The Van Buren press., 1867-11-15
VINE PRAIRIE HUNT |!
A Telescope View.

a weeks HINT on Vine Prairie. 1t is now
the only free pleasure left to the un-re'
constructed. 1t is, therefore, highly
priced privilege.
Vine Prairie lies in the lower, or east
ern par, Of Crawford county, river-wards'
1t abounds in deer, turkies, ducks, birds,
fish, lizards and cottonwoods, with q
small sprinkle of cane. 1t has been
celebrated hunting centre for fifty years
This prairie was so named from these
two things: First, it is begirt with the
hupest vines in all creation; Second, 1t
was, many years ago, so infested with
sandburrs that the hounds, ours, spaniels,
new foundlands, pointers, and other ca
mines. Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart, who
trod or ran across its wastes, filled their
feet with the sharp needles that caused
such howling among the dogs and such
; . cussing" among the hunters, as to
compel the latter, in order to cure the re-
gion of its burrs and profanity, the peni
tent Nimrods, to resort to the vines and
, there pray The burrs are, therefore,
not so bad as they were before this deyo-
ton.
Dick Thrust, par excellence the Sports
, man of this Region, is noted hunter
and fisher An excellent shot, a steady
hand, quick and true eye, the best Judge
in Chrstendom of dog or gun, woe to
the deer, turkey or mallard that passes
y him. They always stop when he cries
wo. He is about six feet and thirteen
f inches high, large and broad chested. Is
: straighter than Comanche, beardless,
black eyed, very reserved in speech, and
when he talks does so in a slow, soft and
: modest manner; he hates apples, cider
q coffee and drinks nothing but milk-puucl
Y and eats nothing but venison steaks an(
r broiled perch. lie has got a Nursery
where he teaches Sunday School twice :
. month. lie knows these woods and Wa
Il ters as well rs the animals which inhabi
o them. lie can pitch a tent or cast
t. hook, can draw bead or wing blu
y wing, boil 4 cup of Rio, or test q littl
is rye o, with the best sportsmans that eve
0 pulled trigger. lie is true Chief 0
5. Nencric,
rs Jim Stew. so named because he watche
" the camp and attends to the stew of bird
.s or meats, is capital hunter. His gur
a is the best, his shot the brightest. hi
N''f~ ---0 ""''o', no I,o.'-r~- ,1-.-.---.
y all his accoutremcnts the most picke,
:, and complete; and he can kill deer il
h any Tx 1t chooses to get Understanding
e running, or jumping, especially standing
o Duck and turkies fall before his fire whil
partridges quail at his very gaze. Ex
;. cept when on a gastrOnomic watch o
. stewd birds, he is the mos: active O
Is Nimrods; is always "bruising about
: the woods; gets up before daylight, onl,
comes in to camp about dusk, and tear
- and swcars through the thorniest of thick
O cts and brush, always bagging something
lie is about five feet one inch high. yer,
spare and thin, weighs ninety nine pounds
of blue eyes and red hair, and can dis
tance the camp in all that pertains tc
hunting and fishing. lie keeps race
" horsc--rcady for the war of races.
: Dick Thrust and jim Stew are o hunt
2 ing duality hard to beat. They hunt il
h coupcs-ncvcri in packs-wont net seine
l. nor pot-hunt. Generous, true and gifted
!, they are worthy to lead in the Field OF
h Sport, They know how to crack Jokes
d in tent at night, and they can crack q
It spoke in mulhole, and-mend it.
u They sailed out in all their glory few
! days since, full equipped. November
a trosts and November hues to brace and
lure them and they had bright skies for
t their sheen Deer suffered to four the
first days hunt; scores of duck fell
= quail whistlcd and turkies gobbled their
@ last; while such garnishment of meats
5 around camp Vine Prairie hath not seen
these many years. Fish hrted into their
baskets and pans. And, my stars such
eating of perch, vcnison and birds
wanted to go. Thought could not
go. ! could have gone if Daniel or some
other seer had been by. 1t was Elysium
cut off from me. But ] got Jim Stew s
telescope. l climbed the mountain back
Of town-immortalizcd both in DR.. Ow
ems and Bill Cush's paintings, the cedar
tree and deer in the foreground of each,
both ready to jump off the blua-and |
SA laI IL.