t 
f O FOREST AND STHKAM„ Uuly 24, 1897. 
sergeant Oct. 24. 1862. Transferred to Co. A, 22d Regi- 
ment Veteran Reserve Corps, Aug. 29, 1863." He served 
his term in the latter regiment and was honorably dis- 
charged as first lieutenant. Ned had five wounds, one of 
which made him somewhat lame. At Suffolk, Ya., Col. 
Dodge put Ned in charge of a squad of scouts, and when 
the regiment went into winter quarters Ned was allowed a 
cabin where he wrote stoiies. He was the most prolific 
writer that I ever knew of. For over two years he ran six 
stories each week, under different nom de plumes, beginning 
and ending one in each issue. They were stories of im- 
possible as well as improbable adventure, in which the hero 
arrived at the proper time and the villains were foiled. 
This sort of thing must have paid well, for I am told that 
Ned's estate footed up near $200,000. Not so bad for writ- 
ing trashy tales. 
In his earlier days he wrote "The Mysteries and Miseries 
of New York," which sketched the Bowery in its palmy 
daje. This was dramatised under the title "New Tork as 
it Is," and F. S. Cbanfrau mode a great hit in his character 
of Mose, a soap-locked, red-shirled volunteer fireman, who 
always wore a plug hat on one side of his head and held a 
cigar tilted up at an acute angle. The play furnished 
popular quotations of firemen's talk, and we schoolboys 
would quote: "Bykesy take der butt," and "Get off dem 
boEe or I'll hit yer wid a spanner," etc. Mose was our hero 
about 1850, and now as I go through Centre street on my 
way to the Fobest and SStbeam office, 1 stop each week 
and look in the window of No. 20 at a picture of Chanfrau 
as Mose, disgustedly saying: "Fm bound not to run wid 
der machine any more." Five old-timers were in the City 
Hall by invitation of Martin J. Keese, an old fire laddy, to 
meet me and talk of Ned Buntline, and when I mentioned 
this picture they went to see it. "It's like a glimpse of the 
old days," said Keese, "to see that picture, but it's sad to 
think of the descent from Mo!e to Chimmie Fadden. Ned 
Buntline took the character of Mose from Mose Humphrey, 
you remember him, Jake? He run with old 40 engine and 
got licked in every fight he went into. Chanfrau spent 
weeks studying Mose and made up just like him." And 
thtn these old "boys" became reminiscent of fires, fights, 
Harry Howard and other chiefs, and 1 enjoyed their enthu- 
siasm as they lived their lives over again. 
There are so many men who never saw any good in Ned 
Bantline because they did not know him, that I have tried to 
portray him as I knew him. If he were pleading his own 
case, he might say, with Othello : 
"I have done the State some service, and they know it; 
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters, 
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate. 
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate. 
Nor set down aught in malice." 
If I wanted a quotation to fit Ned I might find it in John 
Hay's "Jim Bludsoe" in just four words: "He weren't no 
saint," and let it go at that. What in the world could be 
expected of a boj' whose parents had handicaoped with such 
a name as Edward Zane Carroll Judson ? Yet this boy, by 
virtue carried^ and sometimes staggered, under that load for 
over three-score years. 
Ned was born in Philadelphia in 1823. His father was a 
lawyer and intended the boy for the clergy, but, luckily for 
the cloth, he had no inclination that way. Then the elder 
Judson decided that his son should be educated for the bar, 
and at times Ned got there, but he wasted no time in study 
for this purpose. He ran away and went to sea as a cabin 
boy when eleven years old, and the next year shipped on a 
war vessel. Appleton's "Cyclopedia of Biography" says 
that when thirteen years old he rescued the crew of a boat 
that had been run down by a Fulton Ferry boat, and received 
from President Yan Buren a commission as midshipman in 
the U. S. Navy. After reading this, I consulted Hamersley's 
"Register of the U. S. Navy for 100 Years." There only 
the frigid facts are given, and under the misprinted name of 
E, J. C. Judson, he appears as "Midshipman, Feb. 10, 1838; 
resigned June 8, 1843?' That shows that he was four years 
in the navy while he was between the ages of sixteen and 
twenty, and during this time he acquired enough of sea lingo 
to write his first sea tales under his nautical pen name. Be- 
cause he had come on the quarter-deck through the hawse- 
hole instead of over the rail, he was unpopular with the other 
middies, but, according to Appleton'd book: "On being as- 
signed to the L 3vant, he fought seven duels with midship- 
men, who refused to associate with him because he had been 
a common sailor, and escaped from each without a wound. 
* * * He died in Stamford, Delaware county, N. Y"., 
July 16, 1886." Surely, the boy who escaped from home at 
the early age of eleven was a boy full of vim and one that 
would make a mark of some kina. 
Ned went into the Adirondacks in 1 859 and built him a cabin 
on the shores of Eagle Lake, one of the Eckford chain, and 
christened it "Eagles's Nest." He there wrote the following 
verses which have been reproduced in almost every article on 
the Adirondacks: 
"Where the silvery gleam of the rushing stream 
Is so brightly seen on the rock's dark green, 
Where the white pink grows by the wild red rose 
And the bluebird sings till the welkin rings. 
Where the red deer leaps and the panther creeps-, 
And the eagles scream over cliff and stream, 
Where the lilies bow their heads of snow, 
And the hemlocks tall throw a shade o'er all. 
Where the rolling surf laves the emerald turf. 
Where the trout leaps high at the hovering fly. 
Where the sportive fawn crops the soft green lawn, 
And the crow's shrill cry bodes a tempest nigh. 
There is my home— my wild wood home," 
I alluded to his quarrel with Alvah Dunning in my sketch 
of the latter, and will not go into it now further than to say : 
Ned held ideas regarding the protection of game which 
Alvah did not share. One was independent of game as a 
food sqpply in close seasons and the other was not, and they 
had other causes of difference, and they threatened to shoot 
each other on sight. Ned died at his home and Alvah is liv- 
ing yet. Ned abandoned Eagle Lake in 1861 and went into 
the Catskills and built an elegant residence at Stamford, 
Delaware county, N. Y., which he named after the original 
Eagle's Nest, and there I wet a line with him in IfcSl on a 
swift mountain stream. 
That Ned did at times indulge in prolonged sprees is a 
well known fact, but I never saw him when he was under 
the rye. Once he said to me: "I had been writing for 
weeks and had become tired. There was no company there 
in the woods in the winter except Alvah Dunning and other 
amaroogians, and I got a horse at North Creek and lit out for 
Glens Falls and was arone a month." 
That meant more than the words implied, unless we except 
"Amaroogians." The word is not in the Standard diction- 
ary, nor in any other which I have access to; yet somehow I- 
seem, to know that it signifies a kind of unsophisticatf d 
woodsman, who cannot fraternize with a man of the world 
like Ned Buntline, 
It has been said that Ned was an orator of much strength. 
From 1880 to 1885 he lectured on temperance for the Order 
of Good Templars, and was the founder of the Order of the 
Sons of Temperance. The picture of him which is here 
presented, was taken by Sarony, of New York, when Ned 
brought Buffalo Bill (William C. Cody) and Texas Jack 
(John Omohondro) from the West, and introduced them to 
the people of the East. Omohondro died too soon to reap a 
harvest from Ned's advertising; but Cody, who was a regi- 
mental butcher when Ned discovered him, and surrounded 
him with a romance which has made his fortune, is living, 
and no doubt will see that Ned's grave is kept green. 
The great defect in the character of Ned Buntline up to 
his reaching middle age was unselfishness, and by this I 
mean a Quixotic disposition to espouse the quarrels of otliers, 
or, as in the Adirondack instance, to try to enforce an un- 
popular game law among a people who were averse to game 
laws of any kind. Ned had a high standard of morals, but 
could not always climb their heights . He was very deficient 
in humor; that point is well illustrated by the rig in which 
he permitted himself to be photographed, and his profes- 
sional writing of romance had probably the effect of making 
him consider himself seriously. 
When 1 fished with Ned in the Catskills, the drift of his 
talk would give an uninformed person the impiession that 
bis services to the country were equal to those of Grant, 
Sherman or Sheridan. His vanity was not balanced by 
modesty or humor, yet he was always clean in speech, as I 
knew him. 
Only last week Col, Kerrigan wrote me: "When you 
write up Ned Buntline don't put wings on him. He was a 
grand, good man all the same, and there is no use in trying 
to hide his faults, for he had plenty of them; other people 
have worked up Ned's faults, and you know that he was a 
man in whom the good predominated." 
Accepting Col. Kerrigan's estimate of Ned Buntline as my 
own, I leave Ned's character as a whole to the readers of 
Forest and Stream. Feed Mather. 
CHICAGO FLY-CASTING TOURNAMENT. 
Chicago, 111., July 17. — Editor Forest and Stream: The 
Chicago Fly-Casting Club's second scientific angling tourna- 
ment for the world's championship, open to all, will be held 
at Garfield Park, Chicago, Aug. 13 and 14. 
Six championship diamond medals, valued at $50 each, 
will be awarded as first prizes in eaeh event. Additional 
merchandise prizes, valued at several hundred dollars, will be 
awarded as second, third, fourth and fifth prizes in each event. 
In addition to these prizes, President B W. Goodsell has do- 
nated an oil painting (trout) for the contestant making the 
highest general average in all events. 
First Day, Aug. 1 3. 
First Event. — ^Pixed distance a^d accuracy fly-casting, at 
buoys 50, 55 and 60ft. Rod not to exceed &Joz. Five casts 
at each buoy; for each foot or fraction of a toot from buoy 
a demerit of one shall be scored. One minute allowed to 
extend line. 
Second Event, — Accuracy bait- casting, at buoys 60, 70, 80, 
90 and 100ft. One cast at each buoy with ioz. rubber frog; 
for each foot or fraction of a foot frog drops from buoy a 
demerit of one shall be scored. Free running reel required. 
Third ETOnt. — ^Dry fly-casting for accuracy and delicacy 
combined, at buoys 35, 40 and 45ft. Rod not to exceed 
5faz, Five casts at each buoy; thirty seconds allowed to ex- 
tend line, thereafter each time fly strikes it will be scored. 
Delicacy of cast will also be scored. 
Second Day, Ausr. 1 4. 
Fourth Event. — Roll fly-casting for accuracy, at buoys 50, 
45 and 40ft. Rod not to exceed 8^oz. Five casts at each 
buoy; for each foot or fraction of a fopt from the buoy cast 
at a demerit of one shall be scored. 
Fifth Event. — Bait casting for distance and accuracy com- 
bined. Casting on the lawn in court 30ft. wide. Tape line 
running down the center. Five casts with |oz rubber frog; 
for every foot or fraction of afoot from tape line a demerit 
of one shall be scored from the distance cast. Free running 
reel required. 
Sixth Event. — Long distance fly-casting. No limit to rod 
or line. Ten minutes allowed to extend line to greatest pos- 
sible distance. 
Rules Covernini; the Contest. 
Rule 1. — All persons competing for prizes shall pay an en- 
trance fee as follows: One event, $3. Two events, $5. 
Three events, $7. All events, $10. Entries to each event 
close thirty minutes before contest commences. 
Rule 2. The captain shall be the executive officer of the 
day, and the secretary-treasurer shall receive all entry fees, 
and issue cards to contestants designating their number in 
the order of competition. The time-keeper shall start and 
close all events. He shall signal the judges with a flag, and 
call time to the contestants. 
Rale 3. The contests shall be governed by two judges and 
a referee. In case of disagreement the referee shall decide. 
Rule 4. All casting shall be done single-handed only. 
Rule 5, Competitors may consult their own wishes in 
choice of reel and line, but lines must not be knotted or 
weighted, and bait casting reels must be free running. 
Rule 6. The leader shall be of single gut, and shall not be 
less than 6 nor more than 9ft. in length. One fly only shall 
be used, of a size not smaller than No. 12 or larger than No. 
6. Hooks shall be broken off at the head. 
Complete official programme, giving detailed information 
and entry blanks, mailed on application to me. 
Geo, a. MrnRKLL, Sec'y-Treas. 
617j Ko. 36 IiaSalle stbebt, Chicago, III. 
Vermont Ijeague's Midsummer Meet. 
St. Johnsbuky, Vt,, July 17. — The midsummer meeting 
of the Yermont Fish and Game League, called for July 22, 
will be postponed until Aug. 6, word having been received 
from Senator Proctor that President McKinley will attend, 
together with several cabinet oificers, 
J. W. TiTCOMB, President. 
New Jersey Coast Fishing. 
AsBURT Park, N. J., July 17.— Last week I wrote that 
no bass had been taken from our piers here; as if to more 
particularly emphasize the never ending vagaries of fish life, 
the past week has been one of glory as regards pier fishing. 
Never has there been more bass taken in a single week than 
in the one last past. To give names of the successful, and 
weights, would be impossible. To say that the fishing 'is 
superb is sufficient. The score has run as high as twenty in 
a single day, and range of weights 4 to 22lbs. The prevailing 
eastjsrly winds has produced a high and choppy sea, which 
is always productive of best results. Kingflsh are abundant 
and being taken on every tide. There are a number of New 
York anglers here who pride themselves on their success 
with rod and reel, I counted at one time eighty- four rods 
being busily plied on Thursday morning, and while all did 
not get prizes, still all met with some success, and the conse- 
quence is that tackh stores are doing a rushing business, and 
Seger, the local rod maker, has his hands full to supply new 
goods and keep up with repairs. I made mention recently 
that but few ground nets were in use in this immediate vicin- 
ity, owing to financial stress of the parties who formerly 
operated them. As a consequence Shark River is alive with 
weakfish, a circumstance which has not occurred before in 
years, as the mouth of the river has been so hemmed in by 
the nets as to make their entrance impossible. No better 
evidence is needed by the advocates of fish protection than 
these mute but unimpeachable witnesses. Parties intending 
fishing should take C. R. R. N. J. to Belmar. At Buhler's 
boats and bait can be procured, which is only two minutes' 
walk from station. Leonard Httlit, 
Watertown, N. J., July 19. — Weakfishing and bluefish- 
ing good. Nine parties out over Saturday and Sunday. All 
got nice catches. Mr. T. M. Hageton and son Leon caught 
sixty striped bass on Friday last; weight 1501bs. Mr. Leon 
Hageton caught one weighing B^lbs., and Mr. T. M. Hage- 
ton caught one 5ilbs. These gentlemen are from Westfleld, 
Mass. J. H, BlRDSALL 
New Yoek, July 18.— Last Saturday four of us at Forked 
River, Barnegat Bay, caught in three hours nearly 200 weak- 
fish, of which we put back in the bay, unharmed, over 100. 
The fish were tide runners, weighing from 2 to S^lbs., not 
one schoolfish among them. For bait we used shedder crab. 
E. S. 
Forked River, N; J., July 8.— Both weak and bluefish 
are biting here, large numbers being caught daily. To-day 
200 weakfish were caught in one boat. J, B Tilton. 
A Bargfain in Trout Fry. 
The North Branch Pishing Club received a large addition 
to the stock of trout in the brook yesterday, the addition 
coming in rather an unexpected way. A stranger named 
Follett came to the city Thursday' with 4,000 trout fry from 
the hatchery in Meriden. He was on his way to the Adiron- 
dack Mountains, where he was to stock a body of water 
there near Mt, Marcy. He came up on the noon train on the 
Consolidated mad and was planning to take the 1:14 train 
for Albany. But on his arrival here, he was told that there 
was no room on the baggage car of that train for his fish. 
Four thousand trout, even though they are little fellows, 
take up considerable room, and in this case were being carried 
in four or five large cans. 
This announcement from the baggage men upset Mr. 
Follett's plans completely. 
The 1 :14 train was the only one that gave him his connec- 
tions except another late at night. He would, therefore, 
have to wait over in this city some twelve or thirteen hours 
and be obliged to stay with his fish almost constantly, for 
young trout have to be teiaderlji cared for; the water must 
be iced constantly and changed every hour or two. Even 
with these precautions he was not sure of arriving in the 
Adirondacks with many live fish after so long a time on the 
road. He therefore hunted up J. A. Murphy, president of 
the North Branch Club, and a bargain was soon struck. 
He then went back to Meriden and secured another cargo 
and took it out to the Empire State, taking care this time to 
arrange his trains so that he could make better connections. 
— Springfield HepuUican. 
Fishing into the Circus. 
Down inEdmundston, Washburn's circus was being billed 
to show on the 7th. As they were only going to advertise a 
few miles above here, I thought it would be a good scheme 
to charter the train on the Temiscousta Railroad from Con- 
nor's Station, the up-river terminus of the road. This I did. 
Then taking a lot of circus bills I went through the country 
distributing them. After I got away up country, where 
houses and people were scarce, I fell in with some who would 
like to come, but said money was scarce. 1 told them to go 
catch a lot of trout the day before and bring them, nice and 
cool, to Connor's, and that this would give them money all 
right. The mgrning we left the station nine of these men 
brought oOOlbs. of tine trout, for which ! paid them $50. 
You may believe that they were surprised, as they had no 
idea that the fish were of any value, being so plenty with 
them. I got some ice, packed them nicely, and landed them 
in Edmundston all right, where they were instantly turned 
over to the circus people and hotels. There were very nearly 
3,000 people at the circus; but I don't believe tnat any 
thought they saw the show as cheaply as these men who 
fished for the means to get in. I cleared $100 with the train, 
and felt pleased with my day's fishing. S. J. R. 
Rapid River Closed. 
Middle Dam, Me., July 1^.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
In answer to a petition signed by twenty-six names of resi- 
dents of this vicinity, the Fish and Game Commissioners of 
the State met here yesterday, and, as no remonstrants ap- 
peared, they decided to close Rapid River, from the swing 
bridge to Umbagog Lake, to all kinds of fishing for four 
years. The close season to date from the 20th of current 
month. To show what this means to the young salmon and 
trout, I will say that duricg an afternoon's casting there this 
week I hooked and returned to the water no less than eleven 
young salmon, not one of which reached the legal limit in 
length. It is the grandest piece of water in Maine for the 
young "landlocked," and the wisdom of the Commissioners 
must be apparent to everyone. Hot weather and high water 
has been the rule for the past week. J. W. B. 
