Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-05-26
SPRING STORIES.
| Some Remarkable Tales Told BY "Oid
Timers, at GrcgsOn's.

Timers" at Gregson's.
W. we're seated on the broad piazza III
front OF the hotel at Gresson's. enjoying an
a%fter-supper smoke and the pleasant
breezes. There were in the party two or
three ~rheumatics, several dyspeptics, n
the remainder Of US were there simply be-
canse we we're stired." The conversation
turned upon wild beasts in the neighborlng
mountains, and after the topic had been
discussed for a few moments, and 1t haa
been fully decided that they were scarce IN
the vicinity. Judge Huston turned III ms
chair and remarked:
..Talking about wild beasts reminds me
If an incident that occurred while l was in
| British Columbia, in one OF the upper
| islands. l was stopping at the ranch OF a
friend who had been for come time annoyed
by the depredstions of Wildcats. 1t was
finally decided to lay in wait for the var
mi, t., and accordingly a watch Was estab-
lshed. Tie first night, after being on duty
for about an hour. We were SIR
| prised at hearing a not IN the
| hog pen, and efOre we knew anything q
wildcat was seen making of with a large
pig. We recovered quickly, but not quick
enough for the animal as it made off with
its prey. We followed az soon as possible,
and much to our surprise saw the cat with
it's burden quickly mount a tree and To-
cate in the branches about thirty feet
above the ground. He lad hardly got set
tied for his meal before q we!l-directed shot
brought him to the ground. There is moth.
ing remarkable in the story, except that
when the cat was weighed it only turned
the scale at sixty pounds, while the hog
weighe ITO. How he ever got up that tree
with such a weight was always a mystery.
SLAUGHTER.
No comment was offered, ard, lighting +?
fresh pipe, the Judge continued: ~ had
another curious experience with Wild am
mails. A party Of US were roughing II III
Idaho some years ago, and had built our,
selves a cabin. For some time We had been
missing our provender. and concluded tina
there was a bear or two If
the neighborhood, and that we would
set q trap for them. Accordingly
a hole was cut in an upper corner OF TIT
cabin and baited. On the inside a rope
was stretched, and behind that Il rifle risgee
SO that when the rope WA hit the weap"1
would explode, and it was so placed that {
vital spot would be hit. Would v. u believe
it, gentlemen, that with that simple con
t~rivance in the course Of two weeks WI
killed between forty and fifty wild beasts Q
different species. from a black beardo"a tt
a cat"
A CYCLoNE.
As the story was concluded a storm 0
wind and dust swept down the valley, ane
we were forced to take refuge in the hotel
When quiet had been restored, Col. james
Smith. another "old-timer, concluded tina
he was entitled to the floor, and he began
his speech by remarking that he was ''mor
afraid OF a ID tornado than Of all tht
wild animals in tie wilds," and continued
SIN 80, when l was in the hills one o
the pesky things came along and scared m
almost to death. At the time | was stopping
at the ranch OF Joe Williams, Just osltside o
| Deadwood, and when it came along in ii
narrow path it didn't look any more dan
serous than the storm just passing US. Joe
amorg other things. had a fine pen con
| tanning about 0 hogs, not one OF which
/ weighed less than 400 pounds, and a barn
yard with not less than 500 chickens. "
saw tie storm coming, but did not pa.
any attention to it, as it looked SO small
but little as it was it was bad. 1t dashed
past the house without moving q shing:e
and in a monlen or two, when the dus
had bio wn away We started out to lool
around, and, much to our surprise, Their
wasn't even a b,istle OF a pig left, andin tn
barn-yard there was but one solitary hen
and she was setting. They must have BEEF
blown miles and miles, for we never eve
heard a word OF eth the pigs or tn
fowls"
A FISH Story.
!, The wind had subsidized, and with n &C
cord the company rose, aud started to
ward the spring to take a drausht OF it
health-giving waters. As We stood waitin
, for our urn an unlucky wight asked SOM
thing about the fishing in the contiguou
r mountain streams, and that gave Marsha
Stoner a chance, which he proceeded to i'm
, prove. II am a pretty good fishermaI
!. myself" said he, but had one afternoon
r sport that beat anything l ever heard OF i
: that line. Twas then an employe in tn
p Blackfoot Agency, ard the surgeon and my
! self were fond OF angling, and very success
J full, too. The stream wasa couple OF mile
from the Agency, and was literally loade.
with trout. One daythe Doctor announce
that he had contrived a plan by which W
J could catch enough fish for the Who'll
Agency, and we started off. At the poiE
selected for operations the str, am wa
about ten or twelve feet wide, and when v
: reached there l found he had sent ahead a
; ordinary barrel with q number OF augu1
! holes bored in the bottom. the head, c
I course, being out. We then vent to wor
and built a dam. Placing the barrel in tn
center and getting a lot OF willow branche
we made a sort OF funnel leading into tn
mouth of the barrel. These preliminarie
completed We went upstream several hur
dred yards, and jumping in, drove the fis
down. OF course they had no other plac
to 60 than directly into the barrel. an
when we headed it up and landed it or tn
bank it was full OF beauties. Ii there wa
one there were @ pounds OF trout in it.
Judge French cast a reproachful look a
his friend, heaved a deep sigh, and starte
for the hotel, followed by the remainder c
the party. On the back trip not a wor
was spoken; each man was evidently bus.
with his own thoughts. Tit fish stor
had closed the game for that night.
An EXCITING CHASE.