Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1857-01-01
From "Psrterss Spirit"
TURKEY T0lr.
sr SCENT AT LAReE."

1919 49, [1Lua
DEAR SPIRIT; 1 am such a bird Of passage
that my own pointer often fails to g Hpot5 me
however, my present habitat ia a small one,
horse town upon the hanks Of the /" Big Mud
dy :" plumage tweed gray, tapered of with COW
hide shanks food, principally sof. q schapps.u
taken by suction. Old Agassiz, no doubt,
would class me with the "suckers,, although
fskiologicslly speaking, l resemble nor. Inc
Smud cat'-Cregon trout, as the celebrated
Mem, of.the Washington House, calls it
My object in squatting here is to enjoy the
society of the snipe, woodcock, ana myriads
Of waterfowl, which the winter months brings
with them from the far North.
Although this is quite a snail town, hardly
honored with a place upon the map, still there
are many interesting associations connected
with it, as the site Of a large fort in former
years, the garrison Of which met a t~ragical
fate at the hands OF the treacherous savsges.
It is quite a picturesque spot, too, situated, as
the town is, at the foot Of a lofty range Of hills.
decked with the evergreen magnolia, and swept
az the base by the waters of the restless Mis-
sissippi-
A tradition exists, that in years long since,
an aged priest was murdered upon this spot BY
the Indians. This story was strongly corrob-
GRATED by the Dutch, who afterwards settled
here.
They swore, and their children to this day
swear, that upon a stormy night, when it SEEM
ed as if the evil spirits from P~andemonium
were set loose, this old priest appeared upon
the hills, moving his arms to and fro, as if ad-
dressing an audience. However, as this was
long after both priest and Indians had disap-
peared from the country, it is the opinion Of
historians that the worthy burghers were eth
er awfully frightened, or else most ~fearfully
drunk.
i wish to introduce you to one of on" char
I acters." He is a long, lank pattern Of hu-
mainly, with a very shock of hair-shocking
red hair, rather-and a pair of deep, sunken
gray eyes, which look as if they were con-
stantly on the alert to get a peep at the middle
Of next week. To use his own expression,
" he keeps 'em alters skinned.n
This is Turkey Tom-sousin to Tom Owen,
celebrated in the songs of Thorpe-born, bred,
and brought up in the State Of Arkansaw,
with a through ticket for any kind Of a spree,
from a ball to a I" bar-fght !" a fep in any kind
of hunting, bat especially death Oh turkies.
l was hunting early one morning during the
last "gobbling season." and was quietly steal
ing through the woods, when was suddenly
accosted by some one issuing from the cane
brake.
"Helloi / say, stranger, you amt seen
nothin' of a one-eyed, ball face, bOb-tail pony,
cruisin' aroun' here this mornin,' is yer ?"
"Nary onc-eyed, bail-faeed, bob-tailed pony,
my friend" / replied.
"Wen, / reckon the little euss has strayed
lords home ; but I'll lam his hide when Iketch
him.
The speaker was about moving on, when see
ing that he carried a rife, | asked him if be
had been successful in his hust.
"Stranger," be replied, " Pm alters success.
full, and it don't matter whether | hunt in
~cleaTin' or a canebrake eff | ever place my
eye on a yarmint, be has about as much chance
as a niger baby in a bar-hght. He's a gone
darkey, sartin. As for turkies, | don't know
whether they war made Jest Especially for ms
TO hunt, or | -as made Just to hunt them
When 1 was-a re5y, theyr gave re asLFkey
bone to cut teeth on, and rather reckon il
worked rather inter my natur'.
az turkey gobbler is nifty cunnin'-the cum
%nin'sst thing in the world, / reckon, except il
is a wide-awake wilder or a one-eyed yankee
Hunt a gobbler rite close for awhile, and hs
will get so cunnin' that he won't gobbls with.
out runnin' his headin a boiler, and won't eros:
a branch where it is muddy enough to leave hiI
tracks.
Cup in Arkansaw, oneet, l hunted Just such
a one more'n a year before fixed him. IhaC
my heart set on killing him, and / actilly be-
lieve, eff | hadn't got that gobbler, it would
have been the death of me. He lodged me &C
long that was jest wastin' away to a shader
That turkey roasted on my stomach aud COB
bled in my ear every night. At last, though,
fixed his flint for him. | diskiyered he was toe
fat to 9y, and fndin' it warnt no manner of usC
tryin' to burn powder at him, | one mornin' put
my hounds upon his scrachin's. My dogs il
I fast, but they run that turkey three hours be-
fore they rome up with him. The last hall
mile | could track him jestby the grease that
drapped out of him as be became heted and
when the dogs picked him up, be wsrnt nuthin'
but one COB of lie and feathers.
Stranger, that gobbleTs beard was so long
that he alters carried the end Of it in his mouth
to keep from treadin' on it, and his spurs vral
so big that l used one Of 'em for a powder
horn.o
Remarkably large turkies you have in Ar.
kansaw, my friend,' l replied, as soon as
could catch my breath.
Yes, stranger, but everything else is big il
that State. The muskeeters grow to be as bis
as blue heTons, and the ticks are larger thar
your terrapins here"
Just then ] heard something drop-can't say
what it was--believe somebody tainted.
That's the way ! FIRST saw Turkey Tom.