The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1884-05-01
THE FIRST DEER.
a Severe Attack of Buck Aguc That,
Strange to- Say, Resulted Fatally.

strange To Say, Resulted Fatally.
On Monday morning last several
gentlemen spoitsmcn. John T. Long,
the crack pigeon shooter. among tho
number, were extending n hearty well
come TO Dufur at G.llman's when Ell.
cried ou..
'Dafur, ! shall have 10 toll YOU about
the first deer Mr., Long ever shot
Ill you de-, I'll tel about your scar
ing buck 10 drath' exclaimed Long.
Go ahead! Ed, go ahead!' urged
the others.
johnny has always been u, great
fellow after the birds. but its only n
few years ago that got him To go up
country with II lot Of us if.rr deer.
The first morning after We got iutO
camp, rs we were ahodt starting cut
for n hunt, Johnny asked me- where TO
hit them, and ] told HIM TO shoot hem
right back OF the fore shoulder VOL,
we hadn't gone far before old Drive
struck a track. aud away he went Civ
ing tongue in tine style.
lit is quite hi,ly up there. and ~
was pretty certain that the deer would
come down through runway that led
20 the lako. we stationed johnny down
in the hollow AMI took positions up on
the sidGhill where We could watch him.
The fact il, We thoa.ht hG would have
the buck aguo' so badly tina; lie would
he sure to miss anu we would have tho
laugh ON him.
"prctiy soon tho buck came in sight,
running right towards johnny, and up
went his rifle to his shoulder. lie
'squ;uted along the barrel for little
vhii". and then took i; down from liz,
shoulder and looked ii ovUr Then up
IL went to his shoulder again AMI he
dill some more sqUiut,ny. Then he
took the rifle down aud looked 1T il
again. Meantime the deer hal been
trottinE right along towards him all
the time, and, actually, we were laugh
ing all over, for we thought johnny
had the fever 50 badly that he had tor
gotten how TO shoot, and was 60
ing TO let the buck go right by him.
"Thc last TIM, he raised the rifle the
/ deer was 80 close to him that ii saw
him, whirlcd and was of like II shot.
AS it did SO, Johnny fired, aud down
went the deer.
"'Wherc did you hit him, johnny?
said |,
fright whore you tod mo to, Ell
said he. Right back Of the shoulder. ,
"Whcn We got down whore tho buck
lay, you may call me n sinner If John
ny hadn' hit HIM within three inches
of the tai! Ever since then tho boys
call deer's ,nil Johuny Longs shoul-
der.
"Now," said Long, after the laugh
ter had subsidcd, "l'il tell you my side
OF the story. II was in an old slash
that had been burned over and stood
right by a tall, black stub. When the
deer love in SIGHT he was rs much ~
eighty rods of and didn't look much
larger than rahnit--he only weighed
sixtN-four pounds.
IL had u new, brcech-loading r,ilo
with set locks. Wncn YOU drew w
the lcvcr-har, which was also the trig-
Ecr-%uard, il prc,,c in a pm and set
the locks. but ! afterwards found out
that il would not set the locks unless
pressed close down. When the deer
appeared thought might rs well be
getting ready Tor him, so | fixed my
sights and brought my rilo up To my
shoulder When the deer got within
range | pulled on him, but the prsGy
rifle did not 90 of. | dropped it down,
saw that it worked all right, and pulled
on him again.
Meantime had thought Of every
buck aguc' story ever heard in my
life and my heart was humping away
in me like II triphammcr. The third
time looked the rifle over discovered
what was the matter, but as raised
ii 10 my face the deer was so close that
he saw mo, turned tail and boltcd
straight away. It's n wonder | hit
him, but this bullet tina; l. / says struck
right ut the roots of tho dccr's tail
went through him from end TO end
and killed him deader than Il salt
mackcrcl. ."-DetrOH Free PYcss.