New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-11
REWARD IN CONNECTICUT
AN oLD-sTYLE-sPoRT WITH SOME RESULTS.

REYNAhD IN CONNECI1CUL.
AN oT,D-sTYLESPoRT WITH SOME RESULTS.
rrnom AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRmUxx.)
Norwich Conn, March e.--Fox hunters are awake
and stirring hounds noses are ploughing burrows in
the thin covering Of snow, and poor, prosecuted Rey
nard Is rushing over crag and through valley In his
mad desire TO escape his ultimate fate. This is a
paradise for sports Of all kinds Although situated
in the heart OF civilization Connecticut In this vicln
ty possesses bowling wilderness. Lying To the
northward Is q country. wild and desolate, seldom
visited save by fishers and gunners. 1t abounds in
rapid running brooks which swarm with trout and
other representatives Of the nny family. Among its
hills live game Of all kinds including not few wild
and savage animals which have escaped from circus
menageries
But t remains for the fox to wander from this res
ervation of seeusion where the others live in retire
ment seek out places Of habhation and defy dogs,
guns and men to a chase In the wild and woolly
West novel view Is taken Of the sport, and in Chi
cago fox is caught killed. tied to q rope and dragged
along the boulevards, while the huntsmen. Hashily
uniformed and mounted thoroughbred saddlehorses
equally fashily caparisoned. canter along several
blocks behind Here in this eGete section Of the
East however, the sagacious critters dealt with
In the good od.fashioned way.
Not for years have foxes been more numerous than
they at present Large parties are indulging In
the mad exhlsraiing sport daily Farmers and farmer
boys are organizing hunting parties IN instances
and going t alone In others There are four gentle
men in this city who are inseparsble companions ON
hunting and fishing trips. They are prominent 1g
Tres upon the streets and are met daily except when
out for game. For several days last week they were
conspIcuousy absent from their usual hannts. but
Monday the four reappeared Questions failed to
elicit replies and the silence Of these usually loQus
cious gentlemen mystihed their associates Every
thing was cleared up. however, on Wednesday after
ald I'm chi pff ufr while
the quartet is writhlng in agony. While a number
Of sports spinning fox yarns at noted rendez-
vous farmer came In with q good string OF skins.
His mouth was phonograph Of an improved pattern,
and he had no sooner entered than the roll began to
run and out the secret which had been so faith
fully guarded by the hunters mentioned above.
Speakin' Of foxes.s said the farmer, reminds me
ot INV amusin' experience with some Of your city
chaps and one Of them ERE critters whose pcls you
see here There's old hole extendln clean through
big hill on my place which used once as mine
carlate. and which ia regular fox-trap Wels one
day last week heard dogs ayelpn', and seq to the
old 'oman l. The city chaps Is out ana thef loA
is headed fur the dug-out, fur me 10 ketch' This
q a great hiding place fur foxes and they all know
The hole and always 20 fur It when chased. So
rot down my musket and started out. 1 couldn't see
no one cause the hill was betwixt but could hear
them 'ere high.priced ours yelpin and thcm ere
teIers yeiNn', and knowed the fox was maxim fnr
the hole and would give cm the slip By goR through
when I'd give him dose OF shot got behind
bbicket to wait and directly heard racket In the
bushes and out comes the fox. banged away ana he
WINS mine. The tcers On the other side WIS howlln'
with joy to think they'd freed their game and they
set down 10 wait fur It 10 come back. But II
threatened TO take SO long that they decided to build
a fire and smoke him out Tho dogs Kept arparnn
right along The smoke hadn't no enect on the iox'
and after I'd peeped at them long nun, l took my
k.lIo caf0r Oeffi
wus so sure that he there that thoy refused 10
20 away. When It began to grow dark stole over
Ia neeu at ,em agin and found one guardin ana
feedlp' the fre in front Of the hole. Them fehers
IIept that up all that night and the next cay out
the smoke failed to the crtter out asn ana tney
vus forced from shere hungrfness, to give It up.
n WINS amusin, for me "a 'em pick ND and start
t,r home thinkin' they vus beiR' bested by sly
critter. when mowed IT'S skin was srhansin up 70
dry
Tbe SILENCE for few minutes was oppressive. The
four sports finally picked UP foursaiion jug
Of elder and in slonoe presented 1t to tho grnning
farmor while the remainder Of the party ADJOURNED
to back room where high carnival held sway al the
expense Of the quartet. who had been 50 lgno-
iuIousIy sold by the typical Yankee AMI his ingenious
fox-trap
jonathan and Ezra Rugg. Rphraim Russell. Erastus
Paine and Charles TOmldnson, with three hounds,
started fox at the very edge OF the woods WHICH
skirt the little village Of East Kinngly early Tuesday
morning. and INDUCED in a most Interesting ami
thrilling chase The animal was fresh and exericd
its every muscle to escape 1t crossed and recrossed
its track with extreme sagacity It ran along the top
Of rail fences and In various other ways endeay0red
m throw the hounds of the scent. That WAS I'm
possible, however, as tho dogs werc not noviees at
The business and Reynard soon discovered that
stability and speed were his only hope. The fox
finally counfered and made Decline for the village
The little stream. which furnishes power for one OF
the Oldest cotton manufacturing villages in the country
splashes down a natural waterfall for nearly nan
mile. Il IS weird and ragged course. that taken by
tho stream The bed Of IS OF solid stone. which
forms natural stairway. The fox reached this spot
and cleared the steps three at Jump. The party
came mn and halted, with the exception Of Erastus
Paine the most daredevil chap In all Windham'
yaus continued 10 follow the fox, squirting HIS horse
DOWN the incline which the animal and his rider made
tx SAFETY when the yard Of the big mill was reached
the fox lost its head entered. was eornered ana ed
The wanwecus ILL farmers marshailed by James
Morris. took a day of Tuesday and were successful
enough TO start up three foxes capturing mem s,i
The surrounding country, they say Is quite abundanty
inhabited by the animals. which are so bold that
they visit barn-yarts and feed on fowl AZ all times
OF day, as we'll night. MOI Only the CVnLeS Ss
ere tbe most varied IL remains for Mddlefed, how
ever, 10 develop nOndescriPts In the game lne.
scqalSltIon has been made TO the list which puzxng
the sporting men OF Mddlcneld ana Wallngtora anhe
1t was oapfured by James a. Ben iew ngh ns ag s,l
was nearly used up, and had not been for us ahh
full hounds he would have received me w9is y. ~ III ~
rnixturs between fox coon aud wild cat 1t had al
the sapience OF the fox comoned Will tne sehsshy
sntsson;St Which viii Il has been Connecticut hunters
fortune 10 meet upon the field OF battle
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