Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-10-28
Joe & Vic Barth,
CLOTHED IRIS.
THE AUDRAIN HUNTERS.
On Their Annual Trip to the Usage
Country - TOlerably Fair Sue.
cess-Maj.W VIM. Eller and
His Party.

KoELTzTowN, Mo-, Oct. 25.-We
are having a grand hunt and quite a
successful one, too. Big game is not
overly plentiful, bat there are thou
sands of squirrels and any amount of
other small game.
Our party left Mexico last Monday
week, all equipped for a big hunt and
a good time. We camped near Full
ton that night and crossed the river
at Jefferson City the next day at noon
on a ferry boat. We ate dinner on a
sand-bar in the middle of the Mlssou-
ri and the wind blew so much sand
in our grub that Pate Morris teeth
are still "on edge" Our next move
was to the Usage river, travelling by
wagon. Here we struck camp in the
bottoms, where the timber is very
large and also very tall. Nothing
could be seen at any great distance,
so dense were the woods. Every
thing seemed silent and lonesome;
not a bark of a dog, fox or wolf was
to be heard. The owls even were
dumb. The "varmints" were keep
ing still to give Tom Coons a chance.
At 10 o'clock the jesting andlaughter
of the boys ceased, the camp was
still, and Coons began to get his
breath hard. Great Caesar! but he
did snore; "sawed gourds" all night
long. 1t surely is a relief to Mrs.
Coons and the children to get rid of
him, if only for this short a time.
Heaven only knows how we are to
stand it. Relief came with morning,
and we forded@the Usage above Cas-
sell Rock, the river being very low.
By / o'clock we reached our hunting
ground, when, LOT who should we
meet there but the famous hunter,
Maj. Bill Filler, with his company,
They had their tent pitched right
upon our ground, 50 we had to drive
by and If you ever were ''turned Out
Of Doors you can imagine just how
we felt. However, we found a gooG
place not far off and located, with thu
avowed intention of making matters
in the hunting line lively for ou'
neighbors, the Galloway county boys
Maj. Eller & Co. say they have no
had very good luck, and I DON
doubt it much, Judging from the wa.
some of them handle their guns. San
Northern says he don't blame the In
dams for using the scalplng knife
that this thing of giving up hunting
grounds is enough to make anybod.
bloodthirsty. So far We have kille'
five deer and plenty of turkey. W
missed several good chances, though
by Tom Coons going to sleep on hi
stand. A big buck came along an
} stumbled over him, somewhat dis
turblng his slumbers, and in his hun
) ry to grab his gun and shoot he file
a farmers cow, that was grazing
l short distance off, full of buck-shot
| The wounded animal made such
! terrible fuss that every deer wa
scared clear out of the neighborhoo(
: so we are thinking of going over o
the Gasconade If Coons can g
away from the farmer, who thinks h
COW will die. Don't know how Ion
), we will stay. We miss our old hun
ing companion, John Daniel, VII
was the life of the camp. Our frien'
e Henry Holtermann, treats Us lii
e kings, and keeps US in plenty of fee
b for our horses. Corn is so cents ar
e scarce. Some of the settlers want
,t to kill the game and some do no
!" just like it was ten years ago. Goo
bye. Tom Coons is still breathir
hard and it bothers me SO l cam
Il write more.
N JNo. W. SpoTswooD & Co.
~