Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-01-14
Clerical Hunting.

The old-fashoned English fox hunting parson
who preached on Sunday and practiced field sports
and drunkenness the rest of the week is fortunate
ly extinct. The English clergyman OF the pres
ent day substitutes croquet for hard riding, and
would Is soon be guilty of highway robbery as
Of drunkenness. In this country the fox hunting
type of parson never existed, and 1t is only of late
years that an occasional minister has ventured to
amnse himself during his summer vacation with
innocent open-air sports. Rev. Mr.. Murray is to
great extent responsible for directing the cleri-
cal mind into fishing and deer shooting channels
1t could be wished that he had possessed some
slight degree of self-rostraint and had been sufii-
cienty sportsmen-like to avoid taking the entire
public into his confidence and then betrayng the
choicest secrets of the wilderness. He is destined
to bad eminence a. the clerical Goth who led
vast horde of amateur sportsmen to the sack of
the Adirondack Once the Adirondack region
WAS the paradise Of hunters and fishermen. Mr.
Murray penetrated into its rscssses and instead of
searching the world over until he found one or
two disciples worthy Of being intrusted with the
knowledge Of trout streams and the lurking places
of deer and bears, he fastened to reveal in their
fullest extent the my steres Of the Adirondack
Let rs hope that his pernicious example will find
ne imitators, but that every fishing clergyman who
hereafter discovers . choice trout-st will pre-
serve ito secret with the utmost care, aud impart
Is his death bed to only small number of tried
and worthy neophytes.
1t was confessedly due to Mr.. Murray . influence
that Rev. Mr. Atkins, lately the Rector of ST.
solved to become mighty deer huntsr. He was
. mild, consamphve clergyman, who was unvsr-
sally respected, and who in point of Christmas
clippers was the banner clergym man of New Eng
land. He read Mr.. Murray's books, and felt that
what his system needed was deer. 1t wa, mid.
winter when this conviction fastened itself upon
bis mind. and it was. of course, impossible for him
to indulge in hunting until his next summer yaca-
ton; but, in the meantime, he amused himself by
elaborate preparation for the chase. He bought a
complete hunting suit, made of a material stiff so
that he could scarcely walk in it, and could not sit
down without undergoing acute agony; and he
hled its innumerable pockets with cartridges, fish
ing Lines, flies, TASKS holding weak tea, and boxes
in which he intended to carry weeks supply OF
toast. He procured double barreled gun and
rife with which be frequently knocked over his
and upset his inkstand while aiming at
imaginary deer in his study, aud he sent for the
doctor seven times In the month of February alone
to devise ways and means CT excsvating fish hooks
that had buried themselves in different part, of
his person. His dogs, however, were his CHIEF
treasure. They were pair of superb hounds, full
Of life and spirits, and constantly laboring under
the deluson that they scented game in various parts
Of the village. After they had once folio we'd him
TO church and insisted upon sitting on the pulpit
stairs and painting at the congregation, he kept
them closely chained, and took them out once
day, securely leashsd together. to give them ex-
srcise. The dogs were apparently very fond of
him, but - they were tremendously strong, and as
they utterly refused to mind him whenever they
imagined that game was in the vicinity, they gave
him good deal of anxiety.
One day Mr.. Atkins started out with his dogs.
intending to take them into q solitary field where
no one could witness their irregularities. They
were coupled VII chain about six feet in length
and be held them by another chain fastened to the
collar Of the of dog. Suddenly he remem-
with much difficulty, prevailed upon the dogs to
accompany him down the main street of the vii
lage to the Post Office. Though they walked
rather faster than he usually walked, he held tight
to the chain. and skillfuly pretended that they
were not dragging him after them. About the
middle Of the village they struck, as they fanced,
the scent of deer, and darted off at the top of
their speed. In vain did MIR. Atkins request them
to "whoa," and appeal to their better natures by
calling them good dogs" and poor fellows"
The brutes were deaf to his remonstrances, and
after they had nearly succeeded in dragging him
under loaded team, he was compelled to let 20
the chain and set them ct liberty. While he stood
breathless and dusty, to watch the wild gallop, he
noticed, about three hundred yards in advance of
them, the wife and daughter of his leading pa
man. and the daughter was the most beautiful
young lady in the parish. The dogs were head
ing straight for them, and as the ladies' had their
respective backs turned to the animals, they were
unconscious of their approach. Forseeing dis
aster, Dir. Atkins ran after his dogs and shouted
wildly 10 them. The wretched beasts paid no at
tentonto his shouts, but swooped down upon the
devoted ladies. As they reached them, one dog
undertook TO pass by the side of the mother while
the other hied to pass by the side of the daughter
The slI-foot chain which connected the reckless
hounds naturally interfered with their design. IL
struck the unfortunate ladies with almost the mo-
mentum Of chain-shot. There was . wild shrek
and then, while . frghtful vision Of white and
scarlet dazzled the clerical eyes, q tremendous
crash announced that the wife of the leading citi
sen and the belle Of the parish had unsuccessfully
tried TO stand on their heads on the stone side
walk.
The dogs, hastily extricating themselves from
the wreck, lied on and vanished 10 the distance
and the nsighbors issued from their houses and
gathered up the two ladies. Late that evening
Rev. Mr.. Atkins was found wandering in
~ open fields, with strong symptoms Of