Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-12-04
Our Washington Letter.
December 1, 1886.


As Congress has not yet assembled
and rs THERE'S dearth of news and as
Thanksgiving has just past will give
you something on that.
! departed from my rule and'went
shooting on Thanksgiving Day
have been sorry ever since for more
reasons than one. In the first place
I helped, with the rabble, to break up
the object and real intention the Pres
-ident's proclamation.
1t may not be out of place to give
my reflections, written several years.
ago, upon hunters on the day in ques-
tion They ran thuslys
"A Thanksgiving hunter is curi-
GUS thing. He puts on his worst
clothes (looks like scare crow in his
bestl his powder and shot are in two
bottles, and the gun he uses is one
which has been handed down from
father to son ever since the Grst
Thanksgiving Day was invented and
inaugurated.
Nobody has ever been able to find
out where he gets his dog or what
breed he is, or what he carries the
dog for He leaves his wardrobe
scattered around upon the briars and
bushes, and for decency's sake, al
ways returns after dark.
Next morning you can see him
around shopping lies with some 9th
er hunter as to how much game he
brought in. have never known the
market, however, to be glutted with
game the next morning.
1.-THE head of the column of hun
ters reached the city a little after
dark.
"a motley crew it was.'
"The few shreds of dilapidated lin
en- which they had saved from the
shrubbery, dangled about their LAGER
ated lower quarters, and looked as alb
ject as home-spun sin. They looked
hungry, weary and Disguised. They
resembled some of oar fellows just af
ter the first Bull Run fight, and seem
ed just as anxious to reach Washing
ton. One leg seemed ashamed of the
other, and was continually trying to
go in another direction.
"The dogs, as poor and lank and
ugly and mongrel as they were, fol
lowed at long distance, and endeav-
ored to appear as though they were
going to .he city on their own bust
ness. They took no notice of me,
but trudged on with heads and tails
down, not presenting very bold
front to the enemy behind. Every
now and then one would raise his
head, but at sight OF his master low
er would go his tail, down his head
again, and 80 they marched on.
"Strolling down street that night l
found, sitting upon door step and
nearly frozen to death, one of these
poor hunters and his dog. His wife
had locked the door and gone out Wis
iting, and there he was, the picture Of
despair and the victim of visiting
wife and Thanksgiving Day halluci-
nation. left him to his hard fate,
with the gentle reminder that, If he
had gone to church and behaved him
self as he should have done,he would
have found himself at that particular
period in better and happier frame
of mind. Conversations which occur
in these little episodes in domestic
households are not often put in print,
for, as general thing, they are too
voluminous, and entirely uninterest.
ing to the general public. AS cold as
he was, I'll bet hundred dollars to
a five-cent piece that he got red-hot
in two minutes after he caught the
first glimpse of that red-headed wife
of his
My advice is, never go hunting on
Thanksgiving Day unless at the close
of the day you want to look like a
vagabond and feel like a fool, and
and then get abused because you look
and feel like just what you are.
haun DG