Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-17
sH1NBoNEs oNA COON HUNT.
How He Found Coon That Refused
to be Killed.
Nea0 York Times

Mem York Times.
The rain was beating down in dismal
| stream on the classic shores of HobOken.
The more if rained the more it wanted to
rain. Brother Peter Maguff was sitting
1 in his cabin playing upon banjo. He
. could not play many, tunes because the
banjo had only one string. Bat he man.
/ aged to sOlace his spirits with Don't get
weary" He had almost determined to go
and see Brother ShinbOnes Smith when
/ the door opened and that distinguished
/ gentleman entered.
/ "GoTramighty, Brudder Pete" exclaim-
/ ed ShinbOnes, ''dis var am one OBJ de mos
I Orneriest nights / ebber see.''
4 reckon yO' am bout right, Brudder
/ ShinbOnes. Dis var am a VERY bad sort
O. night. WOt yeI dom out? Ise glad
huff ter see yer, but don't b'lieve yo'
come all de way hyar jes' for tun."
''Wal," answered ShinbOnes slowly,
,'yo' allow dat dis am putty damp wedder,
| huh?''
''Yas, sab, Pm allowin' dat right
along"
oval, yO' know my ole woman?0
''Gas, Sab, do dat, an a fine"
''Jes' drap dat, chile. Dat ole woman's
got de rumaticks."
oval, Brudder ShinbOnes, yo' ort ter
stay hum an take car on herr
stay hum wen my Old WOman's got de
tongue"
There was significant silence for seve-
raj minutes, during which Brother Pete
digested the new revelation. Finally he
broke the silence in a desperate and sue
cesstul effort to change the subject
"Brudder ShinbOnes," said he, ''dis
vars ben a mighty pooh winter fur coon
huntin', hain't it?'
"Yas, dis vars ben berry skeerce win
ter fur cOOns. Sides, dar hain't no cOOns
round var, nOhOw. Wen l was libin' down
in Kaintucky, | used ter knock de cOons
right an lef. Hi yah, golly! dem was de
times, chile, umph-umph-umphr'
Il reckon yO' must "a had some fine
huntin' down dar. GoTrmighty! l wish |
hedn't ben bohn up var in de NOrf."
oval, sab, menny an menny's de night
dis var ole niggah's he'd huntin' cOons.'
"Cahn't yO' recommended some o. yOre
'sperences, Brudder ShinbOnes?
"Wal, l reckon l kin. l guess de fun
NEST ting dat ebber happent ter emmy
body on coon hunt happent ter dis var
chile wot's talkn' ter yO'''
'How was dat, Brudder ShinbOnes?v
oval, one night Wen de wedder was
cold 'nuf tn freeze de watah in whisky
punch, Brudder Sam Sallibarry, wOt libed
up in de hills come down ter my cabin
an arskCd me fur ter so a coon huntin'
wild he. Wal, | warn't a bit Onwillin', so
! got out de ole gun an called up de
dawg, an we med start right up'n de
hill ter place Whar we knowd dar was
cOOns. De snow was bout two inch deep
and de moon war putty near full-jes a
splenditerOuS kind O night fur coon hunt
in as ebber | see. We clOmb up de side
o. de hill an hustled long de top till we
come ter de place. Wal, we wicked
round right smart spell an didn't see
nary coon. After a vile we went an sot
down onter a lawg under big tree an
pulled out de ole bottle fur ter take nip.
Jes as Brudder sam was gettin' ready, we
noticed dat de daWgs was OneasY."
" OTIS de mattah wild yo? sez Brud-
der sam, seZ he, ter de dawgs.'
De daWgs didn't say nary a word, but
kinder walked round de tree snifiin' an
lookiR mighty uncomfortable. Den we
med up our minds dat sOmefn was in de
tree, an we jes kind o. lit out oft'n dat
lawg mighty student. Den we kinder
squintet up'n de tree, an dar wot dye
s'pOse we 5aW?'
Dunno, Brudder Shinbones; bar?0
Nav, chile; yO' dom know muffin;
Twas a burned big coon, settin' right
0nter de limb ODER dc lawg! 'Twar put
ty high limb, but dem dar dawgs he'd
smeltdat ar coon. Wal, San. / put upd de
ole gun an let him hev' it. BY golly, he
nebber moved! Sam, SEE he TO me, SEE
he, 'Yo' amt hit him. Den he pulled
away, an dOggOne me fur pickles. eli dat
ar coon ebber wagged his tail! Den we
got mad, an bof let go de second barl at
oncet. De coon ies sot still an luked like
he was laliin' at we. Den we boff swoah
dat we'd kill dat dar coon or bust. We
fabed up dar at him bout 'lebben times,
but he jes sOt still. Den sam was mighty
mad."
'''Bruuuer FeLc,' orl liz ter -,ao, &C u he,
IL &c oea5oSi 9' nm dar an knock dat coon on
$50 he got a big stick an cIomD upn
de tree. Den he crawled out on de limb
an fetched de coon a mos pOwahful belt
,longside de head. De coon nebber moved.
Den he crawled out fudder an grabbed
de coon by de neck, but, by gOlly! lie
couldn't move him."
"Wot war de mattah, Brudder Shin
bOnes?" asked Pete.
"Wy, de gOnsarned coon war dead all
de time an war froze stiff an fast ter de
limb"