The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-05-22
MeShach Browning,
IRON the Cumberland Daily News.l
CUMRERr.AND Nov ~ 1904

ieeeiVed letter from an unknown
sehVieman in the Interior Depart
lhent at Washington City, wishing
" know something more about the
i"'e MeShach Browning than he had
sa'hered from perusal of his book
known as "Forty-four Years of the
Lie OF Hunter" Surprising there
may be other persons interested in
tie same manner l have concluded
70 answer the communication thro'
the columns of your enterprising
journal, and in this way perhaps
ooiige some others of the veteran
hunters friends.
Inc enquiries in the letter are thus
stated: II have been reading with
lluch interest book entitled Forty
lour Years of the Life of a Hunter
oeihg "reminiscences of Meshaeh
browning, and | venture to drop
you a line and will thank you for
any information you can give or OBJ
tam for me. When and where did
ne Die? How old was he at death?
DO You know any of his children or
gFaadchildren If so, please give
me the name of one or more of them.
would like very much if you or
they would send me any relic or
keepsake that was once owned by
him, such as knife, powder horn,
pouch, shoe, moccasin, belt or article
Of clothing. | would greatly prize
it always"
No doubt our unknown correspon-
dent is ccnnoisseur in relics. and !
hope some of the surviving Brown
ings of the second, third or fourth
generation will respond to the re-
quest Of G. M. Tompkins, in the
Interior Department. at Washington,
d. G.,
The life of Browning is too long
and eyentful to do more than glance
at it, and | advise any who may feel
interested in it to get his entertain
ing book and read for themselves.
He was born in Frederick county
just century ago, but came to Allie
gany while in his teens, where he
spent the balance of his happy life /;
twice married-his last wife proceed
ing him to future life a few years /;
the father of six sens and five daugh-
tiers, all by the first wife; farmer
by occupation, but a hunter from
taste, or rather passion-(realIy next
to the family hearth, to which he
was greatly attached y the woods and
rifle were his enjoyment in all the
years of his manhood, and after the
realities of the forest scenes had
passed and old age came, his salts
faction was to picture them to his
I many listeners. Democratic in pol
itics and Catholic in religion, but
prejudiced or bigoted in neither re-
lation, both of which sprang from an
honest heart and clear head once a
candidate for the legislature, in 1S47,
in an "off year" with his party, and
hence his defeat, land, by the way, a
brother of the writer was elected on
the opposite ticket that year y /
don't think he ever held any public
Office; he was in no sense a pohti-
ciaI simple and even primitive in
his ways and habits. But his hum
BILE abode on Sang Run, lin Garrett
county, Maryland,l was the seat Of
hospitality for mai y long years. He
was entirely free from vice; honest
and direct as any man could be and
greatly respected, He was very posi-
tive and strong in his nature, as
every line in his rigid face show. He
was powerful man in physique, and
occasionally, but only occasionally,
would have a combat with a man of
known metal when it would not be
manly to avoid it, He had noted
battle in early life at Selbysport with
a man by the name of Shannon. The
contest began on an old-fashioned
saw-mill. and ended below among
the water-works. The ducking they
received in the fall had the good effec
to cool the ardor of the contestants.
But no man more despised herulfian
and bully than he.
His fondness for his rifle and the
woods remained with him as long
as he could follow the war-path of
his profession, but long and severe
exposure in the woods finally COM
PEELED him to succumb. For the last
several years Of his life he was very
decrepid with age and rheumatism.
The last time / saw him he was
winding his way up the courthouse
hill, Cumberland, with evident pain
J and difficulty. He tcpk it very CRATE
iul in me to give him a then strong
arm to assist him in his last visit to
Allegany courthouse.
Francis p. Blair, ST., Edward Sta
bier and other eastern peoplein son e