Connecticut western news., 1885-07-22
HIS MOST SKILLFUL SHOT
How a Virginia Patriarch
 Won His Bride.
Shooting a Big Oatamount That Was
 Oinging to Her Horses Neck.

steamboat or railway train, and has not been three miles from home since 1861. He was the father of five chil- dren, three boys and two girls Both daughters are dead. Two of his sons were killed in the Confederate and the other in the Union service. He listen with the profoundest interest to the story of Bogardus and Carver, and with smile he shrugged his shoulders, saying: ....a... .-
 "Thar. strangers, you're comin' to the pint now. Why, when l was young," and he stopped to think; "when I was young, about 20. guess, I could outshoot any man in the val ley. We used to swing an apple on string, an mountin' our horses, gallop like mad and fire at it. could hit. it every time. could knock an apple off post nine times out'n ten fifty yards away, an could take the bill off bird in tree as clear as whistle an never disturb feather. That's a fact"
 "What do you regard as the most skillful shot you ever made?' we ask ed. -........-.- .
 "You mean the best ever made; yes, an thought say, the happiest O my life" ...- .
 We nodded in the affirmative.
 "Well, strangers" he began, '11l tell you all about it. It war years ago, though; was twenty-one then, an but few people lived heresbouts, an what did war good ways apart. Down in the tother end O the valley lived John Angleford, who had dar- ter, an I loved her like mad, but, some way or other, she didn't kinder want to hitch to me. About three miles away lived another man who had a son, an she tux to that boy. This made me kind of jealous like, an him an me used to fight often. But I didn't giv in; I'd made up my mind to git that gal eff could One day, in the fall O the year-Ill never forgit that day-I shouldered Old Faithful that's my musket an went up inter | the mountains to see what kind O game was abroad. We'll, reckon I'd been trudgin' around in the thicket for nigh on to three hours, without seein' of thing, when all of sudden I heard scream that almost friz my blood. I heard it again, and know ed 1t whar woman's holler; so jes' cocks Old Faithful an starts through the bushes. But afore got to the openin' I heard horses hoofs a-clank- ing an a-clatterin' over the stones, I hurried right on to the openin', an thar seed wat it war all about. I seed it at a glance. Old Angleford's horse whas a-tearin' along like as if the old boy war arter him, an thar war Sary Jane, her face as white as chalk, a-clingin' to bis back for dear life, an right betwix' her an the horses head, his claws driv into the flesh of the horses neck, a-tryin' to reach the gaI war the biggest cata- mount ever seed. Era. .........
 Your times come, John,' says to myself. Steady, now; aim right, an you'll win the gall Jes' as thar ar hoss with the screamin' gal got oppo- site to me I blazed away for the catamounts head. knew 1t war life or death to one of the three on lem; but didn't miscalculate; I never did. The load went into that ar cata- mounts head, an he rolled over dead on the ground; the hoss stumbled, an as he disappeared over the precipIce cotched the faintin' gal in my arms an hurried down the road with her to her home. For long time she had 8 ragin' fever, and kept a-callin': Is he come3 Is he comeP Nobody could tell what it meant. You see, men them days would go off an stay for days a-huntin', so the absence O old Struthers's boy didn't make anybody think strange. Well, one day she cum to, an the first thing she axed about war if Al Struthers had cum home Thinks I, thar's somethin' quar- somethin' wrong about this, so I'll see. l shouldered old Faithful an started out. Away up war the cata- mount had jumped on Sary Jane's hoss l found him-ughi what a sight I seed, Thar he war, stark dead, a. stickin' on an oak limb, that had gone clar through his body, an his hoss war dead, away down on the sharp-pointed rocks below. We giv the poor fellow decent burial The only way I could account for his death war that Sary Jane's screamin' frightened his hoss, an runnin' in among the trees he got caught on the sharp pint O the low down limb"
 Here he realled his pipe. and said: Come In, strangers, an I'll show you suthin'."
 We followed him into the cabin.
 "This are Old Faithful,'" he said, taking down an ancient-looking gun from the rack and batting it affection ately, "what done the business for me An this" he continued, unrolling a musty leQklng parcel, ear the skin Q