, of the Worcester 

 Fur Club, who told what he didn't know about speech- 

 making. Mr. Knowles may not be a born Demosthenes, 

 but he studied fox hunting with Uncle Nathan Harrington, 

 and is a master of that noble art. 



Robert Kneil told how President Roraback had given him 

 his first lesson in fox hunting, placing him on his stand and 

 telling him to keep quiet till he got his chance to shoot. 

 Presently along came the fox (as they always do in stories), 

 and forgetful of his preceptor's instructions as well as the 

 fact that he was armed with a gun, he yelled at the top 

 of his lungs, "George! Here comes the fox." Singularly 

 enough, Mr. Kneil went on to say, the fox did not wait for 

 George. 



Major George S. Merrill, of Boston, followed in a speech 

 whicn was one of the wittiest of the evening. Dr. Hatch 

 of Pittsfleld, and Dr. Gramwell, Arthur Neil and H. N, 

 Kingsbury, of Westfield, responded gracefully. 



George W. Roraback, the handsome president of tne club, 

 was the last speaker. 



The election of officers for the ensuing year was announced. 

 Mr. Roraback, to whose efforts the success of the club i.s 

 largely due, was despite his attempts to escape the honor, 

 unanimously re-elected to the Presidency. Mr. F. S. Graves 

 of Pittsfield, was also re-elected First Vice-President; Wm' 

 Warren, of Westfield, and Chas. E. Hibbard, of Pittsfield. 

 were elected Second and Third Vice-Presidents; Secretary, 

 C. M. Goodnow: Treasurer, Loring P. Lane; Executive Com- 



that If they could not get another they would come back 

 and purchase the privilege of shooting him at his stake 



-I don t like being skunked." said Mr. Ball, of Worces- 

 ter who was one of these dire plotters. 



Our route led us to the west side of Palmer's Hill four 

 ^^^r^^y^^^^-^}^^^^ When wereached 



Hb11h^°w l^^^**'"' toying with our hopes, 



H.t^i""'^'"-''! ^''°§^i'- '^"'^ ^'^"^ a condition of neu- 

 trahty developed into one of downright hostility. Down it 



Shepaid, Jno. T. Way; Master of Hounds, C. D. Allen. 



cA motion was made by Mr. S. S. Conner that the date of 

 the next annual meeting be arranged so as not to conUi' t 

 with either the Worcester Fox Club or the Brunswick Fur 

 Club, as had been the case this^year in the inst.ance of the 

 latter club. The matter was finally referred to the exeicu- 

 tive committee, and next year will not see a repetition of the 

 blunder. There was also some talk of holding the next 

 meeting at Pittsfleld, but no definite action was taken in the 

 matter. 



When the meeting broke up the stars were shining 

 brightly— a p]ea,sing augury for the morrow. 



Thursday dawned as perfect a day as ever President Rora- 

 back could have desired. Old fox hunters declared they had 

 never seen such a day. The sky was cloudless and not a 

 breath stirred the branches of the trees or the dewy gra.ss, or 

 even the big flag that bung in front of the big hotel. Shortly 

 after daybreak .some one— 1 think it was Burton Holcomb— 

 released a captured fox iu the Park Square, and after he had 

 gotten a slight start the hounds were put on his trail. They 

 .soon caught sight of him and then fell over each other in 

 their efforts to close their teeth on some tender part of bis 

 anatomy. But that fox knew a thing or two and did not 

 keep to the open long. In two winks of a cat's eye he was 

 under a fence and out of harm's reach. 



This day's hunt was to the northeast of Westfield in a 

 direction diametrically opposite that taken the day before. 

 A four- mile drive brought us to a frame house at the foot of 

 East Mountain that was to be the headquarters of one <li vis- 

 ion of the party. Some had gone further north, while others 

 .still had left the main road at points nearer Westfield. We 

 had scarcely entered the woo<ls, after leaving our hor.ses in 

 charge of the farmer, when we heard the distant bayiug of 

 the hounds, now rising in sweet melody, now alrao.<^t lost to 

 ear. We huriied on through the woods till we reached the 

 foot of the ledges which constituted the mountain proper. 

 Here for considerable distances the mountain side was 

 devoid of vegetation, a tumbled mass of rocks. 



The foxes like to take the dogs to such a place. They 

 jump from stone to stone, "play checkers with them," as 

 one of the hunters expressed it, while the poor dogs slip 

 and slide and looe their wind and patience as well. 



A number of hunters were placed on the rock slides, but 

 all through that blessed day not a fox come that way. in 

 my opinion, this was due to the fact that the drivers of 

 several carriages that had managed to gain the foot of the 

 ledges kept up a running fire of conversation the whole 

 time. The day was preternaturally calm, and their voices 

 could be heard at least half a mile. 



To illustrate the stillness of the atmosphere, here is an in- 

 cident that came under my observation during the morn- 

 ing. I was standing in an old pasture, three or four hundred 

 yards from the mountain and some distance south of the 

 hunters stationed on the ledges. Directly opposite my posi- 

 tion was a long rock slide on the mountain side, and every 

 now and then 1 could hear a slig'nt noise as if one of tne 

 stones forming the slide had been moved in its position. 

 Once a stoue rolled clattetiug down the side a long wav. 

 From what happened next 1 concluded that these sounds 

 were caused by a fox picking his way across the slide, for 

 soon I beard the baying of a rapidly approaching hound. 

 The hound crossed tne slide, as near as I could judge 'oy the 

 sound, for 1 could not see him, just where the fox had I but 

 he made a great deal more noise and dislodged rocks very 

 frequently. But the point I wanted to note was thi.s— 

 although very nearly a quarter of a mile away, I could hear 

 the hard breathing of the dog very distinctly". If there had 

 been the slightest breath of air stin-ing this would not have 

 been possible. 



Off to the south we heard frequent shots, and those who 



