Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-05-09

not ayowed your sentiments, do 80 without delay,
In righteous fear lest by accessory silence you
justify crime.
A Coon Hunt in a Fency Country
Rcally'tis astonishin VIII at monstrous
sight of mischief there is in pint ofrum! II
one of 'em was to be substituted to analy
zation az the doctors call it, it would be
found IT, contain all manner Of devilment
that yer entered into the head oil man,
from cussin' and slealin' up to murder
and whippin' his own mother, and non
sense enough to turn all the men in the
world out of thier senses. Ifa mans got
badness in him, it will bring it out Just
as sassalras tea does the measles: and if
he's good for nothin' sort of a feller.
without no bad traits in pertickler, it'll
bring out all his greatness. 1t effects diff
ferent ways-some it makes see double,
and some it makes SO blind that they can't
tell themselves from side of bacon. One
Of the worst cases OF rum foolery that I've
heard of for long time tuck place in
Pinesville last fall.
Bill Swecny and Tom Culpepper is the
the two greatest old coveys in our settle
ment for coon huntin'. The tact is they
don't do much of nothin' else, and when
they can't catch nothin' you may depend
ont coons is scarce. Well, one night
they had everything ready for regular
burst, but OWN to some extra good fortin'
Tom had got pocket pistol, as he called
it, of reg'lar old Jimmakey, to keep off
the rumatics. After takin' a good startin'
horn, they went out on their hunt, with
their light wood torch blazin' and the
dogs barkin' and yellin' like forty thou
sand. Every now and then stoppin' to
wait for the dogs, they woull drink one
another's health, till they began to feel
very comfortable, and chatted away bout
one thing and another, without mindin'
which way they was g'wine. Biemby
they cum to fence. Well, over they got,
without much difficulty.
Whose fence is this?' said Bill. s.-.,
'Taint no matter sez Tom, let's take
somthin' to drink
After takin' drink they went on won
deirn what on earh had come of the dogs.
Next thing they cum to was terrible mud
dy branch. After pullin through the bri-
ers and gitten on t'other side, they tux
another drink, and after g'wine little
ways thy cum to another fence and mon
strous high one this time.
Where in airth is we got to, Culpep-
per?' sez Bill. Il never seed sich heap
of branches and fences in these parts
why sez Tom, it's all old Sturlid's
doins-you know he's always bildin fen
ces and maxim internal Improvements, as
he calls 'em. But never mind we's thru
'em now
Reckon we isn't sez Bill, here's the
allfrdest fence yet
Sure enough, thar they was, right agin
another fence. By this time they begin
to be considerable tired in the JOINTS, and
it was such terrible high fence. Tom
dropped the last piece of torch, and thar
they was in the dark.
Now you is done it, sez Bill.
Tom knowed he had, but he thought
it was no use to grieve after split milk, SO
says he: Never mind, old hoss, cum a
head, and I'll take you ont, and that min
it kersplash he went into the water.
Bill hung on the fence with both hands,
he that it was slewin round to throw
him off.
Hello Toni sez he, 'whar is you got
to?'
Here is,' seq Tom, spoutin the water
ont of his mouth, and coughin like he'd
swallowed somethin--'look out, there'a
another branch here
Name o. sense whar is we?' sez Bill.
III this isn't fency country, dad fetch
my buttons ...
Yes, and and branchy one. too sez
Tom, and the highest and deepest and
thickest that ever seed in my born days.
Which way is you?' sez Bill.
Here. right over the branch
Cum ahead. seq Tom, let's so home.
Cum thunder, in sich place as this,
whar man 'aint got his coat tail unhitch-
ed from fence, fore he's over head and
ears in water
After gitten about in the dark, they got
together again. After takn another drink,
they sot out for home, dcnouncin the fen
ces and branches, and hel pin one another
now and then; but they hadn't got morn
twenty yards fore they brung to halt by
by another fence
Dad blame my picture sez Bill, IF |
don't think we is bewitchcd. Who upon
airth would build fences all over creation
this way?'
1t was about an hours job to get over
this one; but after they got on the top
they found the ground on the other side
without much trouble.
This time the bottle was broke, and
they cum monstrous uear havin fight
over the catastrophe. But it WAS very
good thing, it was: for after crossin two
or three branches, and climen as many
more fences, it got to be daylight, and they
found that they had been climin the same
fence all night. not morn hundred yards
from whar they FIRST cum to it.
Bill Sweeny seq he cant account tor 1t
in no other way but that the Ticker sorter
turned their heads. and he sez lie dnz ra-
ly believe If il hadn't a gin out, they'd
been climen the same fence and walden the
same branch till now. Bill promised his
wife to ine. the Temperance Society. If
she wouldn't say no more about that coon
hunt.