, 1869-03-07
TOM DILLON, THE DEAD SHOT.

Tom Dillon was the terror OF all game pre-
serros IN his district. It was he who mad
the eelt brated apology to Sir Richard -
for shooting ut the pcnu'tin.ts partridge Q
. covey "air Rtchard,h said Tom, ~ lot
one bird to hseed," and those who knew tt
e.s akcr werb aware that In this cnse be ha,
sc'ed more liberaily than was his wont.
believe he never missed anything. He wouli
leave I've snipe 20 oil without pulling a tli.;
ger; bur eEce hts gun was up, the snlpe, q
whatever 1t was, Was ture to 60 DOM. No
was be satisfied with merely knocking owe
the ig1me. He utcd 10 take sr. a. pIeal
urc 10 What he called "hopptng th
bt tgzars''-ttat is, striking the fo7l .,
cloktly as to make the dead body rebouu{
against The turf; and marvellous as 1t mn,
SANITY. We Ind good deal Of ree shoot
Ing in our parts. but you should gct up ri,
Indeed 10 be oC the ground before Tom DII
lon, ard being there after him was what DR.
Jtlnsou would term work of supere.oea
t!on. he was willing enough 10 accept yon
BE tfftd 1T cytry bi1d be thought be ennl, COZ
hi, md you took the rest. Another weas 4
meas Of bis was habit OF shooting with IT.
entire disregard for tho position OF hi4 a.so
cate. ueyer knew that be killedor N aime,
: human being, but this arose iron hts kill
the exercise Or which, under circumstance
was attended with discomfort Then he IN,
| strong penchons for the flask. If he w
un1ucky In finding, he drank to better for
t tune; IT he fell In with plenty, he pledgr,
himself to make, btg bag, But tha xhf+ka,
seemed to do him no more harm thar If il
was 10 much ncw milk, except to paint hi
nose and cheeks VIVID carmiue.
Ten kept an excellent breed ofdoxs, vhfc]
ne macared to spoil by ovez-punishmeut
he had tn m 80 coWed that they were affsl,
to stir 3rcm bis heel, and When thew ran
tuteo on point you could s. them LOOKING
over their shoulder every second 10 thI
greatest terror. II any dogs could oe atteri,
nenofahked by eursiog, these dogs Wet,
liable to be made IN this respect as bruta
as tn If master: Tom prided himself ou the IL
force and volubillty OF his maledictions
Liz could 60 on Tor tWo minutes iurenefnr
minatory eplthets Of the most awful descfins'
Ion. To hear him At bis business when NIX,
'd,racted @ As to aigh. of duck or teal b. =
weakness In which be INDUCED WIS that ~
t-ya1lably carrying his gun loaded and on
full cock It. WAS sail that, one ecca.
Lion, ne sent the ramshackle old ptece to
ea0snith ior repalss. That fuuct!ouarY took
h's nreakfast in the Workshop, ard it was the
tss psoi. o. nfs s1n' a:ed p!ae, 70 snap caps OF
Tom Dl!on's gut for this purpose, and nlay.
Tally covered bis Either, who had the teapot
blown ont Of his hands, tnd who wonld ha1r
had bis brains scattered against the wall had
h1s aeE been strong enough to raise the euu
~ Ton " p bad ID = pretty aug farm, and lived on
fences 4, tempting collection Of phesssnt,
eese resred. Tom supplied bis frier d. with
Pm esauts md never wanted dish of the4e
olfds Ur bis own table. Thick he generally
ua<o IN a1F cane for this business BE -was
realig 4 Wondefiu! shot, and would bring,
aoHn roostmE pheasant stone killed, With 3
4 hAA ~
'o'd once offered 10 make terms wiih hiu-to
give lin 80 many days shooting In the selson
over the estate, provided Nr. Dillon rcirained
iron poaehtng. Tom acceded to tho ar.t Dart
y II .ae contract. The etmekeeper returned
hlm, and returned In despair Tom loaded
= and. then commenced to slaughter harrs'
20 soo1 er." said tho Ramekeepcr, patheti.
callJ," Was btrd we'll Cd the ground than
-ha Vas On it again. without KICK in hin
e1a {ou only sa# tho seat ola puss, when
Wnlsh ! she vas rolled over and over, With
se1e,y ey : p!e4Sed grain stuck in The small Of her
oaeE.- The pheassnta decreased after this
a. RI p1dty as eyer. Tho river BY the place,
to-, ras netted, and halfa ton Of white trout
1oono n haycock beloncin. to M., Dillon.
Lord --'wAs great horttculturi.t, and al
the country fowes show weut IN for various
Pr1kes+ Ae was beatei IN the choicest n3ra
J 1onr Dillon, who had a patch If garden
about tha asizs Of 4 pocket handkerchief and
~ Lord't head Rsrdeuer nearly went int3
", Fht1, as he: alleged, he was yAuau,shed
oy The n nes hs Ind himsclr reared.
LON vas m inyeutor. He hxd bottle
oi stun: which be pr. tested be had only to
spllt llt.le q It on the ground. aud make
m.de a eaarid9e OF Il l1ow and t6i:k brown
EapGr, viii Which he bageed widgeon at
tatntous dhtaIce. He had IN unfailIre
PloEes-call made ont of coose-oone. IL
neser used Hads, but stuck an old newspaper
u u n,s poskst, tearing of pIece to place over
Hotte and cheapest powder, subjectiug it,
hoEsFer. to-e@ lnvate PROCESS, bY which il
never faIledEfo 70 o1. Bht it went or In
very bad oder. With ALI these clumsy cx.
pedienta, .s I have not<d> Tom seldom came
thiuk the family AFFAIR.", of every oird Ia thn
county. Whtn tho #oodcocks pes4n to
aI71ves he VI uld hire 4 small boy to beat the
hedges and thTunbe1ies BY tbs seashoro and
lor lands, aud would pick up ine lot Of tbs
1nn and Tsarita pa>teuGers, II great
iom wound station himself outside tic
tounds, hut IN situation chosen with the |
rye OF an expert. Here he would ltQht his
pipe. aud WHIT patieaily for what be used to
EaV Providence would send hsn.s He Ger.
lainls never M: sed these gifts Of Providence,
"a evc1y shot Wis sure to represent hesd II
Esne- The re1t dny he Wa to te fsunI at
lhe earliest dawn posttne about moor IN
The vicinity. Here large numbe.s Of the
Woodcocka would Hn alter being put up from
she cover. Such a glutton OF birds never
lisrd, and get be never eol1. them, though q
comparatively poor man. But Tom was pnud
'ct di;Rraeed themselves bS commerce or
aseful work Of auy kind; and 90 Tom liyed
ind shot on the remnant OF what wis f1ne
property, squandeEed after the fa.hlon OF tha
e4 gentry OF Old Erin.
}, ,othcr, PHI Brten. Phil Believed III his m.sssr
! hero despite the received aphorlsm. BE
Fss Itvcr tired of admigin9 bis skill. and
'rafRlng about IT, He usually attended Dill
% IN his excursions, and "bcat /" for him.
~ wn worth q host In this way,
he rot side Of hill with a. much
Iol e aud ehouting a. detachment OF mir
.trs- His roar OF mark cock'' wonld b.
!eard y mile Of. He re.ided witt, hors. Al |
he b., broken down lodge that led to Mount
,i!1on. Ih. h9rse vas kept for Jobs shout
q favor Of a dar with the master. He vas
susf(y sent for to the parlor on eyeninrs
I'D treated nndinR to glass OF punch. IN
uch occasions be would datter and lie out.
ages usly, sud then retire to the kitchen f1oh
Q smoke and pick the birds shot long enough
rowned In the Blackwater cndearori1p ~
i'm. eptA1e
Dllton htmsclf Is dead some years. netora
is decease he complained bitterly Of the |
always and the draining OF the country.
ne sniPe, be observed with = tfRb, weSe
savihK Ireland, AID the woodcoeks were not
ominE oEer IS thickly as they used. Then,
very tinker he swore was allowed 8 cnu'
nd 1t wasn't # ,rth a eentleman's gb,ie 10
axe out lfcerte- The fact Is that In the
% the Whiskey got tho better Of
ON; II does beat your hardest heads
ae long run. Sill, strange to say,
e always vas. However, tremulous he
and he eon1d steady It n In vice for that
0n fatal moment which serves Ia effect tina
uEposs Of shooting. But be was less adyeu-
orous tn hts poachinR expeditions, and I
1ma y. morn swing Of his constitution, ~ far
ona bout {by himsolf} be wa se;zed v,ts m
! tack Of delisium tremen., md vent out IN
~ nl&ht eaitt to kill tn1pe at O'Clock Of a
Heemoes moEntcg. Tie servants ecourcd
pc place for him, and after he had dis
n1ged tEo barrels At thoss who held Ian
. ~ s.o.1'q1nately a. ~ far of that they
nA ay Costume In an otiery. h never
covered from ths cold, although he stuck
, wh'sEey ali the time he Was In he'd, Ho
est1ed especially to be buried With his
~, and stated his profound belief 10 re-
stous man who c1me 10 convert him. that
9 nus going to Fiddler's Grevu.H he
smhed good deal before the nnish. and.
TRANCE 10 say. although his mind continued
run III the ona absorbing passioa Of his
fe, be never blaspheued as he W, sccus. a
0med to. Peace 10 nh ashes! 4 more
Forthless, nnp1e-heafted creature, or
better shot, neTer trcspa.sed or dis.
egarded warning" The county people
! ! nie nattEe place have mAte ghost of him
y 'a. aiao'tayFhat the oelers ara hanoted by
Q ee seen b. late stfagRle11 trtTcr.!nc The
etda At solemn hours attended b. stc:ctou
.oihters. This DO not believe to b. street
tue, although Plato has slated that our
2nls I Iy may II TO set back and do ovcr again
oe things tn he f1esh that had been doue