Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-03-25

little last self-denial will be plea for me
Go now. You may trust me.''
He kept his word, and Gerald Langtol
kept his secret.
When Maude few weeks later, becam
his wife, she little guessed the terrible or
deal which he had spared her, or the addet
disgrace that belonged to the name she hat
given Exchange.
For the SPECTATOR
|. Corrections The Fox Hunt
NEAR GREENvILLE, March 49, 1884.
EDITOR SPEcTAToR:-In your issue o
the 11th inst, which is just to hand, l fine
an article from Ocular" in regard to th'
fox hunt of February 22d and 23d, in,.whicl
he makes great many erroneous state
ments, none Of which I will undertake tt
correct or notice, except two or three il
regard to myself, in which / deem he or his
farmer friend has done me an injustice, a!
well as placed me in false position. II
the first place, in order to be fully under
stood, | will state that I did not leave home
until the morning of the 22d, and had to
travel with my dogs about eighteen miles
to the meet at Fishersville, and owing to
the horrible conditions of the roads and the
distance, it was about 10 o'clock when
arrived at DR.. Dold's, near the church.
Here | was so fortunate as to meet my
friend, MIR. s. Donald, and also Mr. Harms
barger, of whom I enquired where the
hunters were, and they said they did not
know, but we would 60 to the village to.
gether and find out. When we got to Mr..
Gully store, concluded, after learning the
party was large and had great many dogs,
that | would leave a pair Of puppies I had
with me and not let them go in the chase,
and so left them with Mr.. e.. This left me
three dogs, the only ones I put in the
chase during the hunt of my own. We
were informed that the party had been
gone but short time, and we followed up
the road until we came to the ridge road,
and were joined by several other parties,
among others, Judge Bateman We rode
on down the ridge-road some distance,
where he had some dogs, and looking around
saw several dogs that seemed to be lost
running about through the woods. 1 called
them up, and thought I would take them
with me until l came up with the party.
After going some distance farther down
the road, we heard pack of dogs running
on the other side of the road. going up to-
wards the Staunton road. Mr.. Donald and
myself dismounted, and ran up the hill to
see the chase and put my dogs in. The
pack had past, and Judging the distance by
my eye, and being unacquainted with the
ground, would suppose the pack were, at
least, quarter of a mile from US, and some
distance by, when my dogs were turned in.
Then in order to meet the pack, we both
ran to our horses and galloped up the road,
but were too late to see them pass, and we
did not see the dogs any more until we got
up where most of the party were, when we
saw them coming back through field, and
were told that two of my dogs were in front
when they passed the party going around.
Here. please allow me to say, that did not
expect to compete for the prize from the
fact that got there too late to go in at the
start, but was informed by the. party that
the fox had only been started when I put
my dogs in. But was more astonished at
"Ocular's" assertion, that | would be
guilty of SO angentlemanly an act as to put
my dogs in in front of the pack than any
thing else, and think he owes me re-
traction i'll as public a way as he made the
assertion. and if he is as willing to do JUS
tice as he claims to be, he will make the
correction. There is still another point
that l want settled, and that is, the idea
conveyed that l was in collusion to take
advantage and give the honors against his
friends, the owners of North and Taylor;
and moreover, [ wish to state right here,
that am as good Democrat as he or his
friends, one and two, and, as to a mill
tary record, can but say, l went into the
army at seventeen years Of age. and stayed
there until the surrender.
My family having been sick, have been
cka .4 4E<,
chase, and had not heard to whom or that
there mad been any award given, and had l
known or been approached in the matter,
in any way whatever, would have contended
that nothing of the sort should be done, as
l don't believe any unbiased man would
say that there had been enough of any
chase seen to decide the merits Of any spe-
eial dog. l was one of the last to get to
Munroe' house on Saturday morning, where
the fox had been caught, and was greeted
by several of the party that arrived there
ahead of me with 'your old Wick caught
the fox" and it was prefaced by Mr.. j. E.
Fl. with something about your funder dogs
dozen or more of the party. think nearly
all of them heard his remark, but l was
near the creek, and did not hear exactly
what he did say. I did not see Munroe,
but was told that he said he knew my dog,
and that it was she who caught the fox;
but as to this l care nothing, but simply
state the fact to clear myself to my friends
Of the charge Of making false statement
in regard to the matter.
I have one other remark to make, and
that is, received my invitation from Dr.
J. II. Fultz, and supposed he and D No. 2
were the parties getting up the hunt, as
also your friends one and two, and was
that the best dogs in the county
were to take part, and was very anxious to
see the chase, as well as to compare the
merits of my own dogs with such celebrated
dogs as North and Taylor. r
Very respectfully, yours, d No. l,
or, as better known,
j. ALEX. BUMGARDNER.