Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-05-10
aGlurksbur8 RegtBter
GONE OF THE GALs.n

GONE OF THE GALS.o
The following is an extract from let
ter from person travelling in the wilder
portions of Delaware and Sullivan coun.
ties, New York:
AS was trudging along one afternoon,
in the town of Fremont, one Of the bor-
der towns of Sullivan county, was
oyertaken by what at first supposed was
young man, with rifle on his shoulder,
and being we'll pleased with the idea of
having company through the woods. 1
turned around and said, p" Good after.
roou, sir" Good afternoon" said my
new acquaintance, but in tone of voice
that sounded. to me, rather peculiar. My
suspicious were at once aroused, and to
satisfy myself. made some inquiries in
regarding TO hunting, which was readily
answered BY the young lady, whom l had
thus encountered. She said she had been
out ever since daylight; had followed a
buck nearly all day, got one shot and
wounded him, bat as there was lit
tie snow, she could not get him. and
was going to try him the next day. ho
ping that she would get another shot at
him, and she was quite certain that she
would kill him. Although cannot give
very good idea of her appearance, 1.
will try to describe her dress. The only
article of female apparel visible was a
close fitting hood upon her head, such as
is often worn by deer hunters. Next, an
India.rubber hunting coat ; her neither
limbs were encased in a snug tight-ftting
pairof corduroy pants and pair of Indian
moccassins upon her feet, rifle upon
Oh af
barrelled pistols in the side pockets of
her coat, with a formidable hunting
knife Lung suspended by her side.
Wishing to witness her skill with hunting
instruments, commenced bantering her
with regard to shooting. She smiled and
said she was as good shot as was in the
woods, and to convince me she took out
her hunting knife and cut ring four in.
ches in diameter in tree with a small
spot in the centre. Then stepping back
thirty yards. and drawing up one of her
pistols, put the ball inside the ring
She then. at thirty-fve rods from her RI
file put the ball in the very centre. -
We shortly came to her fathers house.
and l gladly accepted IN invitation to
stop there and remain over night
The maiden hunter, instead of sitting down
to rest as most hunters do when they 60
home, remarked that she had the chores
to do. So out she went fed, watered
and stabbed a pair of young horses, ayoke
of oxen and three cows She then went
to the saw mill and brough slab on her
shoulder that shouldn't like to carry,
and with an axe and saw soon worked it
into stove wood.
Her next business was to change her
dress and get tea, which she did in a
manner which would have been creditabe
to a more scientific cook. After tea she
finished up the usual house work, and
then sat down and commenced plying her
needle in very lady like manner. 1 as
certained that her mother was quite fee
Bile, and her father confined to the house
with rheumatism. The whole family were
intelligent. we'll educated, and communi-
cative. They had moved from Schoharie
county in the woods, about three years
before. and the father was taken lame the
first winter after their arrival, and had not
been able to do anything since. Lucy
Ann, as her mother called her, had taken
charge of, Ploughed, planted. and harves-
ted the farm, learned to chop wood, drive
team, and do all the necessary work.
Game being plenty, she had learned to
use her fathers rifle, and spent some Of
her leisure time in hunting. She had not
killed deer yet. but expressed her deter
mination to kill one at least before New
Years. She boosted of having killed any
quantity of partriges, squirrels and other
small game. After chatting some time,
she brought violin from u closet and
played fifteen or twenty tunes, and also
sung few songs, accompanying herself
on the violin, in style that showed that
she was far from destitute Of musical skill.
The next morning she was up at four
O'Clock. and before sun rise had the break
fast out of the way. and all her work out
OF doors and in the house done, and when
left. a few minutes after sunrise, she had
on her hunting suit, and WAS loading her
rifle for another chase after the deer.