South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-11-09

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In West Virginia. among the spurs
of the blue Ridge Mountains lie the
Capon Springs. At Que time these
springs were owned and run By Mr..
>. Nj. Waddle, thefather OF Julius 3.
Waddle, of whom l write. Waddle
was brought up to use the old time
sporting rifle, identical, except for lie
percussion lock with those used by the
Culpepper Minute men in the Revo.
luton, aud by all the characters in
Coopcr's 'Lcather-stocking' tales.
Joining party one day in the fall of
1875, long ride was made. For the
benefit ofnon.sporting readers it may
be explained that q drive for deer is
about the same as q beat tor tigers.
A mountain or u scope of country is
selected and q large party of men
start in the same direction for given
point. keeping quite n distance a.
part and by noise, ETC., drive away
every animal before them, the ground
being always selected so that all game,
to keep under cover, will have to pass
through narrow body of woods, or
some such natural road. Here the
best shots are invariably stationed to
do the execution of the day. 1t was
at one OF. these crossings that Mr..
Waddle was standing on one occasion
mentioned when the drivers heard
him shoot five times with wonderful
rapidity. When they came up to the
place where this fusilade had taken
place it was found that Mr. Waddle
had had four deer to take his crossing,
three does and buck and being on
the side OF a ravine, the season late
in the fall, he bad an uninterrupted
view except for the tree trunks and
limbs. As soon rs the herd came in
sight. and at long range, he opened
fire and one dropped in its tracks,
another-the buck-as they passed
him, and the third WAS shot one huns
dred yards further on, and the fourth,
stopping TO smell the wounded one g.
in confusion was shot in the head and
fell dead while the one it was SMELL
ing got up and attempted to run but
was stopped by the fifth shot from
MIR. Waddle's unerring rifle. Thus
he completed his work of killing four
deer without moving out of his
tracks. The time consumed could
not have been but little over half
minute. This, l believe to have been
one OF the great-if not the greatest
pieces of shooting ever done in the
actual field of sport.
l havealso known this gentleman to
kill doe that was standing behind a
tree with only her head in sight at a
distance OF two hundred yards. On
another occasion I knew him TO strike
buck i'll the head four times III as
many shots. II was swimming the
South Branch River, near Romuey,
at distance OF about $50 yards from
where Mr.. Waddle was standing
when he sank, but was gotten with a
boat. Mr.. Waddle is also a prodigy
with the pistol, having to my certain
know ledge killed buzzard that was
sitting i'll tree four hundred yards
off, with Smith & Weston navy, and
also two crows on the wing, one fall.
ing dead $50 yards from him. While
hunting on Chesapeake Bay, 1 knew
him to kill two wild geese that were
ont of range Of shot guns AID swan
shot probably, 200 yards. One
was shot from the blind and the other
from the shore, with this same remark
able pistol. There may have been
and was, in all probability, some luck
in these last few shots, but l have seen
him strike large nail on the head
repeatedly in friendly pistol practice,
at measured distance of 100 feet
Cor. Philadelphia Times.